Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health

Hallucinations

perceptions experienced in the absence of external stimuli

Delusions

fixed but patently false beliefs, such as believing that one is being haunted by demons

Culture-Bound Syndromes

psychological disorders found only in one or few cultures

Dhat Syndrome

a culture-bound syndrome found in India in which men develop intense fears about losing semen

Medical Model

framework for understanding abnormal behavior patterns as symptoms of underlying physical disorders or diseases

Biopsychosocial Model

one integrative model for explaining abnormal behavior patterns in terms of the interactions of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors

Diathesis-Stress Model

type of biopsychosocial model that relates the development of disorders to the combination of a diathesis, or predisposition, usually genetic in origin, and exposure to stressful events or life circumstances

Diathesis

vulnerability or predisposition to developing a disorder

Psychological Disorders

abnormal behavior patterns charactized by disturbances in behavior, thinking, perceptions, or emotions that are associated with significant personal distress

Anxiety Disorders

class of psychological disorders characterized by excessive inappropriate anxiety reactions

Phobias

excessive fears of particular objects or situations

Social Phobia

type of anxiety disorder involving excessive fear of social situations

Specific Phobia

phobic reactions involving specific situations or objects

Acrophobia

excessive fear of heights

Claustrophobia

excessive fear of enclosed spaces

Agoraphobia

excessive, irrational fesr of being in public places

Panic Disorder

type of anxiety disorder involving repeated episodes of sheer terror called panic attacks

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

type of anxiety disorder involving persistent and generalized anxiety and worry

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

type of anxiety disorder involving the repeated occurrence of obsessions and/or compulsions

Anxiety Sensitivity

fear of fear, involving excessive concern that anxiety symptoms will spin out of control

Dissociative Disorders

class of psychological disorders involivng changes in conscousness, memory, or self-identity

Somatoform Disorders

class of psychological disorders involving physical ailments or complaints that cannot be explained by organic causes

Dissociative Identity Disorder

type of dissociative disorder characterized by the appearance of multiple personalities in the same individual

Conversion Disorder

type of somatoform disorder characterized by a change or a loss of a physical function that cannot be explained by medical causes

Hypochondriasis

somatoform disorder in which there is excessive concern that one's physical complaints are signs of underlyring serious illness

Secondary Gain

the reward value of having a psychological or physical symptom, such as release from ordinary responsibilities

Mood Disorders

class of psychological disorders involving disturbances in mood states, such as major depression and bipolar disorder

Major Depressive Disorder

most common type of depressive disorder, characterized by periods of downcast mood, feeling of worthlessness, and loss in interest in pleasurable activities

Seasonal Affective Disorder

type of major depression that involves a recurring pattern of winter depressions followed by elevations of mood in the spring and summer

Dysthymic Disorder

type of psychological disorder characterized by mild by chronic depression

Bipolar Disorder

type of mood disorder characterized by mood swings from extreme elation (mania) to severe depression

Manic Episodes

periods of mania, or unusually elevated mood and extreme restlessness

Cyclothymic Disorder

mood disorder characterized by a chronic pattern of relatively mild mood swings

Learned Helplessness Model

view that depression results from the perception of a lack of control over the reinforcements in one's life that may result from exposure to uncontrollable negative events

Attributional Style

a person's characteristic way of explaining outcomes of events in his or her life

Depressive Attributional Style

characteristic way of explaining negative events in terms of internal, stable, and global causes

Disinhibition Effect

removal of normal restraints or inhibitions that serve to keep impulsive behavior in check

Schizophrenia

severe and chronic psychological disorder characterized by disturbances in thinking, perception, emotions, and behavior

Psychotic Disorder

psychological disorder, such as schizophrenia, characterized by a break with reality

Thought Disorder

breakdown in the logical structure of thought and speech, revealed in the form of a loosening of associations

Positive Symptoms

symptoms of schizophrenia involving behavioral excesses, such as hallucinations and delusions

Negative Symptoms

behavioral deficits associated with schizophrenia, such as withdrawal and apathy

Disorganized Type

a subtype of schizophrenia characterized by confused behavior and disorganized delusions among other features

Catatonic Type

subtype of schizo characterized by bizarre movements, postures, or grimaces

Waxy Flexibility

feature of catatonic schizo in which people rigidly maintain the body position or posture in which they were placed by others

Paranoid Type

most common subtype of schizo, characterized by appearance of delusional thinking accompanied by frequent auditory hallucinations

Personality Disorders

class of psychological disorders characterized by rigid personality traits that impair people's ability to adjust to the demands they face in the environment and that interfere with their relationships with others

Narcisstic Personality Disorder

a type of personality disorder characterized by a grandiose sense of self

Paranoid Personality Disorder

type of personality disorder characterized by extreme suspiciousness or mistrust of others

Schizoid Personality Disorder

type of personality disorder characterized by social aloofness and limited range of emotional expression

Borderline Personality Disorder

type of personality disorder characterized by unstable emotions and self-image

Anti-Social Personality Disorder

type of personality disorder characterized by callous attitudes toward others and by antisocial and irresponsible behavior