Clinical Psychology

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.

bio-psycho-social perspective

a contemporary perspective which assumes that biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors combine and interact to produce psychological disorders

DSM-5

the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.

Rosenhan's Hospital Study

-sent mentally healthy people into psych hospitals complaining of "hearing voices" and all were misdiagnosed with a disorder

intern syndrome

the tendency to see in oneself the characteristics of disorders about which one is learning

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 minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations.

specific phobia

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

social anxiety disorder

intense fear of social situations, leading to avoidance of such

PTSD

an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts and/or actions

major depression

a disorder characterized by severe negative moods or a lack of interest in normally pleasurable activities

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.

cyclothymic disorder

A mood disorder characterized by moderate but frequent mood swings that are not severe enough to qualify as bipolar disorder.

bipolar 1 disorder

a type of bipolar disorder marked by full manic and major depressive episodes

bipolar 2 disorder

a type of bipolar disorder marked by mildly manic (hypomanic) episodes and major depressive episodes

Manic episodes (in bipolar disorder)

A period of excessive euphoria, inflated self-esteem, wild optimism, and hyperactivity, often accompanied by delusions of grandeur and by hostility if activity is blocked.

Serotonin

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

learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

Schizophrenia

a group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions

Schizophrenia (positive symptoms)

Psychotic disorder; associated with high dopamine levels

Positive symptoms
Delusions of reference: (ex. person believes characters in a TV show are talking to him directly)

Delusions of persecution: (ex. person believes he is being deliberately interfered with, discriminated against, plotted against, threatened)

Delusions of grandeur: (person is remarkable in some significant way such as being a historical figure or religious icon)

Thought broadcasting: believe one's thoughts are broadcast directly from one's head to external world

Thought insertion: belief that thoughts are being placed in one's head)

Hallucinations: hearing voices

Disorganized thought: loosening of associations; ideas shift from one thought to another; word salad; schizophrenics invent new words (neologisms)

Disorganized behavior: inability to carry out activities of daily living; patient will either spontaneously move or remain rigid (catatonia)

Schizophrenia (negative symptoms)

Disturbance of affect: expression of emotion

Blunting: severe reduction in the intensity of affect expression

Flat affect: no signs of emotional expression

Inappropriate affect: (ex. schizophrenic starts laughing when talking about someone's death)

Avolition: decreased engagement in purposeful, goal-directed actions

Delusions

false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

Hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

word salad

jumble of incoherent speech as sometimes heard in schizophrenia

Role of dopamine in schizophrenia

In a manic state, 6 times the normal amount of dopamine is exposed to the brain

dissociative amnesia

Dissociative disorder characterized by the sudden and extensive inability to recall important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature.

dissociative fugue

disorder in which one travels away from home and is unable to remember details of his past, including often his identity

dissociative identity disorder

A rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. Also called multiple personality disorder.

illness anxiety disorder (hypochondriasis)

a disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease

conversion disorder

A rare somatoform disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found.

somatic symptom disorder

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

Schizoid PD

a pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression

Histrionic PD

pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking

Narcissistic PD

grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy

Borderline PD

Pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity.

Anti-social PD

A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.

Avoidant PD

social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation

Dependent PD

pattern of submissive and clinging behavior related to an excessive need to be taken care of

obsessive compulsive PD

involves perfectionism, inflexibility, and preoccupation with rules

neurocognitive disorders

acquired (not lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimer's disease, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse. In older adults neurocognitive disorders were formerly called dementia

ADHD

a psychological disorder marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms: extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity

Tourette's Disorder

extreme tic disorder involving uncontrollable multiple motor and vocal patterns

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

Psychotherapy

treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

Eclectic approach to therapy

drawing on multiple theories and approaches to therapy to tailor treatment for a client

