Psychopathology Flashcards
Spells out defining features and symptoms for the range of psychological disorders.
DSM-IV The fourth edition of the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
An affective or mood disorder characterized by at least one episode of feeling profoundly sad and hopeless, losing interest in almost all activities, or both.
major depressive disorder
Physical or bodily signs of emotional distress such as loss of appetite or disruption of normal sleep patterns.
somatic symptoms
A socially defined expectation about how people should behave in particular social contexts.
social norm
A field of study concerned with the origins and course of maladaptive or psychopathological behavior.
developmental psychopathology
The view that psychopathology results from the interaction of a person’s predisposition to psychological problems and the experience of stressful events.
diathesis–stress model
A pervasive and severe developmental disorder that begins in infancy and is characterized by such problems as an aversion to social contact, deviant communication or mutism, and repetitive, stereotyped behavior.
autism
Disorders that affect many aspects of functioning; all involve social and communication problems.
autism spectrum disorders (ASDs); lso called
pervasive developmental disorders; includes autism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, and others,
The repetition of sounds, such as when an autistic child parrots what someone else says.
echolalia
An autistic spectrum disorder in which the child has normal or above-average intelligence, has good verbal skills, and wants to establish social relationships but has seriously deficient mindreading and social skills.
Asperger syndrome
Theory of autism that holds that the malfunctioning of behavior simulating mirror neuron systems accounts for the deficits individuals with autism show in imitation, theory of mind skills, empathy, and language.
mirror neuron hypothesis
The planning and organizational functions that reside in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
executive functions
Baron-Cohen’s theory that individuals with autism have brains that are more masculine, or skilled at systemizing, than feminine, or skilled at empathizing.
extreme male brain hypothesis
Childhood behavioral problem that involves “undercontrolled” behavior such as aggression or acting out difficulties that disturb other people.
externalizing problem
A condition observed in infants who, because of either physical causes or emotional deprivation, are characterized by stunted growth, weight loss, and delays in cognitive and socioemotional development.
failure to thrive
Childhood behavioral problem that represents an “overcontrolled” pattern of coping with diffi culties and is expressed in anxiety, depression, and other forms of inner distress.
internalizing problem
The co-occurrence of two or more psychiatric conditions in the same individual.
comorbidity
Well- established psychotherapy approach that involves identifying and changing distorted thinking and maladaptive emotions and behavior associated
with it.
cognitive behavioral therapy
Transactional, multifactor model of substance use that envisions a chain of influences starting with a child with a difficult temperament born into troubled family and ending with involvement in a deviant adolescent peer group.
cascade model of substance use
A life-threatening eating disorder characterized by failure to maintain a normal weight, a strong fear of weight gain, and a distorted body image; literally, “nervous lack of appetite.”
anorexia nervosa
A life-threatening eating disorder characterized by recurrent eating binges followed by purging activities such as vomiting.
bulimia nervosa
Way of managing stress that involves dwelling on problems and attempting to analyze them; may help explain higher rates of depression in females than in males.
ruminative coping
A progressive loss of cognitive capacities such as memory and judgment that affects some aging individuals and that has a variety of causes.
dementia
A pathological condition of the nervous system that results in an irreversible loss of cognitive capacities; the leading cause of dementia in later life.
Alzheimer’s disease
A toxic protein that injures neurons and is located in the senile plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
beta-amyloid
The extra brain power or cognitive capacity that some people can fall back on as aging and diseases such as Alzheimer’s begin to take a toll on brain functioning.
cognitive reserve
A clouding of consciousness characterized by alternating periods of disorientation and coherence.
delirium
The deterioration of functioning and cognitive capacities caused by a series of minor strokes that cut off the blood supply to areas of the brain.
vascular dementia; also called multiinfarct
dementia.
