abnormal psych chapter 3 & 5

assessment

the process of evaluating psychological, social, and emotional functioning through a variety of clinical methods

validity

the accuracy of a test, measurement, or instrument

the most widely used personality inventory in professional clinical assessments

MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

diagnosis

a label we attach to a set of symptoms that tend to occur together

dysfunction, distress, deviance, and dangerousness

what are the 4 D’s of abnormality

trephination

\-procedure where holes were drilled in skulls of people displaying abnormal behavior, presumably to allow evil spirits to depart from their bodies

\-performed in the Stone Age

ancient china

this group believed:

* abnormal behavior caused by by imbalance of positive and negative forces (yin/yang)
* emotions controlled by internal organs
* evil winds/ghosts influence behavior

ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome

these groups believed:

* that there is a biological cause of abnormality; rejected supernatural causes
* hysteria- disorder of the wandering uterus; symptoms only woman could experience

wandering uterus

* belief that the uterus would wander around the body and if it wanders in the wrong direction would result in symptoms such as coughing, loss of voice
* the ultimate treatment would be the triad of marriage, intercourse and pregnancy

mental hygiene movement

movement to treat mental patients more humanely and to view mental disorders as medical diseases

Ivan Pavlov

* Russian physiologist
* founder of classical conditioning

behaviorism

* study of the impact of reinforcements and punishments on behavior
* E.L. Thorndike and B.F. Skinner

psychiatrist

* have an MD degree and have received specialized training in the treatment of psychological disorders
* can prescribe medications for the treatment of these problems
* trained to conduct psychotherapies as well

clinical psychologists

* typically have a PhD in psych (there are still many masters degree career options)
* specialization in treating and researching psychopathology
* can also get a PsyD degree
* conduct various forms of psychotherapy

reliability

consistency of a test/method in assessing what is supposed to measure

structured interview

* series of carefully worded questions ab symptoms experienced currently or in the past
* follows standardized format

* clients may be resistant to providing info
* clients may have strong interest in outcome of the assessment and may be highly selective in the info provided
* different cultures experience psych disorders differently

what are some challenges in assessment?

electroencephalogram

* measures electrical activity along the scalp produced by the firing of specific neurons in the brain

useful in:

* uncovering unconscious issues of a person
* cases when the person is resistant or is heavily biasing the info presented to the assessor

how are projective tests useful?

* Rorschach Inkblot Test
* Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

what are 2 frequently used projective tests?

* questionable reliability and validity
* lies on subjective interpretation of clinician
* evaluation criteria doesn’t include cultural consideration

What are some limitations to projective tests?

polygenic

multiple genetic abnormalities coming together in one individual to create a specific disorder

epigenetic

environmental conditions affect the expression of genes

test-retest reliability

test produces similar results when given at 2 points in time

internal reliability

different parts of the same test produce similar results

alternate form reliability

two versions of the same test produce similar results

interrater or inter judge reliability

two or more raters or judges who administer and score a test come to similar conclusions

* ability for abstract reasoning
* verbal fluency
* spatial memory

what are some basic intellectual abilities that intelligence tests measure

panic disorder

* recurrent unexpected panic attacks
* chronic and often debilitating and disruptive

* persistent concern or worry about additional panic attacks or their consequences
* a significant maladaptive change in behavior related to the attacks

at least __**one**__ of these symptoms has been ongoing for one month or more to be diagnosed with panic disorder

18-24

what age period do panic attacks typically develop?

* pay close attention to their bodily sensations and misinterpret them in a negative way
* engage in catastrophic thinking, exaggerating symptoms and their consequences

people prone to panic attacks tend to..

* SSRI’s
* SNRI’s
* cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt)

what are some treatments for panic disorder?

* excessive anxiety and worry about a number of events or activities
* occurs more days than not for __**at least 6 months**__
* the individual finds it difficult to control the worry

define generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

an individual is displaying __**3 or more**__ of the following symptoms more days than not for __**6 months**__


1. restlessness
2. being easily fatigued
3. difficulty concentrating
4. irritability
5. muscle tension
6. sleep disturbance

what diagnosis could be considered based off of this information alone?

\

\

* cognitive behavioral therapy
* confront most common worries
* challenge catastrophizing thoughts
* develop coping strategies
* benzodiazepine drugs

\

what are some common treatments for GAD?

* marked __fear or anxiety__ about a **specific object** or **situation**
* this phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety
* is actively avoided or endured w intense fear or anxiety

how does the DSM-5 describe specific phobia?

