Unit 12: Abnormal Behavior

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 change

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

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, minuteslong 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, actions, or both

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, 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 or 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

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 or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

chronic 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

a form of schizophrenia that can begin at any age; frequently occurs in response to a traumatic even

somatic symptom disorder

a psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a bodily form without apparent physical cause

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

illness anxiety disorder

a disorder related to somatic symptom disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease

dissociative disorders

controversial, rare disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings

dissociative identity disorder

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

personality disorders

inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning

antisocial personality disorder

a personality disorder in which a 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

anorexia nervosa

an eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) 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 is followed by inappropriate weight-loss promoting behavior, such as vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

binge-eating disorder

significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without compensatory behavior