AP Psychology Unit 8: Clinical Psychology

Abnormal Behavior

statistically rare, violates cultural norms, personally interferes with day-to-day living, and legally may cause a person to be unable to know right from wrong (insanity)

Psychoanalytic Causes

unresolved internal conflict in the unconscious mind

Behavioral causes

maladaptive behaviors learned from inappropriate rewards and punishment

Humanistic causes

conditions of worth imposed by society, which cause lowered self-concept

Cognitive causes

irrational and faulty thinking

Biological causes

neurochemical or hormonal imbalances; abnormal brain structures or genetics

Anxiety

a feeling of impending doom or disaster from a specific or unknown source that is characterized by mood symptoms of tension agitation and apprehension; bodily symptoms of sweating, muscular tension and increased heart rate and blood pressure; as well as cognitive symptoms of worry, rumination, and distractibility.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

characterized by persistent, pervasive feelings of doom for at least six months not associated with a particular object or situation. ANXIETY DISORDER

Panic Disorder

unpredictable attacks of acute anxiety accompanied by high levels of physiological arousal that last from a few seconds to a few hours. ANXIETY DISORDER

Specific Phobia Disorder

irrational fear of specific objects or situations, such as animals or enclosed spaces. ANXIETY DISORDER

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

recurrent, unwanted thoughts or ideas or compelling urges to engage in repetitive, ritual-like behavior. ANXIETY DISORDER

Post- Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD)

feelings of social withdrawal accompanied by atypical low levels of emotion cause by prolonged exposure to a stressor, such as a catastrophe; an individual may experience flashbacks and nightmares.ANXIETY DISORDER

Somatoform disorders

are mental disorders involing a bodily or physical problem for which there is no physiologyical bases. Symptoms deal with the body and have no realistic physical cause for them

Somatization disorder

recurrent complaints about usually vague and unverifiable medical conditions such as dizziness, heart palpitations, and nausea that do not apparently result from any physical cause. SOMATOFORM DISORDER

Conversion disorder

actual loss of bodily function, such as blindness, paralysis, or numbness, due to excessive anxiety with no physiological cause. SOMATOFORM DISORDER

Dissociation

experience of two or more streams of consciousness cut off from each other. involve loss of memory or identity. The Freudian explanation is repression of hurtful situations too painful for the individual to deal with. involve the massive repression of traumatic events or unpleasant memories into the unconscious mind

Dissociative Amnesia

characterized by inability to remember repressed events or personal information

Dissociative fugue

"traveling amnesiac disorder" characterized by moving away and assuming a new identity, with amnesia for the previous identity

Dissociative identity disorder

(formerly known as multiple personality disorder). rare disorder in which two or more distinct personalities exist within the same person

Mood disorders

affective disorders characterized by significant shifts or disturbances in mood that affect normal perception, thought, and behavior

Major depression

aka unipolar mood disorder- involves persistent and severe feelings of sadness and worthlessness accompanied by changes in appetite, sleeping, and behavior/ MOOD DISORDER

Schizophrenia

a serious mental disorder( psychosis) characterized by thought disturbances, hallucinations, anxiety, emotional withdrawal, and delusions

Psychosis

disorder characterized by an apparent break with reality

Delusion

false belief of being plotted against (persecution), or being extraordinarily important (grandeur), or being controlled by others

Hallucination

false sensory perception such as hearing voices or seeing images that are not present

Disorganized, Catatonic, Paranoid, Undifferentiated

Four major types of Schizophrenia

Disorganized Schizophrenia

(hebephrenia) characterized by thought disturbances and silly behavior or absence of emotions

Catatonic Schizophrenia

characterized by bizarre movements or lack of movement, such as immobile stupor and waxy flexibility

Personality disorders

characterized by persistent patterns of maladaptive and inflexible traits in personality/ classifies on DSM-IV Axis II

Developmental Disorders

involve disturbances in learning, language, and motor or social skills showing up in infancy, childhood, or adolescence

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

characterized by the inability to focus attention, distractibility and impulsivity/ DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

Autism Spectrum Disorder

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors; characterized by impaired social interaction, poor communication, and limited activities and interests/ DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

Anorexia nervosa

eating disorder characterized by abnormally restrictive eating, gross underweight, and unrealistic body image of being too fat/ DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

