Exam 2- Abnormal Psychology

Anxiety, phobias, panic disorders, OCD, PTSD, acute stress disorder, dissociative disorders, depression, bipolar, suicide.

Fear

The body’s response to some identifiable threat to ones wellbeing.

Panic

They body’s response to an unidentifiable threat.

Anxiety

The body’s response to a vague sense of being in danger, apprehension about what may or may not occur.

Fear, panic, and anxiety do what to the body?

The increase respiration, perspiration, muscle tension, etc.

What is the Yerkes- Dodson Curve?

It’s a bell curve that displays the interaction between performance and arousal.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms

For 6+ months, need at least 3 of the following- edginess, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, sleep problems.

When does anxiety typically show up?

In childhood or adolescence.

COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
Psychological problems are often caused by what?

Dysfunctional ways of thinking (ex- excessive worry).

How many people get treatment for anxiety?

¼ of the population.

COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
Albert Ellis believed what about people with GAD?

Many people are guided by irrational beliefs that lead them to act and react in inappropriate ways.

Rational Emotive Therapy (RET)

Managing irrational beliefs that lead to inappropriate actions and reactions.

COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
What does research support about GAD?

People with GAD hold maladaptive assumptions, particularly about dangerousness.

COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
Aaron Beck believed what about people with GAD?

People with Gad often hold silent assumptions, not even aware (RET).

Example of RET

Wanting approval from people in our lives (I want everyone to like me, and if they don’t like me then there’s something wrong with me. I need to do everything I can to get these people to like me").

COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
How to treat people with GAD?

Relaxation training (best with biofeedback or cognitive therapy).

BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
What do biological theorists believe about GAD?

GAD is caused by biological factors like genetics.

Biological treatments to GAD

Antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic drug therapy.

Definition of phobia

Persistent and unreasonable fears of particular objects, activities, or situations. Often involves avoidance of the object.

Definition of Agoraphobia

A fear of being in a public space where escape might be difficult or embarrassing.

What are the most common specific phobias?

Animals, insects, heights, thunderstorms, blood (9% of population has a specific phobia).

What causes phobias?

Behavioral explanations (classical conditioning, modeling, stimulus generalization).

Definition of Classical Conditioning.

Two events occurring around the same time, tied together.

Definition of Stimulus Generalization

One stimulus also produces the same effect in another stimulus.

The behavioral-evolutionary perspective of phobias

Human beings are theoretically more “prepared” to acquire some phobias more than others.

What exposure treatments are there to treat specific phobias?

Imaginal vs in vivo desentiziation, and systematic vs prolonged.

What is imaginal desensitization?

Helping patients imagine scenarios on a scale of how fearful it is.

What is in vivo desensitization?

In real life scenarios.

What is systematic desensitization?

Building up the scenarios.

What is prolonged desensitization?

Giving the patient the most intense scenario right away.

What is the most impactful desensitization treatment?

In vivo prolonged.

What do patients usually choose in terms of desensitization?

Systematic imaginal.

How is agoraphobia treated?

The exposure approach.

What symptoms do people with Social Anxiety Disorder have?

At least 6 months- Fear of being negatively evaluated/offensive to others, avoiding possibly embarrassing acts in public (eating, talking etc).

What causes Social Anxiety Disorder?

The idea that they hold social beliefs and expectation that consistently work against them (proposed by cognitive theorists and researchers).

Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder

Exposure and cognitive restructuring (overwhelming social fear), and assertiveness with other behavioral techniques (lack of social skills).

Definition of Panic Disorder

Unforeseen panic attacks that occur repeatedly.

Symptoms for Panic Disorders

At least 4 of the following- heart palpitations, tingling hands/feet, shortness of breath, sweating, temp flashes, chest pains, choking sensations, faintness, fear of dying.

The biological perspective of panic disorders

Antidepressants and anxiolytics are most effective at preventing panic attacks

The cognitive perspective of panic disorders

When their body misfires, they view the situation as a medical disaster. They might have more trauma in their lives.

Cognitive therapy for panic disorders

Tries to correct people’s misinterpretations for their bodily sensations (Clark and Beck).

Behavioral therapy for panic disorders

The biological challenge procedures (encourages patient to produce what symptom caused them to panic).

Symptoms for OCD

Intrusive, foreign, and obsessives thoughts that develop into daily rituals, which reduces anxiety.

Common obsessions

Dirt, contamination, violence and aggression, orderliness, religion, sexuality, etc.

Behavioral therapy for OCD

Expose client to anxiety-arousing thoughts/situations then prevent the client from performing their compulsive acts.

ERP

Exposure and ritual prevention.

Cognitive Therapy for OCD

Psychoeducation and guiding the client to identify, challenge, and change distorted cognitions.

Excoriation Disorder- OCD disorder

People repeatedly pick at their skin, resulting in significant sores or wounds.

Trichotillomania- OCD disorder

People repeatedly puling their hair for a sense of relief.

The 2 components of the state of stress

Stressor (what happens) and the stress response (how we deal with it).

What is a threatening stressor?

When something is out of our control, we feel arousal and fear.

Each person has a different response to stress and arousal- how?

Trait anxiety (tense vs relaxed) and state anxiety (specific to the situation).

Definition of Acute Stress Disorder

Symptoms begin immediately or soon after a traumatic event that usually lasts for one month.

When does PTSD kick in

Symptoms may begin either shortly after the event or months/years later.

