Psychological Disorders and Treatments: DSM-5, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Therapy Types

Psychological disorders

Persistent harmful thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that cause distress or impair functioning.

Deviant

Behavior outside societal norms.

Distressful

Causes significant personal discomfort.

Dysfunctional

Interferes with daily functioning; maladaptive.

DSM / DSM-5-TR

Manual used to classify and diagnose psychological disorders; includes symptoms, criteria, frequency, and risk factors.

Labeling

Giving someone a diagnosis; affects perception.

Stigma

Negative beliefs or discrimination toward people with disorders.

Anxiety

State of tension, apprehension, and physical arousal.

Pathological anxiety

Irrational, persistent anxiety that disrupts life.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Chronic, excessive worrying and tension with physical symptoms.

Autonomic nervous system arousal

Increased heart rate, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath.

Panic Disorder

Sudden, frequent panic attacks without warning.

Panic Attack

Minutes-long episode of intense fear: choking, dizziness, chest pain, heart racing.

Triple vulnerabilities model

Biological predisposition + low control + sensitivity to physical sensations.

Agoraphobia

Fear of places where escaping could be difficult

Somatic symptom disorders

Physical symptoms without medical explanation.

Conversion disorder

Loss of sensory or motor function (blindness/paralysis) with no medical cause.

Phobia

Irrational fear of something specific.

Specific Phobia

Extreme fear causing avoidance and impaired functioning.

Situational phobia

Fear of flying, driving, elevators, etc.

Natural environment phobia

Fear of heights, water, storms.

Blood-injection-injury phobia

Fear of injections, blood, procedures.

Animal phobia

Fear of animals

Other phobia

Fear of choking, clowns, vomiting.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Fear of being judged or embarrassed in social settings.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions).

Obsessions

Unwanted, intrusive thoughts.

Compulsions

Rituals performed to reduce anxiety from obsessions.

Washing compulsion

Repetitive cleaning.

Checking compulsion

Repeatedly verifying locks, appliances, etc.

Ordering compulsion

Symmetry/arranging behavior.

Counting compulsion

Repetitive counting routines.

Contamination obsession

Fear of germs/dirt.

Pathological doubt

Fear something terrible will happen.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Trauma exposure leading to intrusive memories, avoidance, mood changes, hyperarousal.

Acute Stress Disorder

PTSD-like symptoms lasting 3 days-4 weeks.

Adjustment Disorder

Emotional reactions to a stressor (less severe than PTSD).

Traumatic event

Extreme threat involving fear or helplessness.

Dissociative experience

Temporary break in awareness or memory.

Dissociative disorders

Severe disruptions in identity, awareness, memory.

Dissociative Amnesia

Inability to recall important personal info due to stress/trauma.

Dissociative Fugue

Traveling away + forgetting identity.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Two or more distinct identities + memory gaps.

Paranoid Personality Disorder

Extreme distrust and suspicion.

Schizoid Personality Disorder

Withdrawn, prefers solitude, limited emotional expression.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Odd behavior, speech, thinking, appearance.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

No remorse, violates rights of others, manipulative.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Unstable emotions, relationships, and self-image; impulsive.

Biosocial Developmental Theory

BPD caused by biological emotional sensitivity + invalidating environment.

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Attention-seeking, dramatic, approval-needing.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Exaggerated self-importance; sensitive to criticism.

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Fear of rejection; avoids social interactions.

Dependent Personality Disorder

Needs others to take care of them; clingy, helpless.

OCPD

Rigid perfectionism; preoccupied with order and rules.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Long-lasting sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest.

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

Long-term low-level depression.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Depression during fall/winter.

Learned helplessness

Feeling powerless after repeated negative events.

Bipolar Disorder

Shifts between depression and mania.

Manic Episode

Extreme energy, fast speech, no sleep, grandiose ideas.

Cyclothymic Disorder

Chronic mild bipolar-like mood swings.

Schizophrenia

Severe disorder with distorted thoughts, perceptions, and emotions.

Delusions

False beliefs despite evidence.

Hallucinations

False sensory perceptions.

Positive symptoms

Extra behaviors: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech.

Negative symptoms

Lack of behaviors: flat affect, alogia, avolition.

Dopamine hypothesis

Too many dopamine receptors → positive symptoms.

Psychotherapy

Talk therapy between therapist and client.

Psychoanalysis

Freud's therapy to uncover unconscious conflicts.

Free association

Saying thoughts freely without filter.

Resistance

Blocking anxiety-producing material.

Dream analysis

Examining dreams to reveal unconscious content.

Interpretation

Therapist explains unconscious meanings.

Transference

Client transfers feelings about others onto therapist.

Psychodynamic therapy

Short-term, more focused psychoanalytic therapy.

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

Improves current relationships.

Unresolved grief

Difficulty accepting loss.

Role disputes

Ongoing conflicts with others.

Role transitions

Difficulty adjusting to major life changes.

Interpersonal deficits

Lack of social skills.

Client-centered therapy

Therapist provides empathy, acceptance, and reflection.

Active listening

Restating and clarifying what the client says.

Unconditional positive regard

Total acceptance without judgment.

Behavior therapy

Changes behavior using learning principles.

Classical conditioning

Learning through association.

Counterconditioning

An undesirable response (like fear) is paired with a pleasant one (like a treat). 

Exposure therapy

Facing feared stimuli gradually.

Systematic desensitization

Relaxation + gradual exposure.

Anxiety hierarchy

List of fears ranked least → most scary.

Progressive relaxation

Relaxing muscles to reduce anxiety.

Aversive conditioning

Pairing unwanted behavior with something unpleasant.

Operant conditioning

Behavior shaped by reward/punishment.

Reinforcer

Increases a behavior.

Punisher

Decreases a behavior.

Cognitive Therapy (Beck)

Changes negative thinking patterns.

Cognitive distortions

Unrealistic negative thoughts.

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)

Challenges irrational beliefs.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Changes thoughts and behaviors together

Family therapy

Treats the family as a system.

Group therapy

Several clients meet together with a therapist.