Studied by 41 people
psychological disorder
a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
medical model
the concept that diseases, in this case psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital
epigenetics
the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA chance
DSM-5
the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
a psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity
anxiety disorders
psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
social anxiety disorder
intense fear and avoidance of social situations (formerly called social phobia)
generalized anxiety disorder
an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal
panic disorder
an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person may experience terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations; often followed by worry over a possible next attack
agoraphobia
fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one has felt loss of control and panic
phobia
an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hyper-vigilance, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience
major depressive disorder
a disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or another medical condition, two ore more weeks with five or more symptoms, at least one of which must be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure
bipolar disorder
a disorder in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania (formerly called manic-depressive disorder)
mania
a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgment is common
rumination
compulsive fretting; overthinking our problems and their causes
schizophrenia
a disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression
psychotic disorders
a group of disorders marked by irrational ideas, distorted perceptions, and a loss of contact with reality
hallucinations
false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus
delusion
a false belief, often of persecution of grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders
chronic schizophrenia (process schizophrenia)
a form of schizophrenia in which symptoms usually appear by late adolescence or early adulthood. As people age, psychotic episodes last longer and recovery periods shorten
acute schizophrenia (reactive schizophrenia)
a form of schizophrenia that can begin at any age; frequently occurs in response to a traumatic event
somatic symptom disorder
a psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a somatic (bodily) form without apparent physical cause (formerly called somatoform disorder)
conversion disorder
a disorder related to somatic symptom disorder in which a person experiences very specific, physical symptoms that are not compatible with recognized medical or neurological conditions (also called functional neurological symptom disorder)
illness anxiety disorder
a disorder related to somatic symptom disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease (formerly call hypochondriasis)
dissociative disorders
controversial, rare disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from pervious memories, thoughts, and feelings
dissociative identity disorder (DID)
a rare, dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities (formerly called multiple personalities disorder)
personality disorders
inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning
antisocial personality disorder
a personality disorder in which a person (usually a male) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing even toward friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist
anorexia nervosa
an eating disorder in which a person maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight; sometimes accompanied by excessive exercise
bulimia nervosa
an eating disorder in which a person’s binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) is followed by inappropriate weight-loss promoting behavior, such as vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise
bing-eating disorder
significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory behavior that marks bulimia nervosa
psychotherapy
treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth
biomedical therapy
prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology
eclectic approach
an approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy
psychoanalysis
Freud’s therapeutic technique. Freud believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences--and the therapist’s interpretations of them--released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight
resistance
in psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material
interpretation
in psychoanalysis, the analyst’s noting supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in order to promote insight
transference
in psychoanalysis, the patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (such as love or hatred for a parent)
psychodynamic therapy
therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition; views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight
insight therapies
therapies that aim to improve psychological functioning by increasing a person’s awareness of underlying motives and defenses
client-centered therapy
a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within an accepting, genuine, empathic environment to facilitate clients’ growth (also called person-centered therapy)
active listening
empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies. A feature of Rogers’ client-centered therapy
behavior therapy
therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors
counterconditioning
behavior therapy procedures that use classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors; include exposure therapies and aversive conditioning
exposure therapies
behavioral techniques, such as systematic desensitization and virtual reality exposure therapy, that treat anxieties by exposing people (in imaginary or actual situations) to the things they fear and avoid
systematic desensitization
a type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli. Commonly used to treat phobias.
virtual reality exposure therapy
a counterconditioning technique that treats anxiety through creative electronic simulations in which people can safely face their greatest fears such as airplane flying, spiders, or public speaking
aversive conditioning
a type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol)
token economy
an operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange tokens for privileges or treats
cognitive therapy
therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and out emotional reactions
rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)
a confrontational cognitive therapy, developed by Albert Ellis, that vigorously challenges people’s illogical, self-defeating attitudes and assumptions
cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
a popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior)
group therapy
therapy conducted with groups rather than individuals, providing benefits from group interaction
family therapy
therapy that treats people in the context of their family system. Views an individual’s unwanted behaviors as influenced by, or directed at, other family members
meta-analysis
a procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies
evidence-based practice
clinical decision making that integrates the best avialable research with clinical expertise and patient charactersitics and preferences
therapeutic alliance
a bond of trust and mutual understanding between a therapist and client, who work together constructively to overcome the client’s problem
pyschopharmacology
the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior
antipsychotic drugs
drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of severe thought disorder
antianxiety drugs
drugs used to control anxiety and agitation
antidepressant drugs
drugs used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (several widely used antidepressant drugs are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors--SSRIs)
electroconvultive therapy (ECT)
a biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
the application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain; used to stimulate or suppress brain activity
psychosurgery
surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to change behavior
lobotomy
a psychosurgical procedure once used to calm uncontrollably emotional or violent patients. The procedure cut the nerves connecting the frontal lobes to the emotion-controlling centers of the inner brain
resilience
the personal strength that helps most people cope with stress and recover from adversity and even trauma
posttraumatic growth
positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crises
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