ch 16 Mental disorders and scientific American DSM

Mental disorder

A condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling, behavior, or mood, causing distress or impairment in daily functioning.

Reliability

the consistency of a measure or assessment across time or different observers.

Validity

The degree to which a test or measure accurately represents the concept it is intended to measure.

DSM-V (5)

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, is a classification system used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders, providing standardized criteria and terminology.

Anxiety disorder

A mental health condition characterized by excessive and persistent feelings of worry, fear, or apprehension that interfere with daily activities.

Diathesis-stress model

A psychological theory that explains the development of mental disorders as a combination of genetic predispositions (diathesis) and environmental stressors.

Phobias

An anxiety disorder marked by an intense and irrational fear of a specific object or situation (e.g., heights, spiders, or social situations).Phobias often lead to avoidance behavior and can significantly disrupt daily life.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD):

A chronic anxiety disorder characterized by excessive, uncontrollable worry about various aspects of life such as health, finances, and social interactions.

Biopsychosocial approach

A model that integrates biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding mental health and illness.

OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

A disorders characterized by persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) performed to reduce anxiety.

Hoarding

A mental disorder characterized by the excessive accumulation of items and an inability to discard them, leading to clutter and distress.

PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)

A mental health disorder triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, leading to flashbacks, nightmares, and emotional numbness.

Depression

A common and serious mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest, and can affect daily functioning.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

Presence of symptoms over two years, often milder, but more persistant than episodic.

Bipolar Disorder

A mental health condition characterized by extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). It can disrupt daily life and requires careful management.

Schizophrenia

A severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, often characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and impaired functioning.

Postive Symptoms

Presence of an inappropriate atypical behavior.These may include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, and other behaviors that represent an excess or distortion of normal functions.

Negative Symptoms

Absence of appropriate or typical expected behavior. These may include lack of emotion, social withdrawal, and reduced motivation.

Concordance

The presence of the same trait or disorder in both members of a pair of twins, or the agreement between different raters, often used in genetic studies of mental disorders.

Personality disorders

A group of mental disorders characterized by enduring, inflexible patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience that deviate from cultural expectations, causing significant distress or impairment.

Antisocial personality disorder

A mental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others. Individuals with this disorder often engage in deceitful, manipulative, or harmful behavior without remorse.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

A complex psychological condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states or an experience of possession, often associated with severe trauma or stress.

Conversion disorder

A mental health condition where a person experiences neurological symptoms (e.g., paralysis, blindness) that are not explained by medical conditions but are linked to psychological factors.

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, leading to restricted food intake and excessive weight loss.

Bulimia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors, such as vomiting or excessive exercise, to prevent weight gain.

Binge-eating disorder

A eating disorder marked by recurrent episodes of consuming large quantities of food, often quickly and to the point of discomfort, accompanied by feelings of loss of control and distress.

Down Syndrome

A genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21, leading to developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, and distinct physical features.

Alzheimer’s Disease

A progressive neurological disorder characterized by the degeneration of brain cells, leading to memory loss, cognitive decline, and changes in behavior.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A developmental disorder that affects communication, behavior, and social interaction, often presenting in a range of symptoms and challenges.