Freudian Theory

a theory maintaining that unconscious needs or drives, especially biological and sexual ones, are at the heart of human motivation and personality

psychodynamic therapy

therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition that views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and that seeks to enhance self-insight

interpersonal therapy

treatment that strengthens social skills and targets interpersonal problems, conflicts, and life transitions

free association

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

projective test

a personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics

Dream analysis (Freud)

the therapist interprets the symbolic meaning of the client's dreams

Hypnosis

a social interaction in which one person suggests to another that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

Resistance

in psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material

Interpretations

a psychoanalytic method that uses suggestions of underlying wishes, feelings, and conflicts

Transference

in psychoanalysis, the patient's transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (such as love or hatred for a parent)

Repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

personal responsibility

To accept how your decision will affect yourself and other people.

client-centered therapy

a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within a genuine, accepting, empathic environment to facilitate clients' growth. (Also called person-centered therapy.)

active listening

Empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies. A feature of Rogers' client-centered therapy.

Existential analysis

The emphasis of this therapy approach is on the subjective and spiritual dimensions of human existence.

Gestalt therapy

therapy that aims to integrate different and sometimes opposing aspects of personality into a unified sense of self

counterconditioning

a behavior therapy procedure that uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors; includes exposure therapies and aversive conditioning

systematic desensitization

A type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli. Commonly used to treat phobias.

anxiety hierarchy

constructed by patient in which feared situations are arranged from least to most anxiety provoking; used to set sequence for therapy

exposure therapy

An approach to treatment that involves confronting an emotion-arousing stimulus directly and repeatedly, ultimately leading to a decrease in the emotional response

flooding therapy

A behavioral treatment for phobias that involves prolonged exposure to a feared stimulus, thereby providing maximal opportunity for the conditioned fear response to be extinguished.

progressive relaxation

lying down comfortably and tensing and releasing the tension in each major muscle group in turn

virtual reality exposure therapy

uses a simulation rather than the actual feared object or situation to help people conquer their fears

aversive conditioning

a type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol)

behavior modification

the use of operant conditioning techniques to bring about desired changes in behavior

token economy

an operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token of some sort for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for various privileges or treats

social skills training

a therapy approach that helps people learn or improve social skills and assertiveness through role playing and rehearsing of desirable behaviors

Beck's cognitive behavior therapy

Aims to change people's illogical thoughts about themselves and the world

Ellis' Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

attempts to restructure a person's belief system into a more realistic, rational, and logical set of views

psychopharmacology

the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior

Antipsychotics

a class of psychotropic medications used for the treatment of schizophrenia and other disorders that involve psychosis

Thorazine

Antipsychotic

Clozapine

atypical antipsychotic

antianxiety drugs

drugs used to control anxiety and agitation

Xanax

for anxiety

Valium

Anxiety

Antidepressants

a class of drugs that help lift people's mood

Prozac

SSRI

Zoloft

sertraline (SSRI)

Paxil

Paroxetine (SSRI)

Mood Stabilizers: Lithium

drugs used to control mood swings in patients with bipolar mood disorders

ECT

electroconvulsive therapy

rTMS

the application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain; used to stimulate or suppress brain activity

Deep brain stimulation

electrical stimulation applied through surgically implanted electrodes; used to treat some anxiety and mood disorders

psychosurgery

surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to change behavior

interpersonal/group therapy

Interpersonal group therapy promotes the individual's comfort in the group, which then transfers to other relationships.

EMDR

Eye-movement Desensitization & Reprocessing. New treatment for PTSD, client imagines the traumatic event and processes it in a non-threatening manner.

light exposure therapy

Treats seasonal affective disorder (SAD); scientifically proven to be effective, exposure to daily doses of intense light. Increases activity in the adrenal gland and the superchiasmatic nucleus.

MAO inhibitors

Behavioral stimulants that reduce depression by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called MAO, which normally breaks down and deactivates norepinephrine and serotonin.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter associated with movement, attention and learning and the brain's pleasure and reward system.

independent variable

variable that is manipulated

dependent variable

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

experiment

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

Random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups