Exam 3 Trauma, Stressor-Related, Dissociative, and Psychiatric Disorders Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering trauma-related, stressor, dissociative, somatic, neurocognitive, neurodevelopmental, impulse control, and personality disorders based on lecture notes.

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

A condition where traumatic stress symptoms persist for 3 days to 1 month following exposure to a traumatic event.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A disorder diagnosed when traumatic stress symptoms persist for more than 1 month following exposure to severe trauma.

Anhedonia

The inability to feel pleasure, categorized as a negative alteration in cognition and mood in PTSD.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Stressful events occurring in childhood, where an increased number of ACEs correlates with an increased risk for severe medical and psychiatric conditions in adulthood.

Sertraline (Zoloft) and Paroxetine (Paxil)

First-line FDA-approved selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used in the treatment of PTSD.

Clonidine (Catapres)

An alpha-2 adrenergic agonist used in PTSD to target hyperarousal, nightmares, severe sleep disturbances, and intrusive symptoms; requires blood pressure checking before administration.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

A psychotherapy modality that combines trauma processing with bilateral sensory stimulation (such as eye movements or taps) to integrate dysfunctional memories.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

A psychotherapy modality that targets and reframes unhelpful trauma-related beliefs known as 'stuck points'.

Prolonged Exposure (PE)

A psychotherapy modality involving systematic, repeated exposure (imaginal and in vivo) to avoided triggers to promote habituation.

Adjustment Disorder

A psychiatric condition triggered by common non-life-threatening stressors (e.g., divorce, job loss) with symptoms occurring within 3 months of the stressor.

Complicated Grieving

A specialized subtype of adjustment disorder occurring in the 12 months post-loss, marked by intense yearning, preoccupation, and severe sorrow.

Attachment Disorders

Psychiatric conditions in children caused by grossly inadequate nurturing or bonding environments prior to 8 months of age.

Depersonalization

A dissociative symptom characterized by recurrent feelings of detachment and feeling like an outside observer of one's own body or self.

Derealization

A dissociative symptom characterized by recurrent feelings of detachment where external surroundings feel dreamlike, unreal, or distant.

Dissociative Amnesia

The inability to recall personal information following trauma.

Dissociative Fugue

A subtype of dissociative amnesia involving sudden, unexpected travel away from home with an inability to recall one's identity, during which the patient may assume a new identity entirely.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

A disorder characterized by the presence of 2 or more distinct personality states (alters) that recurrently control behavior, strongly associated with severe childhood physical or sexual abuse.

Host (DID)

The primary personality state in Dissociative Identity Disorder that is initially unaware of the alters but may eventually become aware.

Switching / Transitioning

The transition between distinct personality states in Dissociative Identity Disorder, which typically occurs during times of stress.

Trauma-Informed Care (The 4 R's)

A care framework based on four key principles: Realize trauma's widespread impact, Recognize signs and symptoms, Respond by integrating trauma knowledge, and Resist re-traumatizing individuals.

Somatic Symptom Disorder

A disorder involving multiple distressing, involuntary physical symptoms (e.g., pain, GI issues) causing high functional impairment and excessive health anxiety.

Illness Anxiety Disorder

Preoccupation and fear of having a serious illness despite having mild or absent physical symptoms, with a required duration of at least 6 months.

Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder)

Involuntary neurological deficits (e.g., paralysis, blindness, seizures) without an underlying physiological cause, often preceded by emotional stress.

La Belle Indifférence

A classic feature of Conversion Disorder where the patient displays a striking lack of emotional concern regarding the severity of their physical deficit.

Factitious Disorder

Intentional, voluntary fabrication or induction of physical or psychiatric symptoms to assume the sick role and gain emotional attention.

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another

A condition where a caregiver fabricates or induces illness in a dependent, categorized as a severe form of abuse requiring mandatory CPS reporting.

Malingering

Conscious, voluntary fabrication of illness driven by external secondary gains (such as financial compensation or obtaining disability/medications); not categorized as a psychiatric disorder.

Respite Care

Planned, short-term admissions to a nursing facility or in-home care that allow primary caregivers a temporary break.

Adult Day Care Programs

Daytime programs offering health screening, social activities, and meals that allow older adults to maintain community ties while providing daytime relief to families.

Confabulation

An unconscious defense mechanism where a patient creates false stories or answers to replace lost memories in order to protect self-esteem.