Bulimia Nervosa

eating disorder characterized by "binging and purging"/ DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

psychiatrists

medical doctors; can prescribe medication and perform surgery

counseling psychologists

have Ph.D Ed.D Psy.D or M.A. in counseling; tend to deal with less severe mental health problems

clinical psychologists

have doctoral degree Ph.D or Psy.D; use different therapeutic approaches depending on training and diagnosis

psychoanalysts

may or may not be psychiatrists, but follow the teaching freud and practice psychoanalysis or other psychodynamic therapies

clinical or psychiatric social workers

have masters degree in social work (M.S.W)

psychoanalytic

cause of behavior: unconscious internal conflict, possibly stemming from early childhood trauma
goal of treatment: help patients gain insight into their unconscious conflicts, does not offer a cure
key terms: psychoanalysis, free association, dream interpretation, transference, catharsis

behavioral therapy

cause of behavior: learned maladaptive behavior through faulty contingencies of reinforcement
goal of treatment: unlearn maladaptive behavior and replace it with more adaptive behavior
key terms: systematic desensitization, flooding, modeling, implosive, aversive

humanistic

cause of behavior: poor self-concept as a result of conditions of worth
goal of treatment: to reduce the discrepancy between the ideal and real self
key terms: client-centered therapy, existential therapy, unconditional positive regard

cognitive therapy

cause of behavior: irrational and faulty thought processes and perceptions
goal of treatment: cognitive restructuring by changing the thoughts and replacing irrational with more rational perceptions and changing more negative thinking to more positive ideas
key terms: rational emotive therapy, cognitive triad

biological

cause of behavior: imbalance of neurotransmitters, hormones; genetic predisposition and other brain abnormalities
goal of treatment: through the use of antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic drugs, attempting to restore balance. electroconvulsive shock treatment and psychosurgery used minimally as well
key terms: antianxiety drugs, antidepressants, antipsychotics, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), ECT, psychosurgery, corpus callosum transection, prefrontal lobotomy

psychoanalysis

Freudian form of therapy involving free association, dream analysis, resistance, and transference aimed at providing the patient insight into his/her unconscious motivations and conflicts

free association

a psychoanalytic procedure in which the client is encouraged to say whatever is on his/her mind without censoring possibly embarrassing or socially unacceptable thoughts or ideas

dream interpretation

analyzing of dreams' manifest parts to get to its hidden, or latent meaning

transference

in psychoanalysis, the venting of emotions both positive and negative by patients; treating their analyst as the symbolic representative of someone important in their past

catharsis

in freudian psychoanalysis, the release of emotional tension after remembering or reliving an emotionally charged experience from the past; as a coping device for stress, the release of pent up emotions through exercise or other means

systematic desensitization

behavior treatment for phobias in which the client is trained to relax to increasingly fearful stimuli

flooding

behavior treatment for phobias; client is repeatedly exposed to feared object for extended periods of time and without escape, until the anxiety diminishes

modeling

process of watching and imitating specific behavior; important in observational learning

implosive

form of flooding, client is asked to imagine scenes which are exaggerated by therapist (if phobia of spiders: imagine spider crawling into mouth)

aversive therapy

client is trained to associate physical or psychological discomfort with behaviors, thoughts, or situations the client wants to stop or avoid

client-centered therapy

humanistic therapy introduced by carl rogers in which the client rather than the therapist directs the treatment process

existential therapy

focus on helping clients find purpose and meaning in their lives and emphasize individual freedom and responsibility

unconditional positive regard

roger's term for acceptance, value, and love from others independent of how we behave

rational emotive therapy

cognitive treatment developed by ellis which is based on confronting irrational thoughts; change in irrational thinking will lead to a change in irrational behavior

cognitive triad

Beck's cognitive therapy which looks at what people think about their self, their world, and their future

antianxiety drugs

medicines that calm and relax people with excessive anxiety, nervousness, or tension or for short term control of social phobia disorder or a social phobia

antidepressants

medicines which elevate mood states; 3 main categories include tricyclics (elavil), MAO inhibitors (nardil), and SSRI inhibitors (prozac)

antipsychotics

powerful medicines that lessen agitated behavior, reduce tension, decrease hallucinations and delusions, improve social behavior, and produce better sleep behavior especially in schizophrenic patients (also called neuroleptics)

repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)

a treatment for depression involving repeated pulses through a magnetic coil positioned about the right eyebrow of the patient that does not result in memory loss

ECT (electroconvulsive treatment)

used as a last resort to treat severely depressed patients; involves passing small amounts of electric current through the brain to produce seizure activity and a change in affect

psychosurgery

any surgical technique in which neural pathways in the brain are cut in order to change behavior, including lobotomy

corpus callosum transection

cutting of the broad band of nervous tissue that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres transmitting information from one side of the brain to the other

prefrontal lobotomy

a surgical procedure that destroys the tracts connecting the frontal lobes to lower centers of the brain, once believed to be an effective treatment for schizophrenia

Deinstitutionalization

1960s and 1970s governmental policy that focused on releasing hospitalized psychiatric patients into the community and closing mental hospitals

Atypical Behavior

behavior that is not typical of the majority of the population

Deviance

Behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society; violates significant social norms

Dysfunction

Impaired or abnormal functioning

Psychopathology

scientific study of psychological disorders; sickness or disorder of the mind

diathesis-stress model

a diagnostic model that proposes that a disorder may develop when an underlying vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event; that a person may be predisposed for a mental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress

Comorbidity

the co-occurrence of two or more disorders in a single individual

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter associated with movement, attention and learning and the brain's pleasure and reward system.; regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that affects hunger, sleep, arousal, and mood.

agoraphobia

fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one has felt loss of control and panic (ANXIETY DISORDER)

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

extreme, enduring, irrational fear and avoidance of social or performance situations; fear of interacting with others or being in social situations that might lead to a negative evaluation (ANXIETY DISORDER)

Lewy body dementia

A form of dementia characterized by an increase in Lewy body cells in the brain. Symptoms include visual hallucinations, momentary loss of attention, falling, and fainting. (NEURO-COGNITIVE DISORDER)

Alzheimer's disease

a progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical functioning (NEURO-COGNITIVE DISORDER)

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)

A condition in which a child has chronic irritability and anger that culminates in frequent tantrums that are inappropriate to the circumstances and to the child's age.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Psychological disorder involving a significant depressive episode and depressed characteristics, such as lethargy and hopelessness, for at least two weeks. (DEPRESSIVE DISORDER)

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

Mood disorder involving persistently depressed mood, with low self-esteem, withdrawal, pessimism, or despair, present for at least 2 years, with no absence of symptoms for more than 2 months.

Anedonia

inability to experience pleasure

Exposure therapy

behavioral techniques, such as systematic desensitization, that treat anxieties by exposing people (in imagination or actuality) to the things they fear and avoid

Gestalt Therapy (Fritz Perls)

Form of therapy where the therapist emphasizes the wholeness of the personality and attempts to reawaken people's emotions in the here-and-now; more directive and confrontational but still places responsibility for change on client

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food during which the person feels a lack of control over eating; pattern of eating involving distress-inducing binges not followed by purging behaviors

acute stress disorder

An anxiety disorder in which fear and related symptoms are experienced soon after a traumatic event and last less than a month

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

mental disorder featuring a disruptive preoccupation with some imagined defect in appearance ("imagined ugliness")

Hoarding Disorder

a disorder in which individuals feel compelled to save items and become very distressed if they try to discard them, resulting in an excessive accumulation of items

antisocial personality disorder

a personality disorder in which a person exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist

Borderline personality disorder

a personality disorder characterized by lack of stability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and emotion; impulsivity; angry outbursts; intense fear of abandonment; recurring suicidal gestures

histrionic personality disorder

a personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality and preoccupation with being the center of attention; emotional shallowness; overly dramatic behavior

narcissistic personality disorder

characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a preoccupation with fantasies of success or power, and a need for constant attention or admiration

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Person does not have any true obsessions/compulsions, but may instead accumulate money and worthless objects. Person is perfectionistic, rigid, and stubborn; characterized by preoccupation with orderliness, perfection, and control

paranoid personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of the motives of others without sufficient basis

Bipolar II Disorder

a type of bipolar disorder marked by mildly manic (hypomanic) episodes and major depressive episodes; hypomania with at least one major depressive episode

Bipolar I Disorder

a disorder characterized by extremely elevated moods during manic episodes and, frequently, depressive episodes as well; manic episodes with or without major depressive episodes

Cyclothymic Disorder (Cyclothymia)

Milder, chronic form of bipolar disorder
Lasts at least 2 years in adults, 1 year in children/adolescents. Numerous periods with hypomanic and depressive symptoms; does not meet criteria for mania or major depressive episode. Symptoms do not clear for more than 2 months at a time

Hypomania

a mild manic state in which the individual seems infectiously merry, extremely talkative, charming, and tireless.