Psychopathology exam 1

Psychodynamic perspective

Based on Freud's ideas, focuses on the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences. It says all kids feel anxiety at times, but if their anxiety is too strong or never resolved, it can turn into anxiety later in life.

Biological perspective

Looks at the body and brain and says anxiety can be caused by genetics, brain chemistry, or overactive brain circuits that make people more anxious.

Sociocultural perspective

Says that a person's social and cultural environment can cause abnormal behavior. People who live in stressful or dangerous situations are more likely to develop anxiety.

Cognitive-Behavioral perspective

Focuses on the connection between thoughts and behavior. Anxiety comes from negative or irrational beliefs and ways of thinking that cause people to react in unhealthy or anxious ways.

Humanistic perspective

Focuses on the whole person and the importance of self-acceptance and honesty. Anxiety happens when people deceive themselves or deny their true feelings.

Modeling

Process of learning where an individual acquires responses by observing others.

Rational emotive therapy

Cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis. It helps clients identify and change the rational assumptions and thinking that help cause their psychological disorder.

Classical conditioning

Process of learning by temporal association in which two events that repeatedly occur close together become fused in one's mind to produce the same response.

Exposure and response prevention

Cognitive-behavioral technique used to treat OCD clients that expose clients to anxiety arousing situations that prevent them from performing compulsive acts.

Social skills training

A therapy approach that helps people learn social skills and assertiveness through role playing.

Psychodynamic perspective on OCD

Believes anxiety disorder develops as children.

Cognitive-behavioral perspective on OCD

Points out everyone has repetitive and intrusive thoughts.

Biological perspective on OCD

Gene abnormalities.

Mindfulness Cognitive therapy

Allows one to stay present and notice compulsions and accept worries or thoughts.

Reciprocal inhibition treatment

Replaces an undesired response, such as anxiety, with a desired one through counterconditioning.

CBT therapist approach to OCD

Therapists educate clients and express thoughts are being misinterpreted. Clients must identify distorted cognitions and understand thoughts are inaccurate than valid. Compulsive acts are unnecessary.

Role of modeling in phobia development

Observation and imitation of others can lead to a phobia. E.g. if a mother is fearful of doctors, illness, etc., the child may too.

Iatrogenic

Unintentionally produced by practitioners.

Depersonalization

Feeling that the conscious state of one's body is unreal.

Derealization

Feeling that the environment is unreal or strange.

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event.

Acute stress disorder

A condition resulting from exposure to a traumatic event, characterized by severe anxiety and dissociation.

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

Occurs within three days to four weeks after a traumatic event.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Diagnosed when symptoms persist for more than a month.

State-dependent learning

If people learn something in a particular state of mind, they are likely to remember when they are in that same condition.

Fusion

Merging of two or more subpersonalities in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

Switching

Transition of one subpersonality to another in DID.

Virtual reality technology

Extremely effective in treating combat veterans with PTSD, using wraparound goggles and joysticks.

Drug therapy

Helps with symptom reductions in PTSD.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Changes dysfunctional attitudes, helps learn to deal with difficult memories, and uses exposure techniques.

Group therapy

A therapeutic approach involving multiple participants, often used in PTSD treatment.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

Impacted by stress, leading to the secretion of ACTH and the release of corticosteroids.

Cognitive triad in depression

Individuals interpret their experiences, themselves, and their futures in negative ways that make them feel depressed.

Bipolar I

Primary symptom presentation includes the presence of a major depressive episode and manic episode or only a manic episode.

Bipolar II

Primary symptom presentation is recurrent depression accompanied by hypomanic episodes.

Cyclothymic disorder

Chronic state of cycling between subthreshold hypomanic episodes and subthreshold depressive episodes that do not reach the threshold for bipolar disorder.

Aaron Beck's theory on depression

Believes maladaptive attitudes, a cognitive triad, errors in thinking, and automatic thoughts combine to cause depression.

Learned helplessness

Participants give up and lose initiative, leading to sadness; depression can be caused by the loss of control over unpleasant events.

Neurotransmitters in depression

Serotonin and norepinephrine are significant; e.g., blood pressure medication decreases serotonin which increases depression.

Malingering

External rewards gained or to get out of something.

Factitious disorder

Rewards are internal, being seen as fragile and being showered with pity.

Falsifications in factitious disorder

Physical or psychological signs or symptoms.

Conversion disorder

A condition where psychological distress manifests as physical symptoms.

Illness anxiety disorder

Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness.

Somatic symptom disorder

Involves having physical symptoms that cause significant distress or impairment.

Well localized symptoms

Symptoms that are specific and confined to a particular area.

Sudden and dramatic onset

Symptoms that appear abruptly and with significant intensity.

Type A personality

Characterized by hostility, cynicism, being driven, impatience/time urgency, competitiveness, and ambition.

Type B personality

Characterized by being relaxed, less aggressive, and less concerned about time.

Physical illnesses associated with stress

Cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and respiratory issues.

Risk factors for Factitious Disorder

Excessive medical treatment received as children, grudge against the medical profession, or working in the medical field.

Risk factors for depression

Stress and biochemical factors (neurotransmitters, hormonal abnormalities).

Risk factors for bipolar illness

Biochemical factors (neurotransmitters), depression, mania, and ions.

Major depressive disorder

Depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities, with mood representing a change from the person's baseline and impaired functioning.

Specific symptoms of major depressive disorder

Depressed mood or irritability, decreased interest or pleasure, significant weight change, change in sleep, change in activity, fatigue or loss of energy, guilt/worthlessness, diminished ability to think, and suicidality.

Persistent depressive disorder

Depressed mood most of the day for more days than not, for at least 2 years, with presence of 2 or more specific symptoms.

Specific symptoms of persistent depressive disorder

Poor appetite or overeating, insomnia or sleeping too much, low energy or fatigue, low self-esteem, poor concentration or difficulty making decisions, feelings of hopelessness.

Neurotransmitter receptors involved with alcohol abuse

GABA.

Women and alcohol tolerance

Women have less of the stomach enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase which breaks down alcohol.

Reward-deficiency syndrome

Lack of pleasure from everyday activities leading to a higher risk of addiction.

Difference between heroin, fentanyl, and morphine

Morphine is natural, used legally in hospitals for severe pain. Heroin is semi-synthetic, illegal in the U.S., about 2-3 times stronger than morphine, highly addictive. Fentanyl is fully synthetic, about 50-100 times stronger than morphine, and poses a high overdose risk.

Role of classical conditioning in cravings

Cues/objects present when consuming drugs can be classically conditioned to produce pleasure.

Treatment for body dysmorphic disorder

Similar to OCD: antidepressant drugs and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Systematic desensitization

An exposure technique where one learns to relax while gradually facing the object/situation that provokes fear.

Flooding

Facing fear without relaxation training or gradual build-up.

Imaginal therapy

Client relives the trauma, involving gradual exposure, emotional processing, and cognitive restructuring.

Impact of alcohol on memory in chronic users

Plays a role in suicides, assaults, accidents, dementia, and fetal alcohol syndrome.