PSYC 405 - TEST 1

What is psychopathology?

study of mental illnesses and disorders

What is stigma?

inacurate ideas (fault of the person, violent tendencies, sick by choice)

What are the DSM and the ICD? what do they contain?

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — guides diagnoses of mental disorders (descriptions, symptoms, and criteria)

International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems — provides knowledge on the extent, causes, and consequences of human disease and death worldwide (numerical list of disease code numbers)

What does dopamine do?

allows feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation

What is interrater reliability?

the extent to which two individuals agree; how consistent are diagnoses from multiple people?

What section of science is brain psychopathology?

neuroscience

What is the biopsychosocial approach and why is it useful?

considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery

Where does the field stand in nature vs nurture?

both contribute

How has the way mental illness is seen changed throughout history?

beginning = evil, witchcraft, punishment for sins (simple explanations)

now = brain, body, environment, etc. (more complex)

What did Pythagoras do for psychology?

instigated different view

human bx as related to internal processes and natural causes

brain as source of intellect and mental disorder

What did Hippocrates do for psychology?

father of modern medicine

detailed observation was the way to understand a person’s issues

separated religion from medicine; disease not inflicted by gods but by environment, diet, and living habits

Who pushed for more moral treatment for those with mental illness?

Vincenzo Chiarugi — created guidelines on humane tx of patients; psychopharmacological txs

Dorthea Dix — advocate for humane tx of mentally ill

William Tuke — created places of refuge; humane tx of mental illness in farm setting

What happened in the Middle Ages regarding psychology and mental illness?

the church wanted to regain status as the authority —> mental illness is the work of the devil

What did Descartes do for psychology?

studied and described involuntary and voluntary actions, mind-body distinction, and mind as controlling the body

What does the myelin sheath do?

insulates nerves, allowing impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently

Who is the father of American psychology?

Benjamin Rush

What did Joseph Gall do for psycholgy?

phrenology — reading bumps on the skull; led to discovering the brain has localized functioning

What is Broca’s area?

location: left side of frontal lobe

if damaged: can understand language but has difficulty in producing the right words

What is Wernicke’s area?

location: left temporal lobe

if damaged: speech is fluent but incomprehensible

What challenges were there during the shift of taking people out of mental hospitals?

closing of psychiatric inpatient facilities

medications and outpatient tx to stabilize pts enough to live in community

community mental health aspirations were not really met

Which is more invasive: ECT or MRI?

ECT (electroconvulsive therapy)

What method believes behaviors are influenced by the way you think?

cognitive-behavioral

What are some examples of neurodevelopmental disorders?

movement disorders — developmental coordination disorder, stereotypic movement disorder

tic disorders — Tourette’s disorder, persistent (chronic) motor or vocal tic disorder

specific learning disorders

What is a person’s A-facor?

mood, emotions

What is the difference between projective and objective tests?

projective tests — respondent imposes their own interpretation in answering

objective tests — requires respondent to make a particular response (yes/no, true/false, etc.)

What is comorbidity?

having more than one diagnosis

What is the MMPI? What are the subscales?

MMPI — objective personality assessment; scales that indicate validity of responses/response style

subscales: (1) hypochondriasis, (2) depression, (3) hysteria, (4) psychopathic deviate, (5) masculinity-femininity, (6) paranoia, (7) psychasthenia, (8) schizophrenia, (9) hypomania, (10) social introversion

What are validity scales on the MMPI?

expose if the patient was truthful or lying/overexaggerating

If someone takes a Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and says they see a couple breaking up, what will the psychologist ask the patient about?

questions about abandonment

What is the difference between internalizing and externalizing disorders?

internalizing = self (depression, bipolar, anxiety, etc)

externalizing = affects others; behaviors (ASPD, CD, kleptomania, etc.)

What influences prognosis?

how long have these symptoms shown, how severe are they, how does the patient cope, how is the patient’s social support, etc.

What is Asperger’s now called?

ASD (autism spectrum disorder)

What is the difference between ODD and CD?

ODD (oppositional-defiant disorder) — defiant against authority; typically nonviolent (fighting against parents, not listening to teacher, etc.)

CD (conduct disorder) — violates the rights of others; more violent than ODD (hurting others, robbing stores, etc.)

When can we start seeing symptoms of ASD?

between 6-24 months

What disorder would a person have if they have difficulty connecting with others, tend to avoid eye contact, have difficulty understanding social cues, and have rigid interests?

ASD (autism spectrum disorder)

What is a special talent in someone with ASD called?

savant skill

How many connections are there in the brain?

50 trillion

What is the synaptic cleft?

the space between neurons where impulses are absorbed from one neuron to another, passing along neurotransmitters

What parts of the limbic system are in charge of emotion regulation?

amygdala — fight-or-flight

hippocampus — memories

What is the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems?

sympathetic — riles you up

parasympathetic — calms you down

What is GABA? How is it affected by other inhibitors?

GABA — inhibitory neurotransmitter; lessens ability of a nerve cell to receive, create, or send chemical messages to other nerve cells; produces calming effect; controls anxiety, stress, and fear

when you have a constant supply of outside inhibitors (alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, other drugs), brain receptors adapt by reducing GABA receptors

What is an fMRI and what does it measure?

aka functional magnetic resonance image; measures blood-oxygen level changes

What is reuptake?

reuptake — reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by a neurotransmitter transporter after it has performed its function of transmitting a neural impulse

ssri’s slow down the reuptake process, giving more time for the other neuron to absorb serotonin before it is reabsorbed by original neuron

What is a neurotransmitter?

a chemical

QUESTION ON TEST: “Shannon studies in a room by doing practice test. She notices that the room suddenly becomes chilly. The activity of her ___ network interrupted her ___ network.”

salience

central executive

What are epigenetics?

how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work

How does ADHD affect executive funtions and the frontal lobe?

cognitive effort is necessary to suppress or inhibit a bx

dopaminergic systems involved in delaying reward are compromised

executive fx and neurologically-based insensitivity to consequences are associated with self-regulation

How is ADHD connected with ODD and CD?

ADHD —> ODD = ~50% by age 7

ADHD —> CD = 20-50% in children, 44-50% in adolescents

The DSM says that people with CD are not “callous”, they instead have ___.

lack of empathy

Is it good to start treating ASD in adolescence?

okay, but early intervention is better

What are the 2 main dimensions of ADHD?

1) inattention

2) hyperactivity/impulsivity

Adults with ADHD typically have what kind of presentation?

inattentive

Which area of the brain develops first?

primitive areas develop before executive areas

What is the major treatment for ADHD?

stimulant medications

Why did the DSM change from saying “type” to “presentation”?

presentation is not fixed; it may change throughout the day

What is a specific learning disability?

difficulty learning and using a certain academic skill