sheet 1 psych Flashcards
What is the DSM-IV?
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a system containing criteria for mental disorders.
How many classes of disorders are listed in the DSM-IV?
17 different classes.
What is Axis I in the DSM-IV?
Axis I includes major mental disorders.
What is Axis II in the DSM-IV?
Axis II includes personality disorders and mental retardation.
What is Axis III in the DSM-IV?
Axis III includes associated medical conditions.
What is Axis IV in the DSM-IV?
Axis IV includes life stressors.
What is Axis V in the DSM-IV?
Axis V includes the overall level of daily functioning.
What are some criticisms of the DSM-IV?
Not all diagnoses meet criteria for validity, criteria not always based on scientific data, high level of comorbidity, reliance on categorical rather than dimensional model.
What is the “insanity defense” in law?
It requires people to not know what they were doing at the time of the crime or not know it was wrong.
When can someone be involuntarily committed?
If they pose a clear and present threat to themselves or others, or if they are so impaired they can’t care for themselves.
What are some examples of anxiety disorders?
Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
What is a characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder?
Continual feelings of worry, anxiety, physical tension, and irritability about many areas.
What are panic attacks associated with panic disorder?
Repeated, unexpected panic attacks along with either persistent concerns about future attacks or a change in personal behavior to avoid them.
What are phobias characterized by?
Intense fear of an object or situation that’s greatly out of proportion to its actual threat.
What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
Marked emotional disturbance after experiencing or witnessing a severely stressful event.
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) characterized by?
Marked by obsessions (persistent ideas, thoughts, or impulses that are unwanted and inappropriate) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts).
How do learning models explain anxiety disorders?
By acquiring fears via classical conditioning and maintaining them through operant conditioning.
What is major depressive disorder (MDD)?
The most common mood disorder, characterized by feeling blue or irritable, sleep difficulties, fatigue, weight changes, and thoughts of death or suicide.
What is bipolar disorder characterized by?
Having both depressive and manic episodes, including elevated mood, lowered need for sleep, high energy, talkativeness, inflated self-esteem, and irresponsible behavior.
What are some myths about suicide?
That talking about suicide makes it more likely to happen, that suicide is almost always completed with no warning, and that most people who threaten suicide are seeking attention.
What are personality disorders diagnosed based on?
When personality traits first appear, if they are inflexible, stable, and expressed in a wide variety of situations, and if they lead to distress or impairment.
What is borderline personality disorder characterized by?
Instability in mood, identity, and impulse control, often highly self-destructive.
What is psychopathic personality marked by?
Superficial charm, dishonesty, manipulativeness, self-centeredness, and risk taking, overlapping with antisocial personality disorder.
What are dissociative disorders?
Disorders involving disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception.
What is dissociative identity disorder (DID)?
Characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities (alters).
What are some symptoms of schizophrenia?
Disturbances in attention, thinking, language, emotion, and relationships, including delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech and behavior.
What is the diathesis-stress model?
Proposes that mental illness is a joint product of a genetic vulnerability (diathesis) and stressors that trigger it.
How is mental illness (MI) often seen according to psychopathology?
As a failure of adaptation to the environment.
What is the failure analysis approach in understanding mental illness?
It examines breakdowns in functioning.
What are some conceptions of mental illness (MI)?
Statistical rarity, subjective distress, impairment, societal disapproval, and biological dysfunction.
What were some historical conceptions of mental illness?
During the Middle Ages, mental illnesses were often viewed through a demonic model, and during the Renaissance, the medical model saw mental illness as a physical disorder needing treatment.
Who were some reformers advocating for moral treatment of mental illness?
Philippe Pinel and Dorothea Dix.
What was the impact of the development of chlorpromazine (Thorazine) in the 1950s?
It moderately decreased symptoms of schizophrenia and similar problems.
What was the policy of deinstitutionalization?
It was enacted with the advent of other medications to help patients return to almost normal lives.
What are some culture-bound conditions?
Koro, amok, and taijin kyofushu.
What are some misconceptions about psychiatric diagnoses?
That they are nothing more than pigeonholing, unreliable, invalid, and stigmatizing.
What is the DSM-IV and what information does it provide?
It is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, providing criteria for mental disorders, diagnostic criteria, decision rules, and prevalence information.
What are the DSM-IV axes and what do they assess?
Axis I assesses major mental disorders, Axis II assesses personality disorders and mental retardation, Axis III assesses associated medical conditions, Axis IV assesses life stressors, and Axis V assesses overall level of daily functioning.
What are some criticisms of the DSM-IV?
Not all diagnoses meet criteria for validity, criteria not always based on scientific data, high level of comorbidity, reliance on categorical rather than dimensional model, and vulnerability to political and social influences.
What is the “insanity defense” in law and how successful is it?
It requires people to not know what they were doing at the time of the crime or not know it was wrong, and it is successful in less than 1% of criminal cases.
What is involuntary commitment and when can it be applied?
It is a procedure for protecting people with mental disorders from themselves or others, and it can only be applied if they pose a clear and present threat to themselves or others or are so impaired they can’t care for themselves.
What are some anxiety disorders?
Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
What are some characteristics of generalized anxiety disorder?
Continual feelings of worry, anxiety, physical tension, and irritability about many areas.
What are panic attacks associated with panic disorder?
Repeated, unexpected panic attacks along with either persistent concerns about future attacks or a change in personal behavior to avoid them.
What are phobias characterized by?
Intense fear of an object or situation that’s greatly out of proportion to its actual threat.
What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
Marked emotional disturbance after experiencing or witnessing a severely stressful event.
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) characterized by?
Marked by obsessions (persistent ideas, thoughts, or impulses that are unwanted and inappropriate) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts).
How do learning models explain anxiety disorders?
By acquiring fears via classical conditioning and maintaining them through operant conditioning.
What is major depressive disorder (MDD)?
The most common mood disorder, characterized by feeling blue or irritable, sleep difficulties, fatigue, weight changes, and thoughts of death or suicide.
What is bipolar disorder characterized by?
Having both depressive and manic episodes, including elevated mood, lowered need for sleep, high energy, talkativeness, inflated self-esteem, and irresponsible behavior.
What are some myths about suicide?
That talking about suicide makes it more likely to happen, that suicide is almost always completed with no warning, and that most people who threaten suicide are seeking attention.
What are personality disorders diagnosed based on?
When personality traits first appear, if they are inflexible, stable, and expressed in a wide variety of situations, and if they lead to distress or impairment.
What is borderline personality disorder characterized by?
Instability in mood, identity, and impulse control, often highly self-destructive.
What is psychopathic personality marked by?
Superficial charm, dishonesty, manipulativeness, self-centeredness, and risk taking, overlapping with antisocial personality disorder.
What are dissociative disorders?
Disorders involving disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception.
What is dissociative identity disorder (DID)?
Characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities (alters).
What are some symptoms of schizophrenia?
Disturbances in attention, thinking, language, emotion, and relationships, including delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech and behavior.
What is the diathesis-stress model?
Proposes that mental illness is a joint product of a genetic vulnerability (diathesis) and stressors that trigger it.
What is autistic disorder marked by?
Severe deficits in language, social bonding, and imagination, often accompanied by mental retardation.
What is the controversy surrounding the increase in autism diagnoses?
Many blamed MMR vaccines, but subsequent research showed no link between vaccines and autism.
What are some characteristics of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?
Inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactivity symptoms, diagnosed in 3-7% of school children, more common in males.
How is ADHD treated?
Can be successfully treated with stimulant medications.
