Abnormal Psychology AP Psych

What does it mean to be insane?

Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other people.

DSM 5

the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.

Epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

General Anxiety Disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

Panic Anxiety Disorder

a pattern of anxiety in which long periods of calm are broken by an intensely uncomfortable attack of anxiety

Phobias

A group of anxiety disorders involving a pathological fear of a specific object or situation

OCD

an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)

PTSD

an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

GAD Cause

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a mental health condition characterized by persistent and excessive worry. While the exact cause is unknown, it's believed that a combination of genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and personal experiences contributes to its development. Stressful life events, such as trauma or chronic illness, can trigger or worsen GAD symptoms.

Panic Disorder Cause

Panic attacks and panic disorder are complex conditions with multiple potential causes, including a combination of physical, psychological, and environmental factors. While the exact causes are still being researched, some key contributors include genetics, chemical imbalances, traumatic experiences, and stress.

Phobia Cause

Phobias can stem from a combination of genetic predispositions and environmental factors, including traumatic experiences, learned behaviors, and even exposure to information about feared objects or situations. While everyone may experience fear, a phobia is a persistent, excessive fear that is disproportionate to the actual danger posed by the trigger.

OCD Cause

The exact cause of OCD is unknown, but it's believed to be a combination of genetic, brain-related, and environmental factors. Genetics play a role, as OCD can run in families, and there are potential genetic differences in brain structure and chemistry. Environmental factors, such as childhood trauma and stressful life events, can also trigger or worsen OCD symptoms. Also amplified by Over-generalization- one single event causes a chain of negative thoughts that can't be turned off

PTSD Cause

-experiencing, witnessing, or learning of a traumatic event

Somatoform Disorders

disorders characterized by physical symptoms for which no known physical cause exists

Conversion

Conversion disorder, also known as functional neurological symptom disorder, is a psychiatric condition where a person experiences physical symptoms, often neurological, that can't be explained by a medical condition. These symptoms are believed to be triggered or worsened by psychological factors, like trauma or stress. The symptoms are not intentionally feigned, but rather a manifestation of underlying psychological distress.

Hypochondriasis

a somatoform disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease

Dissociative Disorders

disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings

Amnesia

partial or total loss of memory

Fugue

Amnesia and travel

DID

a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities

Mood Disorders

psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes

Depression (MDD)

response to past and current loss

state of feeling sad, hopeless, and worthless, also withdrawing from interpersonal contact

SAD

Seasonal depression - feeling depressed when winter comes

Bipolar Disorder

A mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania.

Cognitive Triad

The three forms of negative thinking that Aaron Beck theorizes lead people to feel depressed. The triad consists of a negative view of one's experiences, oneself, and the future.

Pessimistic attribution styles

A pessimistic attributional style is a way of explaining events, particularly negative ones, that leads to seeing them as internal, stable, and global. This contrasts with an optimistic style, which tends to attribute negative events to external, unstable, and specific causes. A pessimistic style can be linked to negative mental health outcomes like depression.

Cause of Mood Disorders

Genes & serotonin, Diathesis stress approach, Learned helplessness, Negative attributional style, Ruminative thinking

Schitzophrenia

A group of severe disorder characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions and inappropriate emotions and actions

Hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Types of Delusions

Alterations in thought are false fixed beliefs that cannot

be corrected by reasoning and are usually bizarre.

● Ideas of reference: Misconstrues trivial events and

attaches personal significance to them (believes others are talking about him)

● Persecution: Feels singled out for harm by others (being hunted by FBI)

● Grandeur: Believes that she is all powerful and

important, like a god

● Somatic delusions: Believes that his body is changing in

an unusual way (growing a third arm)

● Jealousy: Believes that her partner is sexually involved

with another individual even though there is not any

factual basis for this belief

● Being controlled: Believes that a force outside his body

is controlling him

● Thought broadcasting: Believes that her thoughts are

heard by others

● Thought insertion: Believes that others' thoughts are

being inserted into his mind

● Thought withdrawal: Believes that her thoughts have

been removed from her mind by an outside agency

● Religiosity: Is obsessed with religious beliefs

● Magical thinking: Believes his actions or thoughts

are able to control a situation or affect others (wearing a hat makes him invisible)

