psych 405 exam 2 textbook terms

Fear

The central nervous system's physiological and emotional response to a serious threat to one's well-being

Anxiety

The central nervous system's physiological and emotional response to a vague sense of threat or danger

Generalized anxiety disorder

A disorder marked by persistent and excessive feelings of anxiety and worry about numerous events and activities

Basic irrational assumptions

The inaccurate and inappropriate beliefs held by people with various psychological problems, according to Albert Ellis

Rational-emotive therapy

A cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis that helps clients identify and change the irrational assumptions and thinking that help cause their psychological disorder

Family-pedigree studies

A research design in which investigators determine how many and which relatives of a person with a disorder have the same disorder

Benzodiazepines

The most common group of antianxiety drugs, which includes alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and diazepam (Valium)

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

A neurotransmitter whose low activity in the brain's fear circuit has been linked to anxiety

Brain circuits

A network of particular brain structures that work together, triggering each other into action to produce a distinct kind of behavioral, cognitive, or emotional reaction

Sedative-hypnotic drugs

Drugs that calm people at lower doses and help them fall asleep at higher doses

Phobia

A persistent and unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity, or situation

Specific phobia

A severe and persistent fear of a specific object or situation

Agoraphobia

An anxiety disorder in which a person is afraid to be in public situations from which escape might be difficult or help unavailable if panic-like or embarrassing symptoms were to occur

Systematic desensitization

An exposure treatment that uses relaxation training and a fear hierarchy to help clients with phobias react calmly to the objects or situations they dread

Flooding

An exposure treatment for phobias in which clients are exposed repeatedly and intensively to a feared object and made to see that it is actually harmless

Panic attacks

periodic, short bouts of panic that occur suddenly, reach a peak within minutes, and gradually pass; symptoms include heart palpitations, tingling, shortness of breath, sweating, hot and cold flashes, trembling, chest pains, choking sensations, faintness, dizziness, and a feeling of unreality

Panic disorder

An anxiety disorder marked by recurrent and unpredictable panic attacks

Locus coeruleus

A small area of the brain that seems to be active in the regulation of emotions. Many of its neurons use norepinephrine

Biological challenge tests

A procedure used to produce panic in participants or clients by having them exercise vigorously or perform som either potentially panic-inducing task in the presence of a researcher or therapist

Anxiety-sensitivity

A tendency to focus on one's bodily sensations, assess them illogically, and interpret them as harmful

Obsessions

A persistent thought, idea, impulse, or image that is experienced repeatedly, feels intrusive, and causes anxiety

Compulsions

A repetitive and rigid behavior or mental act that a person feels driven to perform in order to prevent or reduce anxiety

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

A disorder in which a person has recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both

Neutralize

A person's attempt to eliminate unwanted thoughts by thinking or behaving in ways that put matters right internally, making up for the unacceptable thoughts

Exposure and response prevention

A cognitive-behavioral technique used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder that exposes clients to anxiety-arousing thoughts or situations and then prevents them from performing their compulsive acts

Obsessive-compulsive-related disorders

Disorders in which obsessive-like concerns drive people to repeatedly and excessively perform certain abnormal patterns of behavior; includes hoarding disorder, trichotillomania, excoriation, and body dysmorphic disorder

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

Trichotillomania

A disorder in which people repeatedly pull out hair from their scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or other parts of the body, also called hair-pulling disorder

Excoriation

A disorder in which people repeatedly pick at their skin, resulting in significant sores or wounds, also known as skin-picking disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder

A disorder in which individuals become preoccupied with the belief that they have certain defects or flaws in their physical appearance; such defects or flaws are imagined or greatly exaggerated

Hypothalamus

brain structure that activates ANS and endocrine system; when brain interprets situations as dangerous, neurotransmitters in this structure are released, triggering the firing of neurons throughout the brain and the release of chemicals throughout the body

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

the network of nerve fibers that connect the central nervous system to all the other organs of the body

Endocrine system

the system of glands located throughout the body that help control important activities such as growth and sexual activity

Sympathetic nervous system

the nerve fibers of the autonomic nervous system that quicken the heartbeat and produce other changes experiences as arousal

Adrenal glands

glands located on top of the kidneys that secrete epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline)

Parasympathetic nervous system

the nerve fibers of the autonomic nervous system that help return bodily processes to normal

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

one route by which the brain and body produce arousal

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)

sometimes called the body's major stress hormone; stimulates the outer layer of the adrenal glands (adrenal cortex) which triggers the release of corticosteroids

Corticosteroids

hormones, including cortisol, released by the adrenal glands at times of stress

Acute stress disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences fear and related symptoms soon after a trauma but for less than a month

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

a disorder in which a person experiences fear and related symptoms long after a traumatic event

Depersonalization

feeling that their conscious state or body is unreal

Derealization

feeling that the environment is strange or unreal

Resilience

the process of adapting well in face of adversity

Prolonged exposure

a treatment approach in which clients confront not only trauma-related objects and situations but also their painful memories of traumatic experiences

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

an exposure treatment in which clients move their eyes in a rhythmic manner from side to side while flooding their minds with images of objects and situations they ordinarily avoid

Psychological debriefing

a form of crisis intervention in which victims are helped to talk about their feelings and reactions to traumatic incidents

