Psych Unit 5

Stress

A factor in heightened susceptibility disorders and disease; linked to physiological issues such as hypertension, headaches, and immune response

Cognitive-behavioral therapies

Combine techniques from the cognitive and behavioral perspectives to treat mental and behavioral disorders

Exposure therapy

Type of therapy in which one is gradually exposed to things, situations or activities you fear

Posttraumatic stress disorder

Condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event severe enough to overwhelm one’s coping mechanisms

Depressive disorders

The presence of sad, empty, or irritable mood along with physical and cognitive changes that affect a person’s ability to function

Eustress

Motivating stressors

Distress

Debilitating stressors

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE)

Sources of stress that can affect a person throughout lifespan; abuse/trauma, substance use/mental health issue in parent

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Describes the process of experiencing stress

Alarm reaction

First phase in GAS; occurs when stress is encountered

Resistance phase

Second phase in GAS; occurs as stress is confronted via a fight-or-flight response

Exhaustion phase

Third phase in GAS; occurs when the stress subsides, or resources are spent. Greatest susceptibility to illness occurs here

Tend-and-befriend theory

Some people react to stress by tending to their own needs and/or needs of others and seeking connections with others; exhibited mostly in women

In who does tend-and-befriend mostly occur?

Women

Problem-focused coping

Seeing stress as a problem to be solved and working solutions until a solution is found

What are examples of problem-focused coping?

Making a list, talking with others, etc.

Emotion-focused coping

Managing emotional reactions to stress as a means of coping

What are examples of emotion-focused coping?

Deep breathing, meditation, medication, etc.

Positive subjective experience

Thoughts/feelings about self/life

Subjective well-being

Experience and evaluation of your life

Positive psychology

Identifies factors that lead to well-being, resilience, positive emotions, and psychological; based more in science

Posttraumatic growth

A positive subjective experience; may result after experiencing trauma/stress

6 categories of virtue

Classifies character strengths; wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and trasncendence

Level of dysfunction

Not able to lead the life you want

Perception of distress

Know something is wrong

What is the exception to perception of distress?

Personality disorders

Deviation from social norm

Significant difference from people around you

What is used to identify psychological disorders?

Level of dysfunction, perception of distress, & deviation from social norm

Diagnostic & statistical manual (DSM) of mental disorders

Developed by the APA to classify mental disorders; updated regularly

International classification of mental disorders (ICD)

Developed by the WHO to classify mental disorders; updated regularly

Eclectic approach

Using more than one psychological perspective when diagnosing/testing clients; used by most psychologists

What does behavioral perspective say about the causes of mental disorders (md’s)?

Focus on maladaptive learned associations between/among responses to stimuli

What does psychodynamic perspective say about the causes of md’s?

Focus on unconscious thoughts/experiences, often developed during childhood

What does humanistic perspective say about the causes of md’s?

Focus on lack of social support & inability to fulfill one’s potential

What does cognitive perspective say about the causes of md’s?

Focus on maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or emotions

What does evolutionary perspective say about the causes of md’s?

Focus on behaviors & mental processes that reduce likelihood of survival

What does sociocultural perspective say about the causes of md’s?

Focus on maladaptive social/cultural relationships & dynamics

What does biological perspective say about the causes of md’s?

Focus on physiological/genetic issues

What does biopsychosocial perspective say about the causes of md’s?

Any psychological problem potentially involves a combination of biological, psychological and sociocultural factors

Diathesis-stress model

Psychological disorders develop due to a genetic vulnerability (diathesis) in combination with stressful life experiences (stress)

Neurodevelopmental disorders

Group of disorders with onset occurring during the developmental period; symptoms focus on whether the person is exhibiting behaviors appropriate for their age/maturity range

Schizophrenic spectrum disorder

Issues with one or more in the areas of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking/speech, disorganized motor behavior, & negative symptoms; can be acute or chronic

Delusions (false beliefs)

Positive symptom of schizophrenia; may manifest in ways such as delusions of persecution/grandeur

Hallucinations (false perceptions)

Positive symptom of schizophrenia; may involve one or more of the senses, mostly auditory

Disorganized thinking/speech

Positive symptom of schizophrenia; may manifest as speaking abnormally

Word salad

Stringing together words in nonsensical ways

Disorganized motor behavior

Symptom of schizophrenia; may be experienced as excitement (positive symptom) or stupor (negative symptom)

What does disorganized thinking/speech include?