Catatonia

a state of unresponsiveness to one's outside environment, usually including muscle rigidity, staring, and inability to communicate

Waxy Flexibility

feature of catatonic schizophrenia in which people rigidly maintain the body position or posture in which they are placed by others

Positive and Negative Symptoms

Positive Symptoms

• delusions

• hallucinations

• bizarre behavior

• thought disorders

• the presence of inappropriate behaviors

Negative Symptoms

• flattening of emotion

• low motivation

• slowing of thinking and behavior

• the absence of appropriate behaviors

tardive dyskinesia

involuntary movements of the facial muscles, tongue, and limbs; a possible neurotoxic side effect of long-term use of antipsychotic drugs that target certain dopamine receptors

Double Bind

offering two contradictory messages and prohibiting the recipient from noticing the contradiction

Causes of Schizophrenia

genetic factors, biochemical imbalances, brain abnormalities, psychosocial influences and stress

Diathesis-stress model

a diagnostic model that proposes that a disorder may develop when an underlying vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event

Antisocial Personality Disorder

A personality disorder in which the person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members. May be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist.

Conduct Disorder

a persistent pattern of deviant behavior involving aggression to people or animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, or serious rule violations

Dependent Personality Disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of clinging and obedience, fear of separation, and an ongoing need to be taken care of.

Paranoid Personality Disorder

type of personality disorder characterized by extreme suspiciousness or mistrust of others

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a preoccupation with fantasies of success or power, and a need for constant attention or admiration

Histrionic Personality Disorder

a personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality and preoccupation with being the center of attention; emotional shallowness; overly dramatic behavior

OCD Personality Disorder

a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive need for orderliness, perfectionism, & extreme conscientiousness - different from the OCD stand alone disorder (much less severe)

Borderline Personality Disorder

a personality disorder characterized by lack of stability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and emotion; impulsivity; angry outbursts; intense fear of abandonment; recurring suicidal gestures

Eating Disorder

An extreme, harmful eating behavior that can cause serious illness or even death.

Substance Abuse

Any unnecessary or improper use of chemical substances for nonmedical purposes

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

neurologically based disorders that are revealed in a clinically significant way during a child's developing years

Asperger's

a type of autism characterized by normal cognitive and language development and impaired social skills

ADHD

a psychological disorder marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms: extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity

Alzheimer's

progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the most common cause of premature senility.

Parkinson's

A disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, often including tremors.

Rosenhan's Study

Conducted: a group of people faked hearing voices and were immediately admitted into a hospital and WRONGLY diagnosed with schizophrenia

Significance: demonstrated how labeling people with a disorder can be problematic because the label is more important than the symptoms

History of Mental Treatment

The Moral Treatment era (early 1800's to 1890) featured freestanding asylums, the Mental Hygiene movement (1890 to World War II) introduced psychiatric hospitals and clinics, and the Community Mental Health Reform period (World War II to late 1970's) produced community mental health centers.

Primary Prevention

Actions that change overall background conditions to prevent some unwanted event or circumstance, such as injury, disease, or abuse.

Secondary Prevention

-focuses on early identification of individuals or communities experiencing illness, providing treatment, and conducting activities that are geared to prevent worsening health status

-examples: communicable disease screening and case finding; early detection and treatment of diabetes; exercise programs for older adult clients who are frail

Tertiary Prevention

actions taken to contain damage once a disease or disability has progressed beyond its early stages

Psychotherapy

treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

Somatic Treatments

Biological interventions that include medication, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychosurgery.

Psychoanalytic Therapy

Uses various methods to help a patient become aware of his/her unconscious motives, in order to help the patient be more able to choose behaviors consciously. Therapy sessions usually focus on patients talking about their lives and reducing anxiety through self insight through analysis and interpretation.

Psychodynamic Therapy

therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition that views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and that seeks to enhance self-insight

Psychodynamic Therapy vs Psychoanalytic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy and psychoanalytic therapy are related but distinct approaches to treatment. Psychodynamic therapy, a more flexible and shorter-term option, focuses on present-day relationships, emotions, and patterns while considering the unconscious. Psychoanalytic therapy, in contrast, is a longer-term, more structured approach that delves deeply into unconscious conflicts and childhood experiences.