How are PTSD and acute stress disorder identical?

Re-experiencing the event, avoidance, reduced responsiveness, increased arousal, negative emotions, and guilt.

Symptoms of PTSD

Exposure to a traumatic event, experiencing at least one of the following for at least a month- repeated bad memories/dreams, flashbacks, upset when exposed to trauma-linked cues, physical reactions when reminded about event, unable to recall features of event, changes in arousal/activity.

What triggers PTSD?

Prevalence, differences, combat, disasters.

What triggers PTSD and acute stress disorder?

Victimization, terrorism, torture

Biological/genetic factors to developing acute and PTSD

Abnormal neurotransmitter/hormone activity (norepinephrine and cortisol) and biochemical arousal/damage to the brain (hippocampus and amygdala).

Risk factors for acute and PTSD

Certain personalities, childhood experiences, weak social support, resiliency, cultural differences, severity of trauma.

How clinicians treat acute and PTSD

Drug therapy, behavior exposure exams (eye movement and EMDR), psychological debriefing.

Definition of dissociative disorders

A group of disorders in which some parts of ones memory/identity seems to be separated from other parts of their memory/identity.

Dissociative Amnesia

Unable to recall info about themselves following a stressful situation, often triggered by an upsetting event.

Localized amnesia

Loss of memory after events occurring within a limited period of time (most common).

Selective amnesia

Loss of memory of some parts of the event but can remember others.

Generalized amnesia

Loss of memory beginning with an event, but it extends back in time.

Continuous amnesia

Loss of memory when event occurs and continues into the future (most rare).

Dissociative fugue

The individual forgets who they are, their past, and their memories, all associated with flight (usually to the south).

Dissociative Identity Disorder definition

When an individual develops 2+ distinct, sub personalities.

Switching definition

Transition from one personality to another.

Amnesic relationship definition

Some personalities are aware of others, and some are not (DID).

Unipolar depression

Only depression, no history of mania, normal mood when depression lifts.

Bipolar depression

Periods of mania alternate with periods of depression.

Anadenia

Decrease of enjoyment during most once-enjoyable activities for the majority of the day.

Symptoms for major depressive episodes

At least 2+ weeks with 3-4+ symptoms- weight/appetite change, hyper/insomnia, agitation/decrease in motor activity, tiredness, worthlessness, excessive guilt, suicide focus. No pattern/history of mania/hypermania.

Biological symptoms of major depressive episode

Trouble sleeping and/or losing weight.

Environmental/cognitive symptoms of major depressive episode

Weight gain and/or hypersonic.

Persistent depressive disorder definition

At least 2 years of minor depression where symptoms are not absent for more than 2 months at a time, with no history of mania/hypermania. Significant distress or impairment.

Clinical definition of depression

Severe and long lasting psychological, emotional, and sociocultural pain.

What are the 5 main areas of affected functioning in depression?

Emotional (sad/anger), motivational (loss of interest), behavioral (less activity), cognitive (self-blame/negativity), and physical (pain, stomach issues, dizzy).

Seasonal affective disorder

The winter blues, treat with light therapy.

Catatonic depressive disorder

Remains speechless or motionless.

Peripartum depressive disorder

Depression post-delivery.

Melancholic depressive disorder

Anhedonia or lack of mood reactivity.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Diagnosis given to women who repeatedly experience clinically significant depressive symptoms during the week before menstruation.

Disruptive mood regulation disorder

Characterized by a combination of persistent depressive symptoms and recurrent outbursts of severe temper.

Triggers for unipolar depression

Reactive (exogenous)- stress from outside factors.
Endogenous- mostly biological stress factors.

The biological model of unipolar depression- genetic factors

20% more likely to have depression if a family is depressed.

The biological model of unipolar depression- biochemical factors

There is often an imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine and an abnormal amount of melatonin secretion and cortisol.

The biological model of unipolar depression- anatomical factors

The prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala all have issues with depression.

The biological model of unipolar depression- gut health

Certain kind of bacteria more prevalent in people with depression- there is a connection between the brain and the gut.

The biological model of unipolar depression- immune system

When under stress, our bodies don’t regulate the immune system as efficiently as it should.

Vagus nerve stimulation

Implanted pulse that sends electrical signals to the vagus nerve and the brain, helps reduce depression in many patients.

Biological treatment for unipolar depression

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Behavioral treatment for unipolar depression

Reintroduce clients to pleasurable things, reinforce non depressive behaviors, help them improve their social skills.

Cognitive treatment for unipolar depression

Correcting negative thinking- cognitive triad, errors in logic, and automatic thoughts.

Learned helplessness model

People become depressed when they lose control over rewards and punishments in their lives, and feel responsible for this helpless state (Seligman, cognitive model).

4 interpersonal problems with interpersonal therapy (IPT)

Loss (death), role dispute (differing ideas), role transition (birth of a child, separation), and deficits (shyness, social awkwardness).

Who is more likely to suffer physical symptoms over depression vs cognitive symptoms?

Anyone in non-western countries.

Definition of manic episodes.

1+ week, a person displays a continually abnormal, inflated, unrestrained, or irritable mood as well as continually heightened energy/activity for most of the day.

Symptoms for manic episodes.

3+ of the following- big self-esteem, reduced sleep, continuous fast talking, fast thoughts/ideas, heightened activity, pursuit of risky and potentially problematic activities.