* exposure to extinguish the persons fear of the object or situation
* systematic desensitization
* modeling
* flooding
* applied tension technique
* benzodiazepine

what are some treatments for phobias

* places where they might have trouble escaping or getting help if they become anxious
* embarrassing themselves if others notice their symptoms or efforts to escape

people with agoraphobia fear…

behavioral observation

the purpose of _____ is to assess deficits in the way an individual handles difficult situations

projective test

presentation of an ambiguous stimulus such as inkblot, to a client, who then projects unconscious motives and issues onto the stimulus in their interpretation of what it means

social anxiety disorder

marked fear or anxiety ab one or more social situations in which the individual is so afraid of being rejected, judged or humiliated in public

social anxiety disorders

people with _____ disorder:

* have excessively high standards for their social performances
* focus on negative aspects of social interactions and evaluate their own behavior harshly

* selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRI’s)
* serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI’s)
* cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
* mindfulness based intervention
* teaches individuals to be less judgmental ab their own thoughts/reactions and be more focused/relaxed in the present moment

what are some treatments for social anxiety disorder?

developmentally inappropriate and excessive distress and fear when separated from primary caregivers

describe separation anxiety disorder

separation anxiety disorder

\
* excessive distress when thinking ab separation
* excessive worry ab losing the caregiver
* show fear that leads to avoidance of school or leaving home
* physical symptoms of distress

are all associated with ____ disorder

* symptoms persist for at least 4 weeks
* it significantly impairs the child’s functioning

separation anxiety disorder won’t be diagnosed unless..

obsessions

* thoughts, urges or images that are persistent and intrusive
* uncontrollable and unwanted
* cause significant anxiety or distress

compulsions

* repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels he or she must perform
* often aimed at reducing anxiety brought on by obsessions

OCD

* females are about twice as lucky as males to develop___
* males have an earlier age at onset

psychodynamic perspective

which perspective toward OCD would say:

* anxiety develops when children come to fear their id impulses and use ego defense mechanisms like displacement to lessen their anxiety
* the “battle” for OCD is not only unconscious; it is played out in overt thoughts and action

cognitive perspective

which perspective toward OCD would say:

* people with OCD blame themselves for normal (although repetitive and intrusive) thoughts and expect that terrible things will happen as a result
* to avoid such negative outcomes, they attempt to “neutralize” their thoughts

* antidepressants that enhance serotonin
* cognitive-behavioral treatments such as ERP
* exposure and response prevention: expose client to obsession or fear and then prevent compulsive behavior

what are some treatment options for OCD?

hoarding

difficulty getting rid of items that leads to accumulation of things that clutter and congest active living areas

hair pulling disorder (trichotillomania)

recurrent pulling out of hair resulting in noticeable hair loss

skin picking disorder (excoriation disorder)

recurrent picking of scabs or places on the skin, creating significant lesions that often become infected and cause scars

body dysmorphic disorder (bdd)

people are excessively preoccupied w a part of their body that they believe is defective but that others see as normal or only slightly unusual

post- traumatic stress disorder

anxiety disorder characterized by


1. repeated mental images of experiencing a traumatic event
2. emotional numbing and detatchment
3. hyper vigilance and chronic arousal

acute stress disorder

* disorder similar to posttraumatic stress disorder but occurs within 1 month of exposure to the stressor and does not last more than 4 weeks


* often involves dissociative symptoms

intrusion

repeated reexperiencing of the traumatic event

avoidance

persistent avoidance of situations, thoughts, or memories associated with the trauma

1. intrusion
2. avoidance
3. negativity
4. arouasal

what are the 4 types of symptoms required in diagnosing PTSD?

adjustment disorder

consists of emotional and behavioral symptoms that arise with **3 months of the stressor**

person does NOT meet criteria for acute stress disorder or PTSD

reactive attachment disorder

a consistent pattern of inhibited, emotionally withdrawn behaviors towards adult caregivers

disinhibited social engagement disorder

a pattern of behavior in which a child actively approaches and interacts w unfamiliar adults

* brains of people with PTSD are more reactive to emotional stimuli
* hippocampal damage
* amygdala activity appears to respond more actively in individuals with PTSD

what were the neuroimaging findings for PTSD?

* cognitive-behavioral therapy and stress management
* systematic desensitization (prolonged exposure with emotional and/or cognitive processing)
* SSRI’s
* benzodiazepines
* marijuana? (depending on state regulations)

What are some treatment plans for PTSD?

true

true or false:

behavioral theories suggest that phobias develop through classical and operant conditioning