Abnormal Psychology Lecture Notes

Mental Disorder

A syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.

Distress

One of the 4D’s of abnormal behavior; occurs if the individual is extremely upset or experiences significant disturbance.

Dysfunction

One of the 4D’s of abnormal behavior; refers to a breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning.

Danger

One of the 4D’s of abnormal behavior; indicates danger to self or to other people.

Deviance

One of the 4D’s of abnormal behavior; behavior that is atypical or not culturally expected, representing a deviation from social/cultural norms.

Diathesis

A condition or underlying vulnerability that makes someone susceptible to developing a disorder.

Stress

Life events or conditions that activate a psychological disorder.

Passive Gene-Environment Correlation

Occurs when children passively inherit the genes and the environments their family provides.

Evocative Gene-Environment Correlation

Refers to how the social environment reacts to individuals based on their inherited characteristics.

Active Gene-Environment Correlation

Occurs when individuals seek out environments that support their genetic tendencies.

Gene-Environment Interaction

A phenomenon where the importance of an individual's genotype varies as a function of their environment.

Differential Diagnosis

The distinction between two or more similar conditions by identifying critical symptoms present in one but not the other.

Clinical Description

The unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that make up a disorder.

Presenting Problem

A symptom or problem offered by a client or patient as the reason for seeking treatment.

Prevalence

The total number of people in the population who have a specific disorder.

Incidence

The number of new cases of a disorder that occur during a given period.

Chronic Course

A pattern of a disorder that lasts for a long time.

Episodic Course

A pattern where an individual recovers from a disorder but suffers a recurrence at a later time.

Time-limited Course

A pattern where a disorder improves without treatment.

Acute Onset

The start of a disorder that begins suddenly.

Insidious Onset

The start of a disorder that develops gradually over an extended period.

Prognosis

The anticipated course and outcome of a disorder.

Diagnostic Hierarchy

A framework used to systematically organize and prioritize diagnoses in patients with multiple, overlapping symptoms.

Case Formulation: Predisposing

Underlying vulnerabilities or risks that increase the likelihood of developing a disorder.

Case Formulation: Precipitating

Recent events or triggers that lead to the onset of a disorder.

Case Formulation: Perpetuating

Ongoing factors that maintain a problem or hinder recovery.

Case Formulation: Protective

Personal strengths, support systems, or skills that foster resilience and aid in treatment.

Biopsychosocial Model

An approach that looks at the interaction of biological (bodily health), psychological (mental/emotional wellness), and social (interpersonal) factors in health.

Subtype

Mutually exclusive, required subgroups within a diagnosis.

Specifier

Optional, non-mutually exclusive extensions that define clinical features, severity, or course of a disorder.

Sign

An observable indication of a disorder or disease noted by others.

Symptom

A deviation from normal functioning reported by the individual.

Principal Diagnosis

The condition established after study to be chiefly responsible for occasioning the admission of the individual.

Provisional Diagnosis

Used when there is currently insufficient information to meet full diagnostic criteria but there is a strong presumption that the information will become available.

Intellectual Development Disorder (IDD)

A disorder characterized by intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits in conceptual, social, and practical domains with onset during the developmental period.

Global Developmental Delay (GDD)

A diagnosis for individuals under age 5 who fail to meet expected developmental milestones but cannot undergo systematic assessment.

Language Disorder

Persistent difficulties in the acquisition and use of language due to deficits in comprehension or production, including reduced vocabulary and limited sentence structure.

Speech Sound Disorder

Persistent difficulty with speech sound production that interferes with speech intelligibility or prevents verbal communication.

Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering)

Disturbances in the normal fluency and time patterning of speech, characterized by sound repetitions, prolongations, or broken words.

Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder

Persistent difficulties in the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication, such as matching context or following rules for storytelling.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A disorder marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

A persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning, with symptoms present prior to age 12.

Dyslexia

A term used to describe a Specific Learning Disorder characterized by difficulties with word reading, decoding, and spelling.

Dysgraphia

A term used to describe a Specific Learning Disorder characterized by difficulties in written expression.

Dyscalculia

A term used to describe a Specific Learning Disorder characterized by difficulties in mastering number sense, facts, or calculations.

Developmental Coordination Disorder

A disorder where the acquisition and execution of coordinated motor skills is substantially below expected levels for chronological age.

Stereotypic Movement Disorder

Repetitive, seemingly driven, and apparently purposeless motor behavior that may result in self-injury.

Provisional Tic Disorder

Single or multiple motor and/or vocal tics present for less than 1 year with onset before age 18.

