Psych disorders exam 1

Psychological disorder

a psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning that is not typical or culturally expected

gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

neurotransmitter that reduces anxiety across the synaptic cleft and thus inhibits a range of behaviors and emotions, especially generalized anxiety

psychological dysfunction

breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning

Personal distress

difficulty performing appropriate and expected roles. Impairment is set in the context of a person’s background

Atypical or not culturally expected response

reaction is outside of cultural norms

Acute onset

Sudden beginning of a disease or disorder

Insidious onset

Development of a disorder that occurs gradually over an extended over an extended period

Episodic course

pattern of a disorder alternating between recovery and recurrence

Time-limited course

condition in which a disorder improves on its own in a relatively brief period

chronic course

conditions or symptoms that persist or progress over a long period of time and are resistant to cure

Supernatural Tradition

Deviant behavior as a battle of “Good” vs Evil. Caused by demonic possession, witchcraft, sorcery. Treatments included exorcism, torture, beatings, and crude surgeries

Biological Tradition

Linked abnormality with brain chemical imbalances. Hippocrates: abnormal behavior as a disease (wandering uterus), Galen: too little or too much of the bodily fluids causes disease

Psychological tradition

the rise or moral (psychological) therapy. More humane treatment of institutionalized patients. Encouraged and reinforced social interaction

Psychoanalytic theory

Freudian theory of the structure and function of the mind and how psychological disorders arise

Id, Ego, Superego

Illogical, emotional, irrational, pleasure principle; logical, rational, reality principle; conscience, moral principles

Defense mechanisms

ego loses the battle with the id and superego.

Genetic contributions to psychopathology

Less than 50%. Behavior is polygenetic. Our characteristics (eye color, personality, abnormal behavior) are determined, in part, by genes.

Gene-environment interaction (diathesis-stress model)

individuals inherit vulnerability to disorder, and this vulnerability may be activated by life stress (like the alcoholic example)

Gene-environment correlation (reciprocal gene-environment model)

genotype increases the chances of experiencing a stressful environment. ex: Divorce runs in families, genes contribute to impulsive/ short-tempered traits, which makes you hard to get along with and increases the chances for divorce

Central nervous system

brain and spinal cord

Cerebral cortex

contains two specialized hemispheres (left and right). Each hemisphere has four lobes with specialized processes. Makes us distinctly human. Allows us to plan, reason, and create. Left: in charge of verbal and other cognitive processes. Right: better at perceiving and creating images

Peripheral nervous system

consists of nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord. somatic and autonomic branches Job: connect the CNS to limbs and organs

Somatic branch of PNS

controls voluntary muscles and movements

autonomic branch of the PNS

involuntary processes, sympathetic (fight/ flight) and parasympathetic branches (normalizes arousal). Regulates cardiovascular system and body temperature. Also regulates the endocrine system and aids in digestion

Endocrine system

system of glands (adrenal glands) that produce hormones (adrenaline)

Serotonin

also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine, influences information processing, behavior, mood and thoughts. Dysregulated serotonin may contribute to depression. Very low serotonin linked to instability and impulsivity

Norepinephrine

also called noradrenaline. involved in alarm responses and basic bodily processes (ex breathing)

Dopamine

implicated in depression and ADHD. Link between excessive dopamine and schizophrenia. Link between reduced dopamine and Parkinson’s disease

Agonist

a chemical that binds to a receptor and triggers a response by that cell by mimicking a neurotransmitter (ex nicotine binds to acetylcholine receptors)

Antagonist

a chemical that binds to a receptor and blocks the action of a neurotransmitter

GABA agonist NOT ON TEST

NOT ON TEST such as the benzodiazepine alprazolam, also known as Xanax) induces sedation. The inverse agonist for the GABA receptor induces anxiety

glutamate

amino acid neurotransmitter that excites many different neurons, leading to action

the principle of equifinality

from developmental psychopathology, several paths to a given outcome. Paths vary by developmental stage

multiple causation

the rule, not the exception. Take a broad, comprehensive, systemic perspective. Biological and neuroscientific, psychological, social cultural and developmental factors

reliability

consistency in measurement. Examples include test-retest and inter-rater reliability

validity

the degree to which a test measures what it is designed to measure, ex: include concurrent, discriminant, and predictive validity

Standardization

formulation and use of guidelines to achieve uniformity. Ensures consistency in the use of a technique so you can compare apples to apples. Provides population benchmarks for comparison. Ex: include structured administration, scoring, and evaluation procedures

Clinical interview

most common clinical, assessment method. Structured or semi-structured

Mental status exam

Snap judgment takes 5 minutes. Appearance and behavior, thought processes, mood and affect, intellectual functioning, sensorium (awareness of time, place, etc.)

