Psychopathology: Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Somatic Symptom Disorders

Comprehensive practice flashcards defining key psychological disorders, diagnostic thresholds, etiology, and clinical treatments across Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, and Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders.

Fear

An evolved, immediate emotional response to an active or imminent threat occurring in the present moment.

Anxiety

An anticipatory emotional state oriented toward future, potential, or perceived threats.

Prolonged Grief Disorder

A stress- and trauma-related condition that follows the loss of a loved one, characterized by milder symptoms that persist for greater than 1 year.

Acute Stress Disorder

A condition occurring in the aftermath of trauma characterized by severe symptoms lasting less than 1 month.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A condition triggered by trauma exposure characterized by severe symptoms persisting for greater than 1 month.

Adjustment Disorder

A psychological reaction triggered by an identifiable stressor characterized by milder symptoms lasting less than 6 months.

Freezing Reaction

An evolved fear response to trauma where instinct overrides the prefrontal cortex's time-consuming, inefficient generation and selection of logical courses of action.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

An anxiety disorder defined by excessive, uncontrollable worry about multiple events occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, accompanied by at least 3 symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentration issues, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep disturbance.

Autonomic Restriction

An etiological feature of generalized anxiety disorder characterized by an absence of autonomic hyperarousal seen in other anxiety disorders, alongside intense cognitive activity restricted to the left hemisphere.

Panic Attack

A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort that develops abruptly and peaks within 10 minutes, involving 4 or more somatic or cognitive symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, trembling, dizziness, derealization, or fears of dying.

Panic Disorder

An anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks followed by at least 1 month of persistent worry about further attacks, their implications, or significant maladaptive behavioral changes.

Interoceptive Conditioning

A behavioral classical conditioning process in panic disorder where internal bodily sensations become conditioned stimuli that trigger panic attacks.

Fear-of-Fear Model

A cognitive model of panic disorder asserting that catastrophizing about benign internal bodily sensations sustains and exacerbates panic symptoms.

Interoceptive Exposure

A behavioral treatment technique for panic disorder involving deliberate exercises (e.g., hyperventilating, breathing through a straw, spinning in a chair) to induce feared somatic sensations in a controlled environment.

Agoraphobia

An anxiety disorder characterized by marked fear or avoidance of 2 or more situations (public transportation, open spaces, enclosed spaces, lines/crowds, being outside home alone) due to thoughts that escape might be difficult or help unavailable during panic or embarrassing symptoms, lasting at least 6 months.

Specific Phobia

A marked, disproportionate fear or anxiety concerning a specific object or situation (such as animals, natural environments, or blood-injection-injury) that is actively avoided or endured with intense dread for at least 6 months.

Applied Tension

A specialized treatment technique used for the blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia subtype to prevent vasovagal syncope (fainting) by tensing large muscle groups to raise blood pressure.

Social Anxiety Disorder

An anxiety disorder involving intense, disproportionate fear or anxiety about 1 or more social situations where the individual faces potential scrutiny, fearing they will act or display anxiety symptoms that will be negatively evaluated, lasting at least 6 months.

Obsessions

Recurrent and persistent intrusive thoughts, impulses, or images that cause significant anxiety or distress, which the individual attempts to ignore, suppress, or neutralize.

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviors (e.g., washing, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting) performed in response to an obsession or according to rigid rules to temporarily reduce or ward off anxiety.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

A disorder characterized by obsessions, compulsions, or both that cause clinically significant distress, are time-consuming (taking 1 or more hours per day), or impair daily functioning.

Scrupulosity

An OCD obsession subtype characterized by distressing, persistent religious or moral doubts and fears (e.g., fearing divine punishment if a ritual prayer is not recited flawlessly).

Pathological Doubt

An obsession centered on persistent, recurrent uncertainty regarding whether a protective or necessary action was completed properly, such as locking a door or turning off an appliance.

Mowrer's Two-Process Theory of Avoidance Learning

A behavioral model explaining OCD etiology where obsessions are acquired through classical conditioning and compulsions are maintained through operant conditioning (negative reinforcement by alleviating anxiety).

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP / ExRP)

The gold-standard cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD involving systematic exposure to obsession-triggering stimuli while strictly refraining from performing compulsive neutralizing rituals.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

A disorder characterized by excessive preoccupation with 1 or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others, driving repetitive behaviors or mental acts.

Hoarding Disorder

A disorder characterized by persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions regardless of actual value, stemming from a perceived need to save items and distress associated with discarding them, leading to congested living areas.

Trichotillomania

A disorder characterized by recurrent pulling out of one's hair resulting in hair loss, accompanied by repeated attempts to decrease or stop the behavior.

Excoriation Disorder

A disorder characterized by recurrent skin picking that results in skin lesions, accompanied by repeated unsuccessful attempts to decrease or stop the behavior.

Habit Reversal Training

A behavioral intervention used as a primary psychological treatment for trichotillomania (hair pulling) and excoriation (skin picking).

Somatic Symptom Disorders

A category of disorders characterized by physical symptoms that cause significant distress or functional impairment without an identifiable medical explanation, requiring thorough medical evaluation to rule out organic pathology.

Illness Anxiety Disorder

A somatic condition characterized by preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness for at least 6 months, accompanied by high health anxiety and excessive checking or avoidance, where somatic symptoms are either absent or very mild.

Somatic Symptom Disorder

A condition defined by 1 or more distressing somatic symptoms accompanied by disproportionate and persistent thoughts, high anxiety, and excessive time and energy devoted to symptom concerns, typically persisting for greater than 6 months.

Conversion Disorder

A condition characterized by 1 or more symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory function that show clinical incompatibility with recognized neurological or medical conditions.

La Belle Indifférence

A classic clinical feature occasionally seen in conversion disorder characterized by a surprising lack of concern or emotional distress regarding the presence of severe physical deficits or paralysis.

Factitious Disorder

A disorder involving the intentional feigning, exaggerating, or producing of physical or psychological symptoms in the absence of tangible external rewards, motivated solely by assuming the sick role.

Factitious Disorder by Proxy

A variant of factitious disorder where an individual intentionally feigns, induces, or exaggerates physical or psychological illness in another person (the victim) to assume the caregiver role without external incentives.

Malingering

The intentional production or exaggeration of physical or psychological symptoms explicitly motivated by external, tangible incentives (such as financial gain, evading criminal prosecution, or obtaining medication).