Final Exam: Psych of Everday Life

Psychological Disorders

Clinical significant disturbances in cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior.

Medical Model

suggests that when a person displays symptoms of abnormal behavior, the root cause will be found in a physical examination of the individual. There could be…a hormonal imbalance, chemical deficiency or Brain Injury

Diagnosis

involves distinguishing one illness from another

Etiology

Refers to the apparent causation and developmental history of an illness.

Prognosis

A forecast about the probable course of an illness.

Deviance

Behaviors that are significantly different from what society deems acceptable.

Maladaptive Behavior

Behavior that interferes with a person's ability to function.

Personal Distress

Behavior that is troubling to the individual.

DSM-5/Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

The 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used for classifying mental disorders; the American Psychiatric Association (APA) uses it

Dimensional Approach

describes disorders in terms of how people score on a limited number of continuous dimensions. (ex: the degree to which they exhibit anxiety)

Anxiety Disorders

A class of disorders marked by feelings of excessive apprehension and anxiety.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Chronic, high level of anxiety not tied to any specific threat.

Phobic Disorder

Persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger.

Panic Disorder

Characterized by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety.

Agoraphobia

Fear of going out to public places leads to avoidance and isolation. It might result in severe panic attacks in which people “hide” in their homes out of fear of the outside world. It’s not labeled as an Anxiety Disorder or OCD in the DSM-5

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Marked by persistent, uncontrollable intrusions of unwanted thoughts and rituals. Common obsessions include fear of contamination, hammering others suicide or sexual acts. Only occurs in approximately 2 of 3% of the population

Biological Factors (in Anxiety Disorders)

Inherited temperament may be a risk factor; neurotransmitters (“chemicals that carry signals from one neuron to another") may play a role.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

A neurotransmitter that slows down brain activity by blocking signals in the central nervous system

Conditioning and Learning

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning can create and reinforce fears. Avoiding fear stimulus is negatively reinforced, through operant conditioning, by making the person feel less anxious 

Seligman (1971) adds we are biologically prepared to fear some things more than others

Cognitive Factors (in Anxiety Disorders)

Some people are more likely to experience anxiety disorder because they misinterpret harmless situations as threatening, leading to anxiety.

Dissociative Disorders

Disorders where individuals lose contact with portions of consciousness or memory. Resulting in disruptions in their own identity.

Dissociative Amnesia

Sudden loss of memory for important personal information.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Coexistence of two or more distinctly different personalities. Transitions from identities can be sudden. Disorder that is largely unknown but most professionals believe

Etiology of dissociative disorders:

psychogenic amnesia and fugue ( not remembering what your other identities did) are usually the result of extreme stress.

Major Depressive Disorder

Constant feelings of sadness, despair, and loss of interest. Lifetime prevalence is estimated to be around 13 to 16%

Depression is also correlated with a decrease in hippocampal volume.

Gender Prevalence w/ Depression

women are 2x more likely to be diagnosed w/ depression. Isn’t connected to biological differences between men and women. This could result from greater stress and abuse that women experience.

Bipolar Disorder

Marked by alternating periods of depression and manic behavior.

Manic Periods

a bout of extreme abnormal behavior and feeling of invincibility. But then it’s met with random bouts of depression

• 90% of people who complete suicide suffer from some type of psychological disorder.

• Bipolar and depressive disorders account for about 50 to 60% of completed suicides

Gender Differences w/ Suicide

Women are 3x more likely to attempt suicide, but men “complete” 4x as many suicides.

Mood disorder are correlated with low levels of two neurotransmitters in the brain

1. Norepinephrine

2. Serotonin

• It’s unclear whether changes in these chemicals are the cause, or result, of the onset of mood disorders

Mood Disorders

Psychological disorders linked to fluctuations in mood and emotional state.

Concordance Rates

Percentage of twin pairs exhibiting the same disorder, indicating genetic influence.

• Rates for identical twins are 65 to 72% whereas it is only 14 to 19% for fraternal twins who share fewer genes but the same environment 

Neurochemical Factors

Mood disorders correlate with low levels of norepinephrine and serotonin.

Learned Helplessness

The passive resignation people develop when unable to avoid repeated adverse events.

Cognitive Factor of Depression & Learned Helplessness:

• Seligman (1974) proposes that depression is caused by “learned helplessness,” in which people become passive and “give up” in times of difficulty

Learned helplessness is also related to “pessimistic explanatory style” in which people attribute setbacks to personal flaws.

Interpersonal Roots (of Mood Disorders)

Links between social skills and the occurrence of depression.

Precipitating Stress:

There is also a link between stress and the onset of mood disorders

Neurodevelopment Hypothesis

Schizophrenia caused by disruptions in brain maturation processes before or at birth.

• Child might have experienced malnutrition during prenatal development

Expressed Emotion

• the degree to which a relative of a schizophrenic patient displays highly critical or emotionally over-involved attitudes toward the patient.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

profound impairment of social interaction; developmental delays; about 1% of children presently diagnosed w/ autism or autism spectrum disorder

Echolalia

Repeating someone else's words, often seen in autism spectrum disorder.

Personality Disorders

Extreme and inflexible personality traits leading to distress or impaired functioning.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Marked by manipulative, impulsive, and aggressive behavior.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Instability in relationships, self-image, and emotional functioning.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Characterized by grandiose self-importance and need for admiration.

