ap psych unit 5 flashcards

Abnormal Psychology

A “harmful dysfunction” in which behavior is judged to be atypical, disturbing, maladaptive and unjustifiable.

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic

Internal, unconscious drives

Humanistic

Failure to strive to one’s potential or being out of touch with one’s feelings.

Behavioral

Reinforcement history, the environment.

Cognitive

Sociocultural

Dysfunctional Society

Biomedical/Neuroscience

Organic problems, biochemical imbalances, genetic predispositions.

Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

• the big book of disorders.

• DSM will classify disorders and describe the symptoms.

• DSM will NOT explain the causes or possible cures.

Neurotic Disorders

Distressing but one can still function in society and act rationally.

Psychotic Disorders

Person loses contact with reality, experiences distorted perceptions.

Anxiety Disorders

a group of conditions where the primary symptoms are anxiety or defenses against anxiety.

Phobias

• A person experiences sudden episodes of intense dread.

• Must be an irrational fear.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder / GAD

• An anxiety disorder in which a person is continuously tense, apprehensive and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal.

• The patient is constantly tense and worried, feels inadequate, is oversensitive, can’t concentrate and suffers from insomnia. 

Panic Disorder

An anxiety disorder marked by a minutes-long episode of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking and other frightening sensations.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

• Persistent unwanted thoughts (obsessions) cause someone to feel the need (compulsion) to engage in a particular action.

• Obsession about dirt and germs may lead to compulsive hand washing.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder / PTSD

• Flashbacks or nightmares following a person’s involvement in or observation of an extremely stressful event.

• Memories of the event cause anxiety.

Somatoform Disorders

• Occur when a person manifests a psychological problem through a physiological symptom.

• Hypochondriasis + Conversion Disorder

Hypochondriasis

• Has frequent physical complaints for which medical doctors are unable to locate the cause.

• They usually believe that the minor issues (headache, upset stomach) are indicative of a more severe illnesses.

Conversion Disorder

• Report the existence of severe physical problems  with no biological reason.

• Like blindness or paralysis.

Dissociative Disorders

• These disorders involve a disruption in the conscious process.

• Dissociative Amnesia, Dissociative Fugue, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Depersonalization/Derealization disorder

Dissociative Amnesia

characterized by a partial or total inability to recall past experiences and important information.  This is typically in response to a traumatic event or stressful situation, such as military combat or marital problems.

Dissociative Fugue

characterized by suddenly and inexplicably leaving home and taking on a completely new identity with no memory of a former life.  While in the fugue state, the person experiences amnesia, but can otherwise function normally. 

Dissociative Identity Disorder

• Used to be known as Multiple Personality Disorder.

• A person has several rather than one integrated personality.

• commonly have a history of childhood abuse or trauma.

Depersonalization/Derealization disorder

characterized by a person feeling detached from his/her body.

Mood Disorders

Experience extreme or inappropriate emotion.

Major Depression

• A.K.A. unipolar depression

• Unhappy for at least two weeks with no apparent cause.

• Depression is the common cold of psychological disorders.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

• Experience depression during the winter months.

• Based not on temperature, but on amount of sunlight.

• Treated with light therapy.

Bipolar Disorder

• Formerly manic depression.

• Involves periods of depression and manic episodes.

• Manic episodes involve feelings of high energy (but they tend to differ a lot…some get confident and some get irritable).

• Engage in risky behavior during the manic episode.

Personality Disorders

• Well-established, maladaptive ways of behaving that negatively affect people’s ability to function.

• Dominates their personality.

cluster a  

• odd and eccentric

• marked by eccentricity, odd behavior, not psychosis

• share a superficial similarity w/ schizophrenia [a milder vers]

cluster b 

• drastic, emotional, or erratic

• being self-absorbed, prone to exaggerated importance of events

• having difficulty maintaining close relationship

• often associated with risky behaviors, puts self in danger

cluster c 

• anxious and fearful

• ppl are often anxious, fearful, + depressed

antisocial personality disorder

•  refers to acting impulsively or fearlessly w/o regard for others' needs + feelings

• cluster b

• criminality isn’t an essential component of antisocial behavior

• think serial killer 

narcissistic personality disorder

• characterized by self-centeredness

• cluster b

• they exaggerate their achievements expecting others to recognize them as being superior

• they tend to be choosy abt picking friends, since they believe that not just anyone is worth of being their friend

• they are gen uninterested in the feelings of others + may take advantage of them

histrionic personality disorder

• characterized by being excessively dramatic, egocentric, & seeking attention + tending to overreact

• attention whore

• cluster b

borderline personality disorder

• marked by a significant and disruptive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, mood, self-image, impulse control

• cluster b

dependent personality disorder

• characterized by excessively lacking self confidence, subordinating one’s own needs + allowing others to make all decisions 

• cluster c

avoidant personality disorder

• characterized by being excessively sensitive to potential rejection and humiliation 

• cluster c

obsessive compulsive personality disorder

• characterized by gen psychological inflexibility, rigid conformity to rules + procedures, perfectionism, & excessive orderliness

• cluster c

• diff than ocd

• ppl w/h ocpd tend to stress perfectionism above all else + feel anxious when they perceive that things aren’t “right”

• ocpd does not include obsessions + compulsions like turning lights on/off 5 times or locking/unlocking a door 10 times

symptoms of schizophrenia

• disorganized thinking

  • the thinking of a person w/h schizophrenia is fragmented, bizarre, + distorted w/h false beliefs

  • disorganized thinking comes from a breakdown in selective attention

    • they cannot filter out info 

• disturbed perceptions

  • hallucinations

  • delusions / false beliefs

• inappropriate emotions + actions  

  • laugh at inappropriate times

  • senseless, compulsive acts

hallucinations

sensory exps w/o sensory stim 

delusions of persecution

thinking someone’s gonna come for you

delusions of grandeur

thinking you’re a godly being

flat affect

 emotionless, blank slate 

catonita

motionless waxy flexibility

positive symptoms of schizophrenia 

• presence of something inappropriate

  • ex. hearing voices

negative symptoms of schizophrenia 

•  absence of something appropriate 

  • ex. lack of emotion, laughing at funeral

disorganized schizophrenia

disorganized speech / behavior, flat / inappropriate behavior 

clang associations

nonsensical rhyming; word vomit

paranoid schizophrenia

•  preoccupation w/h delusions / hallucinations

  • thinking someone’s gonna come for you

catatonic schizophrenia

flat affect, waxy flexibility, parrot-like repeating of another’s speech + movement 

undifferentiated schizophrenia

many + varied symptoms

Rosenhan’s study

• Rosenhan’s associates were faking symptoms of hearing voices

• they were ALL admitted for schizophrenia

• none were exposed as imposters

• they all left diagnosed w/h schizophrenia in remission

psychoanalytic therapy

• manifest + latent content via hypnosis, free association, dream interpretation

• tapping into unconscious mind to determine cost

• other therapies will result in symptom substitution

cognitive therapy

• Albert Ellis - rational emotive therapy

• you’re behaving irrationally

  • looking at own behavior from outside perspective

humanistic therapy 

• Gestalt therapy by Fritz Perls encourages clients to get in touch w/h whole self

• “i feel x when…”

• more client led

behavioral therapies

• systematic desensitization

• virtual reality exposure - exposure therapy involves exposing people to fear in virtual environments