Psychological first aid (PFA)

a disaster response intervention that seeks to reduce the initial distress of victims and foster their adaptive functioning, but without procedures that may be premature, intrusive, or inflexible

Dissociative disorders

disorders marked by major changes in memory that do not have clear physical causes

Dissociative amnesia

a disorder marked by an inability to recall important personal events and information

Dissociative fugue

a form of dissociative amnesia in which persons travel to a new location and may assume a new identity, simultaneously forgetting their past

Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder)

a dissociative disorder in which a person develops two or more distinct personalities

Subpersonalities/alternate personalities

the two or more distinct personalities found in individuals suffering with dissociative identity disorder

State-dependent learning

learning that becomes associated with the conditions under which it occurred, so that it is best remembered under the same conditions

Self-hypnosis

the process of hypnotizing oneself, sometimes for the purpose of forgetting unpleasant events

Hypnotic therapy/hypnotherapy

a treatment in which the patient undergoes hypnosis and is then guided to recall forgotten events or perform other therapeutic activities

Fusion

the final merging of two or more subpersonalities in dissociative identity disorder

Depersonalization-derealization disorder

a dissociative disorder marked by the presence of persistent and recurrent episodes of depersonalization, derealization, or both

Depression

a low, sad state marked by significant levels of sadness, lack of energy, low self-worth, guilt, or related symptoms

Mania

a state or episode of euphoria or frenzied activity in which people may have an exaggerated belief that the world is theirs for the taking

Depressive disorders

the group of disorders marked by unipolar depression

Unipolar depression

depression without a history of mania

Bipolar disorders

a disorder marked by alternating or intermixed periods of mania and depression

Major depressive disorder

a severe pattern that is disabling and not caused by such factors as drugs or a general medical condition

Persistent depressive disorder

a chronic form of unipolar depression marked by ongoing and repeated symptoms of either major or mild depression

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

a disorder marked by repeated episodes of significant depression and related symptoms during the week before menstruation

Norepinephrine

a neurotransmitter whose abnormal activity is linked to depression and panic disorder

Serotonin

a neurotransmitter whose abnormal activity is linked to depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders

MAO inhibitors

an antidepressant drug that prevents the action of the enzyme monoamine oxidase

Tricyclics

an antidepressant drug such as imipramine that has three rings in its molecular structure

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

a group of second-generation antidepressant drugs that increase serotonin activity specifically, without affecting other neurotransmitters

Ketamine

an anesthetic drug that is also used as an antidepressant, bringing rapid relief to many people with depression

Brain stimulation

interventions that directly or indirectly stimulate the brain in order to bring about psychological improvement

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

a biological treatment in which a brain seizure is triggered when an electric current passes through electrodes attached to the patient's forehead

Vagus nerve stimulation

a treatment for depression in which an implanted pulse generator sends regular electrical signals to a person's vagus nerve; the nerve then stimulates the brain

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

a treatment in which an electromagnetic coil, which is placed on or above a patient's head, sends a current into the individual's brain

Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

a treatment for depression in which a pacemaker powers electrodes that have been implanted in the subgenual cingulate, thus stimulating that brain area

Symbolic/imagined loss

according to Freudian theory, the loss of a valued object that is unconsciously interpreted as the loss of a loved one

Learned helplessness

the perception, based on past experiences, that one has no control over the reinforcements in one's life

Behavioral activation

a therapy for depression in which the therapist works systematically to increase the number of constructive and pleasurable activities and events in a client's life

Cognitive therapy

a therapy developed by Aaron Beck that helps people identify and change the maladaptive assumptions and ways of thinking that help cause their psychological disorders

Interpersonal psychotherapy

a treatment for unipolar depression that is based on the belief that clarifying and changing one's interpersonal problems help lead to recovery

Artifact theory

hold that women and men are equally prone to depression but that clinicians often fail to detect depression in men

Hormone explanation

holds that hormone changes trigger depression in many women, particularly during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause

Life stress theory

suggests that women in our society are subject to more stress than men

Body dissatisfaction explanation

explains that females in western society are taught, almost from birth, but particularly during adolescence, to seek a low body weight and slender body shape- goals that are unreasonable, unhealthy, and often unattainable

Lack-of-control theory

draws on the learned helplessness research and proposes that women may be more prone to depression because they feel less control than men over their own lives

Rumination theory

women are more likely than men to ruminate when their mood darkens, perhaps making them more vulnerable to the onset of clinical depression

Bipolar I disorder

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

Bipolar II disorder

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

Rapid cycling

when a person has four or more bipolar episodes within a one-year period

Cyclothymic disorder

a disorder marked by numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms and mild depressive symptoms

Lithium

a metallic element that occurs in nature as a mineral salt and is an effective treatment for bipolar disorders

Mood-stabilizing drugs

psychotropic drugs that help stabilize the moods of people suffering from bipolar drugs

Parasuicides

a suicide attempt that does not result in death

Suicide

a self-inflicted death in which the person acts intentionally, directly, and consciously

Death seeker

person who clearly intends to end their life at the time they attempt suicide

Death initiators

person who clearly intends to end their life, but they act out of a belief that the process of death is already under way and that they are simply hastening the process

Death ignorers

person who does not believe that their self-inflicted death will mean the end of their existence; they believe they are trading their present life for a better or happier existence

Death darers

person who experiences mixed feelings, or ambivalence, about their intent to die, even at the moment of their attempt, and they show this ambivalence in the act itself