Eating Disorder

severe disturbances in eating behavior characterized by preoccupation of food.

Anorexia Nervosa

Eating disorder marked by maintaining an abnormally low body weight. It existed throughout history; age of onset tends to be earlier

Amenorrhea

menstrual cycle stopping

Bulimia Nervosa

Eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging. It became common in the 70’s; age of onset tends to be around late adolescents

Binge Eating Disorder

overeating; distressing by excessive eating

Personality Factors of People With Eating Disorders

rigid, neurotic, emotionally restrained

Family Roles (Eating Disorders)

adolescents may use eating as a way to gain control in their life, particularly when they feel that their parents are controlling.

They believe: “I must be thin yo be accepted”

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A blend of verbal and behavioral interventions for treating various disorders.

Cognitive Therapy

treatment that uses strategies habitual thinking errors that underlie various types of disorders.

Psychoanalytic Perspective

Abnormal behavior stems from unresolved childhood conflicts.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on rewards and punishments as determinants of behavior.

Cognitive Perspective

Central role of thoughts and beliefs in shaping abnormal behavior.

Humanistic Perspective

Emphasizes individual responsibility and self-actualization.

Sociocultural Perspective

Behavior shaped by societal and cultural influences.

Clinical psychologists and counseling psychologists

specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and everyday behavioral problems

Both Ph.D and Psy.D pr Ed.D require a doctoral degree

Psyhologists are more commonly to use…

• behavioral methods over psychoanalysis

• Psychologists also conduct psychological testing carry out research.

Psychiatric

physicians who specialize in the treatment of psychological disorders; they focus on more server disorders; they earn their M.D. and typically emphasize drug therapies (psychologists can’t prescribe medication); they are more likely to use psychoanalysis.

Psychiatric Social Workers

work as a part of a treatment “team” w/ a psychologists or psychiatrist

Psychiatric nurses

earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree and usually work with hospitalized patients

Insight Therapy

Verbal interactions to enhance self-knowledge and promote personality change. Includes psychoanalysis; client centered therapy; group therapy

Sigmund Freud

developed psychoanalysis and emphasize the recovery of unconscious conflicts, motives, and defenses through techniques such as free association, dream analysis and transference.

Psychodynamic approaches

Newer dynamics of psychoanalysis

Probing The Unconscious

therapists use 2 techniques to probe the unconscious in attempt to identify unresolved conflicts causing the client’s neurotic behavior 

Free Association

Clients express thoughts and feelings spontaneously without censorship.

Dream Analysis

Interpretation of the symbolic meaning of clients' dreams.

Interpretation

involves the therapist’s attempts to explain the inner significance of the client’s thoughts, feelings, memories, and behaviors.

Resistance

unconscious defensive maneuvers intended to hinder the progress of therapy. Clients may be “forgetting” appts. Or being hostile toward the therapist

Transference

when clients start relating to their therapists in way that mimic critical relationships in their lives.

Group Therapy

Treatment for several clients at a time, providing mutual support.

Advantages of Group therapy:

1. Clients realize problems aren’t unique

2. Practice an opportunity to promote socializes

Couples Therapy

focus on bettering the relationship

Family Therapy

Focuses on dynamics, roles, and communication within family systems.

Behavior is the product of…

LEARNING! what has been learned can be unlearned

Systematic Desensitization

Behavior therapy to reduce anxiety responses through counterconditioning.

Social Skills Training

Improves social skills through modeling, rehearsal, and shaping.

Reality Therapy

A cognitive behavioral therapy emphasizing internal locus of control.

Biomedical Therapies

a physiological intervention used to reduce mental health symptoms. Consists of 2 treatments: Pills (medication) and Electroconvulsive Therapy ECT

Psychopharmacotherapy

Medication used to treat mental health disorders.

Antianxiety Medication

Medications like Xanax and Valium used to reduce anxiety.

Antipsychotic Medication

Used to treat severe psychological disorders like schizophrenia.

Tardive Dyskinesia

A neurological disorder causing involuntary movements, often as a side effect of antipsychotics.

Antidepressant Drugs

Gradually elevate mood and help bring people out of depression they are a frequently prescribed medication in the U.S.

• Most commonly used antidepressants are SSRI’s

SSRIs

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors commonly prescribed for depression.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Treatment that uses electric shock to produce seizures for severe depression.

Risks ECT

proponents admit that memory loss impaired attention are mild, temporary side effects of the treatment; Critics argue that these cognitive problems are more serious than the symptoms 

Mood Stabilizers

typically used: lithium; used to control mood swings w/ bipolar mood disorders

• Benefits: these drugs can provide relief from server disorders that can’t be helped with therapy

Critics Argue (Medication)

• drugs are over prescribed

• They can treat symptoms not underlying causes

• Side effects might be worse than the symptoms

Light Therapy

Used for treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other mood disorders.

Increasing Multicultural Sensitivity

minority groups are less likely to seek and utilize therapy 

Positive Psychology

Focuses on human strengths instead of weaknesses.

Positive subjective experiences

the positive but private feelings and thoughts that people have about themselves

Positive Individual Traits

character traits, strengths and virtues

Positive Moods

• global, pervasive responses to experiences; being in a good mood has beneficial effects; promotes creative solutions

Martin Seligman

positive psychologist; serves as a counter-weight for the negative view of psychology

Flourishing

High levels of well-being with low levels of mental illness.