Flight of ideas, word salad, clang associations/clanging

Catatonia

Disorganized movement

Negative symptoms

Lack of typical behavior; lack of emotional expression or lack of movement

Flat affect

Lack of emotional expression

Catatonic stupor

Lack of movement

Dopamine hypothesis

Schizophrenia is caused by prenatal virus exposure or imbalances with certain neurotransmitters

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Neurodevelopmental disorder(s) marked by varying degrees of difficulties in communication/social interactions & rigid/repetitive behaviors

When is autism diagnosed?

Early childhood

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Difficulty controlling impulsive behavior and maintaining focus

What do ADHD and autism both involve?

Significant distress and/or dysfunction

Antipsychotics

Serve as medicine for schizophrenia by decreasing dopamine

Tardive dyskinesia

Involuntary movement disorder that can develop as a side effect of antipsychotics

Major depressive disorder

5+ symptoms of depression for 2+ weeks; decreased serotonin/norepinephrine

Persistent depressive disorder

2+ symptoms of depression for 2+ years

Bipolar disorders

Characterized by periods of mania & periods of depression

Bipolar I

Mania (1+ week)/major depressive

Bipolar II

Hypomania (4+ days)/major depressive

Bipolar cycling

Involves experiencing periods of depression & mania in alternating periods that can last various amounts of time

Anxiety disorders

Excessive fear and/or anxiety with related disturbances to behavior

Specific phobia

Fear or anxiety towards a specific object or situation

Acrophobia

Fear of heights

Arachnophobia

Fear of spiders

Agoraphobia

Intense fear of specific social situations, including public transportation, being in open/enclosed spaces, standing in line or in a crowd, or being outside of home alone

Panic disorder

The experience of panic attacks

Panic attacks

Unanticipated and overwhelming biological, cognitive, and emotional experiences of fear/anxiety

Ataque de nervios

Panic disorder manifested as a culture bound anxiety disorder; experienced mainly by people of Caribbean/Iberian descent

Social anxiety disorder

The intense fear of being judged or watched by others; distinct from but may include agarophobia

Taijin kyofusho

Culture-bound anxiety disorder experienced mainly by Japanese people in which people fear others are judging their bodies as undesirable, offensive, or unpleasing

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Prolonged experiences of nonspecific anxiety/fear

What are causes of anxiety disorders?

Learned associations between & among stimuli, maladaptive thinking/emotional responses, biological/genetic sources

What do anxiety disorders usually include?

Low levels of GABA and high levels of norepinephrine

Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

The presence of obsessions and compulsions

Obsessions

Intrusive thoughts

Compulsions

Intrusive, often repetitive behaviors intended to address obsessions

Hoarding disorder

Difficulty discarding or getting rid of things; can lead to accumulation of objects to the point one’s house isn’t safe anymore

Dissociative disorders

Dissociations from consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behavior

Dissociative amnesia

Forget information of yourself; related to trauma

Fugue

Sudden, unexpected travel from home or work, and an inability to recall one’s past, confusion about personal identity, or the assumption of a new identity

Which personality disorder can lead to fugue?

Dissociative amnesia

Dissociative identity disorder

The presence of 2 or more distinct personalities in order to separate from a traumatic event

Trauma and stressor-related disorders

Exposure to a traumatic or stressful event with subsequence psychological distress

Symptoms of trauma & stressor-related disorders

Hypervigilance, severe anxiety, flashbacks, insomnia, emotional detachment, & hostility

Hypervigilance

State of heightened alertness and awareness with a sensitivity to potential threats/dangers

Feeding and eating disorders

Altered consumption/absorption of food that impairs health of psychological functioning

Anorexia nervosa

Fear of gaining weight; disturbance of self as looking fat and restricting food intake to keep the perception of skinniness

Bulimia nervosa

Binge-purge cycle of eating; self-induced throwing up, laxative, excessive exercise; feeling of loss of control over food

Personality disorders

Characterized by enduring patterns of internal experience and behavior that is deviant from one’s culture, whether one is pervasive/inflexible, begins in adolescence/early adulthood, is stable over time, and leads to personal distress/impairment

Cluster A

First cluster of personality disorders; odd or eccentric & includes paranoid, schizoid & schizotypal personality disorders

Cluster B

Second cluster of personality disorders; dramatic, emotional, or erratic cluster & includes antisocial, histrionic, narcissistic & borderline personality disorders

Cluster C

Third cluster of personality disorders; anxious or fearful cluster & includes avoidant, dependant, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders

Cultural humility

Therapist recognizes that patient has had different experiences than them

Therapeutic alliance

Allying with patient, therapist is on patient’s side and supporting them

Ethical guidelines

Established by the APA for psychologists to follow; include nonmaleficence (no harm), fidelity (consistent/loyal), integrity (transparent, no deception), & respect for rights (value worth, privacy, cultural differences)