Perseveration

The persistent repetition of a word, phrase, or gesture.

Aphasia

The loss of language ability.

Apraxia

The loss of purposeful, learned motor movements.

Agnosia

The inability to recognize familiar objects or sensory stimuli.

Sundowning

Deterioration of mood and increased agitation occurring in the late afternoon or evening in patients with cognitive impairment.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Medications such as Donepezil, Rivastigmine, and Galantamine that inhibit acetylcholinesterase to increase available acetylcholine in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Memantine (Namenda)

An NMDA receptor antagonist that regulates glutamate activity to prevent neurotoxicity in moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease.

Resilience

Inborn strengths that enable a child to handle stress, characterized by adaptability, social intelligence, and problem-solving skills.

Denver II Developmental Screening

A pediatric screening tool assessing Personal-Social, Fine Motor-Adaptive, Language, and Gross Motor skills.

Play Therapy

An essential pediatric therapeutic modality that allows young children to express emotions and process conflicts.

Bibliotherapy

A therapeutic modality that uses age-appropriate books and stories to help children relate to characters and process traumatic feelings safely.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A neurodevelopmental impairment marked by deficits in social communication/interaction alongside restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

A condition characterized by inappropriate degrees of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity present in at least two settings.

Tourette's Disorder

A chronic neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by multiple motor tics AND at least one vocal tic present for more than 1 year.

Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT)

A non-pharmacological behavioral therapy for tics using habit reversal training to perform an incompatible muscular response when a tic urge builds.

Receptive Language Disorder

A communication disorder characterized by difficulty understanding and following directions.

Expressive Language Disorder

A communication disorder characterized by difficulty communicating, finding the right words, forming sentences, and using gestures.

Social Communication Disorder

A condition involving impairment in using verbal and nonverbal communication for social interaction, distinguished from ASD by the absence of restricted/repetitive behaviors.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

A persistent pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior, and vindictiveness toward authority figures that does not involve severe aggression or property destruction.

Conduct Disorder (CD)

A persistent pattern of behavior where the basic rights of others are violated and major societal norms or rules are disregarded.

Callous-Unemotional Subset

A subset of Conduct Disorder characterized by a lack of remorse, empathy, or emotional depth, serving as a strong predictor for adult Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)

An impulse control disorder marked by recurrent, impulsive outbursts of unprovoked physical or verbal aggression out of proportion to the stressor.

Limit Setting

A behavioral management technique involving stating expectations clearly, calmly, and consistently before or during misbehavior.

Behavioral Contract

A written agreement between patient and care provider outlining specific target behaviors, rewards, and consequences.

Planned Ignoring

A behavioral technique of deliberately ignoring non-dangerous, attention-seeking behaviors while praising positive actions.

Simple Restitution

A behavioral management procedure requiring a patient to repair environmental or relational damage caused by their behavior.

Paranoid Personality Disorder

A Cluster A personality disorder characterized by longstanding distrust, suspiciousness, hypervigilance, and hostile or controlling behavior.

Schizoid Personality Disorder

A Cluster A personality disorder characterized by lifelong social withdrawal, restricted emotional expression, and an absence of desire for close relationships.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

A Cluster A personality disorder characterized by magical thinking, odd beliefs or speech, extreme social anxiety, and paranoid thoughts.

Histrionic Personality Disorder

A Cluster B personality disorder characterized by excitable, dramatic, attention-seeking, provocative behavior, and low frustration tolerance.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

A Cluster B personality disorder characterized by entitlement, grandiosity masking weak self-esteem, intense fear of abandonment/shame, and an arrogant affect.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

A Cluster B personality disorder marked by unstable mood and relationships, identity distortion, severe impulsivity, chronic suicidal ideation/self-harm, and splitting.

Splitting

A primary defense mechanism in BPD involving black-and-white thinking where people or situations are categorized as all good or all bad.

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

A Cluster B personality disorder characterized by deceitful, manipulative, callous, and disinhibited behavior with disregard for safety, rules, or the rights of others.

Avoidant Personality Disorder

A Cluster C personality disorder characterized by extreme sensitivity to rejection, social inhibition, and strong feelings of inferiority.

Dependent Personality Disorder

A Cluster C personality disorder characterized by submissive, clinging behavior and an overwhelming need to be taken care of.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

A Cluster C personality disorder marked by a preoccupation with order, control, and perfectionism, where the individual views their rules as correct (ego-syntonic).