Persistent (Chronic) Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder

Single or multiple motor OR vocal tics (but not both) present for more than 1 year with onset before age 18.

Tourette’s Disorder

A disorder characterized by both multiple motor tics and one or more vocal tics present for more than 1 year with onset before age 18.

Delusion

Fixed, false beliefs that are held despite conflicting evidence.

Hallucination

Perception-like experiences that occur without an external stimulus, most commonly auditory.

Illusion

A misinterpretation of sensory information caused by external stimuli that deceive the senses.

Hypnagogic Hallucination

A hallucination that occurs while falling asleep.

Hypnopompic Hallucination

A hallucination that occurs upon waking up.

Derailment (Loose Association)

A form of disorganized thinking where the individual switches from one topic to another.

Word Salad (Incoherence)

Severely disorganized speech that is nearly incomprehensible.

Neologism

Creating new, nonsensical words.

Catatonic Behavior

A marked decrease in reactivity to the environment, which can include negativism, stupor, or mutism.

Prodromal Phase

The phase of Schizophrenia characterized by mild symptoms similar to Schizotypal Personality Disorder.

Active Phase

The phase of Schizophrenia where psychotic symptoms are noticeable.

Residual Phase

The phase of Schizophrenia where there are fewer obvious symptoms and negative symptoms often remain.

Alogia

A negative symptom of schizophrenia characterized by diminished speech output.

Avolition

A negative symptom characterized by a decrease in motivated self-initiated purposeful activities.

Schizoaffective Disorder

A disorder characterized by positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia occurring with a mood episode, provided hallucinations or delusions occur for 2 weeks in the absence of a major mood episode.

Bipolar I Disorder

A disorder characterized by at least one manic episode lasting 1 week or more.

Bipolar II Disorder

A disorder characterized by at least one hypomanic episode lasting 4 days or more and at least one major depressive episode.

Cyclothymic Disorder

A mood disorder involving numerous periods of hypomanic and depressive symptoms that do not meet full criteria for at least 2 years (1 year in children).

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)

A disorder involving severe recurrent temper outbursts and a persistently irritable or angry mood between outbursts, diagnosed between ages 6 and 18.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

A disorder involving five or more symptoms during a 2-week period, including depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure.

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not, for at least 2 years (1 year in children).

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

A disorder where at least five symptoms appear in the week before menses and improve shortly after menses onset.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Developmentally inappropriate and excessive fear concerning separation from attachment figures, lasting at least 4 weeks in children and 6 months in adults.

Panic Disorder

Recurrent unexpected panic attacks accompanied by persistent concern about additional attacks or maladaptive changes in behavior.

Agoraphobia

Marked fear or anxiety about situations like public transport, open spaces, or crowds because of thoughts that escape might be difficult.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not for at least 6 months about a number of events.

Obsessions

Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted.

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviors or mental acts an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Preoccupation with perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable to others.

Hoarding Disorder

Persistent difficulty discarding possessions regardless of value due to a need to save them and distress associated with discarding.

Trichotillomania

The recurrent pulling out of one's hair resulting in hair loss.

Excoriation Disorder

Recurrent skin picking resulting in skin lesions.

Acute Stress Disorder

Development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to a traumatic event, lasting from 3 days to 1 month.

Adjustment Disorder

Development of emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor occurring within 3 months of the stressor.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states and recurrent gaps in memory.

Localized Amnesia

A failure to recall events during a circumscribed period of time.

Selective Amnesia

A failure to recall some, but not all, events during a circumscribed period of time.

Depersonalization

Experiences of unreality or detachment from one's own mind, self, or body.

Derealization

Experiences of unreality or detachment from one’s surroundings.

Conversion Disorder

Altered voluntary motor or sensory function that is incompatible with recognized neurological or medical conditions.

Illness Anxiety Disorder

Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious, undiagnosed medical illness.

Factitious Disorder

The falsification of physical or psychological signs or symptoms for primary gain (the internal need to occupy the sick role).

Pica

Persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances for at least 1 month.

Rumination Disorder

Repeated regurgitation of food for at least 1 month, where the food may be re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

An eating disturbance associated with significant weight loss or nutritional deficiency, but without the body image distortion seen in anorexia.

Anorexia Nervosa

Restriction of energy intake leading to significantly low body weight, accompanied by an intense fear of gaining weight.

Anorexia Nervosa (Mild Severity)

A severity level of Anorexia Nervosa defined by a $$BMI egingroup ext