SLS20 Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders

Question 1

medical model

Answer 1

The conceptualization of psychological disorders as diseases that, like physical diseases, have biological causes, defined symptoms, and possible cures

Question 2

DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [Fourth Edition, Text Revision])

Answer 2

A classification system that describes the features used to diagnose each recognized mental disorder and indicates how the disorder can be distinguished from other, similar problems

Question 3

comorbidity

Answer 3

The co-occurrence of two or more disorders in a single individual (ex. depression and anxiety disorder)

Question 4

diathesis-stress model

Answer 4

Suggests that a person may be predisposed for a mental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress

Question 5

anxiety disorder

Answer 5

The class of mental disorder in which anxiety is the predominant feature

Question 6

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Answer 6

A disorder characterized by chronic excessive worry accompanied by three or more of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance

Question 7

phobic disorders

Answer 7

Disorders characterized by marked, persistent, and excessive fear and avoidance of specific objects, activities, or situations

Question 8

specific phobia

Answer 8

A disorder that involves an irrational fear of a particular object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual’s ability to function

Question 9

social phobia

Answer 9

A disorder that involves an irrational fear of being publicly humiliated or embarrassed

Question 10

preparedness theory

Answer 10

The idea that people are instinctively predisposed toward certain fears

Question 11

panic disorder

Answer 11

A disorder characterized by the sudden occurrence of multiple psychological and physiological symptoms that contribute to a feeling of stark terror

Question 12

agoraphobia

Answer 12

An extreme fear of venturing into public spaces

Question 13

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Answer 13

A disorder in which repetitive, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) designed to fend off those thoughts interfere significantly with an individual’s functioning

Question 14

mood disorders

Answer 14

Mental disorders that have mood disturbance as their predominant feature

Question 15

major depressive disorder

Answer 15

A disorder characterized by a severely depressed mood that lasts 2 weeks or more and is accompanied by feelings of worthlessness and lack of pleasure, lethargy, and sleep and appetite disturbances

Question 16

dysthymia

Answer 16

A disorder that involves the same symptoms as in depression only less severe, but the symptoms last longer, persisting for at least 2 years

Question 17

double depression

Answer 17

A moderately depressed mood that persists for at least 2 years and is punctuated by periods of major depression

Question 18

seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Answer 18

Depression that involves recurrent depressive episodes in a seasonal pattern

Question 19

helplessness theory

Answer 19

The idea that individuals who are prone to depression automatically attribute negative experiences to causes that are internal (i.e. their own fault), stable (i.e. unlikely to change), and global (i.e. widespread)

Question 20

bipolar disorder

Answer 20

An unstable emotional condition characterized by cycles of abnormal, persistent high mood (mania) and low mood (depression)

Question 21

dissociative disorder

Answer 21

A condition in which normal cognitive processes are severely disjointed and fragmented, creating significant disruptions in memory, awareness, or personality that can vary in length from a matter of minutes to many years

Question 22

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Answer 22

The presence within an individual of two or more distinct identities that at different times take control of the individual’s behavior

Question 23

dissociative amnesia

Answer 23

The sudden loss of memory for significant personal information

Question 24

dissociative fugue

Answer 24

The sudden loss of memory for one’s personal history, accompanied by an abrupt departure from home and the assumption of a new identity

Question 25

schizophrenia

Answer 25

A disorder characterized by the profound disruption of basic psychological processes; a distorted perception of reality; altered or blunted emotion; and disturbances in thought, motivation, and behavior

Question 26

delusion

Answer 26

A patently false belief system, often bizarre and grandiose, that is maintained n spite of its irrationality

Question 27

hallucination

Answer 27

A false perceptual experience that has a compelling sense of being real despite the absence of external stimulation

Question 28

disorganized speech

Answer 28

A severe distruption of verbal communication in which ideas shift rapidly and incoherently from one to another unrelated topic

Question 29

grossly disorganized behavior

Answer 29

Behavior that is inappropriate for the situation or ineffective in attaining goals, often with specific motor disturbances

Question 30

catatonic behavior

Answer 30

A marked decrease in all movement or an increase in muscular rigidity and overactivity

Question 31

negative symptoms

Answer 31

Emotional and social withdrawal; apathy; poverty of speech; and other indications of the absence or insufficiency of normal behavior, motivation, and emotion

Question 32

dopamine hypothesis

Answer 32

The idea that schizophrenia involves an excess of dopamine activity

Question 33

personality disorder

Answer 33

disorder characterized by deeply ingrained, inflexible patterns of thinking, feeling, or relating to others or controlling impulses that cause distress or impaired functioning

Question 34

antisocial personality disorder (APD)

Answer 34

A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood