Psychopathology terms

Anxiety

A state of psychological distress involving emotional, behavioral, physiological, and cognitive reactions to threatening stimuli.

Maladaptive anxiety

Intense anxiety disproportionate to the triggering threat, often chronic and interfering with daily tasks.

Separation anxiety disorder (SAD)

Excessive anxiety about leaving emotionally attached caregivers.

Selective mutism

An anxiety disorder where children consistently fail to speak in expected social situations.

Behavioral inhibition

Tendency to withdraw and seek a caregiver in unfamiliar situations.

Mower’s two-factor theory of anxiety

Explains selective mutism through classical conditioning.

Specific Phobia

Fear of discernible objects or situations, common in children.

Vasovagal response

Physiological reaction involving rapid blood pressure changes.

Social anxiety disorder

Fear of social or performance situations with potential scrutiny.

Panic disorder

Presence of recurrent, unexpected panic attacks causing distress.

Panic attack

Acute episode of psychological distress and autonomic arousal.

Metacognition

Ability to think about one's thoughts and feelings.

Anxiety sensitivity

Tendency to perceive anxiety symptoms as highly distressing.

Expectancy theory of panic

High anxiety sensitivity leads to sensitivity to anxious arousal symptoms.

Agoraphobia

Fear of places or situations without easy escape.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Characterized by chronic worry and association with depression.

Apprehensive expectation

Excessive worry about the future, a hallmark of GAD.

Cognitive avoidance theory

Worrying to avoid distressing mental images.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Presence of unwanted obsessions or compulsions impairing daily life.

Obsessions

Intrusive and unwanted thoughts, urges, or images.

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviors in response to obsessions.

Cortico-basal-ganglionic circuit

Involved in OCD, includes orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, and caudate.

Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS) theory

Rapid-onset OCD symptoms post-infection.

Tics

Sudden, involuntary behaviors like motoric or vocal movements.

Tourette’s disorder

Defined by multiple motor and vocal tics lasting over a year.

Trichotillomania

Repeatedly pulling out hair leading to hair loss.

Excoriation disorder

Recurrent skin picking resulting in lesions.

Exposure therapy

Confronting feared stimuli for specific durations.

Contingency management

Exposing to feared stimuli and positive reinforcement.

Systematic desensitization

Associating feared stimuli with incompatible responses.

Modeling

Observing others confront feared stimuli.

Relaxation training

Learning to reduce physiological arousal during panic.

Interoceptive exposure

Learning to cope with panic symptoms.

Cognitive restructuring

Challenging cognitive distortions in panic disorder.

Exposure and response prevention

Gradual exposure to obsessions to reduce compulsions.

Self-monitoring

Recording frequency of tics with parental help.

Habit reversal training

Teaching behaviors to prevent tics.

Reactive attachment disorder (RAD)

Disturbed attachment behaviors due to deprivation.

Experience-expectant process

Biological predisposition to form attachments.

Experience-dependent process

Attachment quality based on interactions over time.

Bucharest early intervention project (BEIP)

Study on early deprivation effects and mitigation.

Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED)

Overly familiar behavior with strangers.

Social inhibition

Controlling impulses in social settings.

Attachment and biobehavioral catch-up (ABC)

Intervention for parent-child dyads.

Child physical abuse

Nonaccidental physical injury to a child.

Child sexual abuse

Sexual acts involving a child for gratification.

Child psychological abuse

Verbal or symbolic acts causing psychological harm.

Sexualized behaviors

Inappropriate actions for the child’s age.

Traumatic sexualization

Anxiety related to sexuality or trust issues.

Parent-child cognitive-behavioral therapy (PC-CBT)

Treatment for physical maltreatment.

Cognitive reconstructing

Correcting maladaptive thoughts in PC-CBT.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Symptoms post-life-threatening event exposure.

Depersonalization

Feeling detached from one’s body or mental processes.

Derealization

Perception that surroundings are not real.

Adverse childhood experience (ACE) study

Investigating long-term outcomes of trauma.

Cognitive appraisal theory

Evaluation of stressful situations affecting feelings.

Problem-focused coping

Modifying conditions causing stress.

Escape or avoidance coping

Disengaging from