Text book notes

Obsessions

Intrusive thoughts, ideas, images, impulses, and/or doubts that evoke anxiety.

Compulsions

The urge to perform rituals as a response to obsessive thoughts to reduce anxiety.

Contamination

Obsessions related to germs and illnesses.

Guilt and responsibility

Obsessions involving fear of causing harm or making mistakes.

Uncertainty

Obsessions centered on doubts about actions, like whether doors are locked.

Taboo thoughts

Obsessions about sex, violence, or blasphemy that evoke discomfort.

Need for order and symmetry

Obsessions related to things being in their proper place or in odd numbers.

Difference between obsessions and repetitive thoughts

Obsessions are uncontrollable and intrusive thoughts that interfere with daily life.

Decontamination

Compulsions focusing on washing or cleaning to reduce anxiety.

Checking

Compulsions involving checking behavior and seeking reassurance from others.

Repeating routine activities

Compulsions involving redundant actions, like redoing tasks.

Ordering and arranging

Compulsions focused on keeping things organized and symmetric.

Mental rituals

Compulsions involving internal mental actions to alleviate anxiety.

Subtypes of OCD

Classification of OCD including contamination, responsibility for harm, incompleteness, and unacceptable taboo thoughts.

Symptom accommodation

When others assist individuals with OCD, allowing compulsive behaviors to continue.

Hoarding disorder

Not classified as OCD due to lack of intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.

Ego-syntonic

When behavior and urges are seen as justified by the individual.

Ego-dystonic

When thoughts and behaviors are unwanted and cause distress.

Two-factor theory

A model explaining OCD symptoms through operant conditioning and anxiety management.

Cognitive deficit models

Propose that dysfunctions in memory and reality leads to OCD but lack research support.

Cognitive-behavioral model

Describes how individuals with OCD misinterpret intrusive thoughts as significant and harmful.

Compulsive rituals reinforce OCD

These behaviors provide short-term anxiety relief and prevent learning about the harmlessness of certain thoughts.

Chronic MDD

Depression lasting without remission for at least two years.

Atypical MDD

A type of MDD marked by mood reactivity, hypersomnia, and weight increase.

Peripartum MDD

Depression occurring during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth.

Persistence of Depressive Disorder

Patient must exhibit depressive mood for most days for at least two years.

Chronic depression

Characterized by negative self-views and constant low mood.

Major depression

Intermittent periods of significant depressive episodes impacting functioning.

Evidence for increasing MDD rates

Younger generations experiencing higher depression rates due to social changes.

Skinner’s view on depression

Depression occurs when reinforcement from the environment diminishes.

Ferster’s expansion

Highlights loss of reinforcers and behavioral disruptions as causes of depression.

Learned helplessness model

Depressed individuals blame themselves, view situations as unchangeable, and generalize negative events.

Hopelessness depression

Depression stemming from feeling powerless to change negative situations.

Clinical points about depression

Focus on negative information, memory issues, and reinforcement of depressive thought patterns.

Ruminative thoughts

Long-term repetitive thoughts about negative experiences.

Automatic thoughts

Quick negative thoughts that occur reflexively.

Moderators vs. Mediators

Moderators influence relationships between variables; mediators explain the relationships.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) DSM Changes

Merged alcohol abuse and dependence into one diagnosis and added craving as a symptom.

Early vs. Sustained Remission

Early remission is symptom-free for 3-12 months; sustained remission is for 12 months or longer.

Gender differences in AUD

Men historically have higher rates of AUD; the gap is closing due to shifts in drinking patterns.

Immigrant Paradox

Immigrants often have lower rates of AUD despite stressors, potentially due to cultural factors.

Alcohol use on college campuses

College students have higher binge drinking rates than their non-college peers.

Expectancy Theory of drinking

People drink expecting positive effects shaped by experiences.

Tension-Reduction Theory

Alcohol is often used as a way to cope with stress and negative emotions.

Social Learning Theory

Drinking behaviors are learned from the environment and social interactions.

Key personality factor for AUD

High neuroticism is linked to a greater risk for alcohol-related problems.

Marlatt & Gordon's Relapse Model

Relapse occurs in stages and can be mitigated by teaching coping strategies.

Genetic risk for addiction

Certain traits can be inherited that make individuals susceptible to addiction.

Temporal discounting in addiction

The preference for immediate rewards over future benefits may lead to addiction.

Classical Conditioning in substance use

Drug use gets linked to certain cues, leading to cravings.

Operant Conditioning in substance use

Reinforcement of drug use through positive or negative rewards.

A-process in addiction

Initial pleasurable effects of drugs.

B-process in addiction

Body's counter-reaction to drugs that promotes tolerance and withdrawal.

Cravings in addiction

Desire for the drug that stems from the body's response after initial effects fade.

Cognitive distortions in depression

Common thinking errors that worsen depressive symptoms.

Diathesis-Stress Model

Some individuals have negative schemas that predispose them to depression when triggered by stress.

Response contingent reinforcement

Receiving rewards for behaviors can prevent depression.

Coyne’s social response to depression

Social withdrawal leads to decreased support, which worsens depression.

Avoidance in depression

Short-term relief from discomfort leads to worse long-term outcomes.

Cognitive schemas in depression

Deeply held negative beliefs that shape one's perspective of the self and experiences.

Ruminative vs. automatic thoughts

Ruminative thoughts are long and deliberate, while automatic thoughts are quick and subconscious.

Learned Helplessness Theory

Beliefs of incompetence and global negativity become entrenched in depression.