PSYC 1200 Ch 15 Terms

mental disorder

a persistent disturbance or dysfunction in behaviour, thoughts, or emotions that causes significant distress or impairment

distress

a painful symptom

Disability

Impairment in one or more important areas of functioning

medical model

approach that conceptualizes abnormal psychological experiences as illnesses that have biological and environmental causes, defined symptoms, and possible cures, by Philippe Pinel, Etiology, Diagnosis, treatments, prognosis

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

a classification system that describes the symptoms used to diagnose each recognized mental disorder and indicates how the disorder can be distinguished from other, similar problems

DSM-II

First revision; provides common language for talking about disorders

DSM-III and DSM-IV

Moved from general disorder descriptions; provides detailed list of symptoms/diagnostic criteria for more than 200 disorders; improves reliability in diagnosis of mental disorders

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-5)

Describes 22 major categories containing more than 200 different mental disorders, comorbidity

comorbidity

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

disorder

a common set of signs and symptoms

diagnosis

a determination as to whether a disorder or disease is present

disease

a known pathological process affecting the body

biopsychosocial/integrative perspective

explains mental disorders as the result of interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors

BioPsychoSocial model

Suggests that different individuals may experience a similar psychological disorder for different reasons

diathesis–stress model

a person may be predisposed to a psychological disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress

Medical model of mental disorder

works from the perspective that knowing a person’s diagnosis is useful because identifying a specific disorder helps us identify a distinctive cause

Research Domain Criteria Project (RDoC)

new initiative that aims to guide the classification and understanding of mental disorders by revealing the basic processes that give rise to them

anxiety disorder

class of mental disorders in which anxiety is the predominant feature

phobic disorders

characterized by marked, persistent, and excessive fear and avoidance of specific objects, activities, or situations

specific phobia

irrational fear of a particular object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual’s ability to function

social phobia

irrational fear of being publicly humiliated or embarrassed

preparedness theory

people are instinctively prone towards certain fears, by Martin Seligman

panic disorder

sudden occurrence of multiple psychological and physiological symptoms that contribute to a feeling of stark terror

agoraphobia

specific phobia involving a fear of public places

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

chronic excessive worry accompanied by three or more of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

repetitive, intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviours designed to fend off, those thoughts interfere significantly with an individual’s functioning

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

chronic physiological arousal, recurrent unwanted thoughts or images of the trauma, and avoidance of things that call the traumatic event to mind

Brain imaging techniques

Identified important neural correlates: heightened amygdala activity; decreased medial prefrontal cortex activity; smaller hippocampus

mood disorders

mental disorders that have mood disturbance as their predominant feature and take two main forms: depression and bipolar disorder

major depressive disorder (or unipolar depression)

severely depressed mood and/or inability to experience pleasure that lasts 2 or more weeks and is accompanied by feelings of worthlessness, lethargy, and sleep and appetite disturbance

persistent depressive disorder

the same cognitive and bodily problems as in depression are present, but they are less severe and last longer, persisting for at least 2 years

double depression, Dysthymia

moderately depressed mood that persists for at least 2 years and is punctuated by periods of major depression

seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

recurrent depressive episodes in a seasonal pattern

helplessness theory

individuals who are prone to depression automatically attribute negative experiences to causes that are internal, stable, and global

bipolar disorder

condition characterized by cycles of abnormal, persistent high mood (mania) and low mood (depression)

expressed emotion

measure of how much hostility, criticism, and emotional overinvolvement people communicate when speaking about a family member with a mental disorder

schizophrenia

psychotic disorder characterized by the profound disruption of basic psychological processes; a distorted perception of reality; altered or blunted emotion; and disturbances in thought, motivation, and behaviour.

positive symptoms

things that weren’t there before but are added when the disease is present, including thoughts and behaviours, such as hallucinations, delusions, Disorganized speech, Grossly disorganized behaviour

hallucination

false perceptual experiences that have a compelling sense of being real despite the absence of external stimulation

delusion

false beliefs, often bizarre and grandiose, that are maintained in spite of their irrationality

negative symptoms

things that were present before the disorder but have now gone away. These are deficits in or disruptions of emotions and behaviours

disorganized symptoms

disruptions or deficits in abilities of speech, movement, and cognition

disorganized speech

severe disruption of verbal communication in which ideas shift rapidly and incoherently among unrelated topics

grossly disorganized behaviour

behaviour that is inappropriate for the situation or ineffective in attaining goals

catatonic behaviour

marked decrease in all movement or an increase in muscular rigidity and overactivity

cognitive symptoms

deficits in cognitive abilities, specifically in executive functioning, attention, and working memory, present in those with schizophrenia

dopamine hypothesis

idea that schizophrenia involves an excess of dopamine activity

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

condition beginning in early childhood in which a person shows persistent communication deficits, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours, interests, or activities

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

persistent pattern of severe problems with inattention and/or hyperactivity or impulsiveness that cause significant impairments in functioning

conduct disorder

a child or adolescent engages in a persistent pattern of deviant behaviour involving aggression to people or animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, or serious rule violations

personality disorders

enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, or relating to others or controlling impulses that deviate from cultural expectations and cause distress or impaired functioning

antisocial personality disorder (APD)

pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood

nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)

direct, deliberate destruction of body tissue in the absence of any intent to die