Behavioral assessment

focus on the present - here and now. Direct observation of behavior-environment relations. Purpose is to identify problematic behaviors and situations. ABCs - identify antecedents, behaviors, and consequences

Taxonomy

classification in a scientific context

Nosology

taxonomy in psychological/ medical phenomena

Nomenclature

labels in a nosological system (ex “panic disorder”)

Classical (or pure) categorial approach

strict categories (ex you either have social anxiety disorder or you don’t)

Dimensional approach

classification along dimension (ex different people have varying amounts of anxiety in social situations)

prototypical approach

combines classical and dimensional views

ICD-10

international classification of diseases. Published by the World Health Organization (WHO)

DSM

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

Independent variable

the variable that causes or influences an outcome/ behavior

Dependent variable

the outcome of interest/ behavior influenced by the independent variable

Internal validity

extent to which results of a study are due to the independent variable

external validity

extent to which results of a study are generalizable to the population it’s studying

Correlation

statistical relation between two or more variables. no independent variable is manipulated. Range from -1.0 to 0 to +1.0. Negative vs positive correlation. Limitations = does not imply causation, problem of directionality and “third variable” explanations

Studying behavior over time

longitudinal studies. Rationale and overview. How does the problem or behavior change over time? Important in prevention and treatment research

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Excessive uncontrollable anxious apprehension and worry about multiple areas of life (ex work, relationships, health). Persists for six months or more. Accompanied by associated symptoms (ex muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, concentration difficulties, sleep disturbance) Treatment: generally weak, cognitive-behavioral therapy, benzodiazapines and antidepressants, meditation therapy.

Panic disorder

Experience of unexpected panic attacks (ex a false alarm), develop anxiety, worry, or fear about another attack, many develop agoraphobia. Generally higher emotional reactivity to stressors, higher likelihood of having physical alarm reaction in response to stress, tendency to believe that bodily sensations dangerous or associated with catastrophic outcomes. Treatment: SSRIs or benzodiazepines, relapse rates are high following medication discontinuation, CBT is highly effective

Phobias

extreme irrational fear of a specific object or situation, persons will go to great lengths to avoid phobic objects, most recognize that the fear and avoidance are unreasonable, markedly interferes with one’s ability to function. Causes: direct experience, biological and evolutionary vulnerability, traumatic conditioning, preparedness. Treatments: cognitive-behavior therapies are highly effective - exposure is critical

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Main etiological characteristics - trauma exposure and response, reexperiencing (ex memories, nightmares, flashbacks), avoidances, emotional numbing and interpersonal problems, markedly interferes with one’s ability to function, it is diagnosed when reaction persists for one month or more, Causes = intensity of the trauma and one’s reaction to it (true alarm), learn alarms- direct conditioning and observational learning, biological vulnerability, uncontrollability and unpredictability, social support post-trauma reduces risk, Treatment = CBT are highly effective, nightmare rescripting, medication = generally use medications effective against anxiety and panic SSRIs

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessions= intrusive and nonsensical thoughts, images, or urges Compulsions = thoughts or actions to neutralize anxious thoughts, Vicious cycle of obsessions and compulsions, cleaning and washing or checking rituals are common Causes = parallels the other anxiety disorders, early life experiences, learning that some thoughts are dangerous/ unacceptable, thought-action fusion - the thought is similar to the action; thinking something will make it more likely to happen Biological treatment = clomipramine and other SSRIs - benefit up to 60% of patients, relapse is common with medication discontinuation, psychosurgery is used in extreme cases Treatment = CBT involves exposure to anxious cues and prevention of ritualized response, combining CBT with medication is no better than CBT alone

Observational modeling

learning through observation and imitation of the behavior of other individuals and consequences of that

frontal lobe

forward section of each cerebral hemisphere most responsible for thinking, reasoning, memory, the experience of reward, and social behavior and thus most likely to be involved in a range of psychopathologies

parietal lobe

section of each cerebral hemisphere responsible for recognizing touch sensations

occipital lobe

section of each cerebral hemisphere that integrates and makes sense of visual inputs

temporal lobe

Section of each cerebral hemisphere associated primarily with sight and sound recognition and with long-term memory storage