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

Psychological disorder

Condition with cognitive, emotional, or behavioral disturbances causing distress or impaired functioning.

Medical perspective

View that mental disorders come from biological causes (brain injury, hormones, neurotransmitters).

DSM-5

U.S. system for classifying psychological disorders.

ICD-11

WHO's global medical classification system.

Major Depressive Disorder

Severe depression interfering with concentration, decisions, and social functioning.

Anhedonia

Inability to feel pleasure.

Psychomotor retardation

Slowed speech, movement, and thinking.

Insomnia

Difficulty falling or staying asleep.

Hypersomnia

Excessive daytime sleepiness or prolonged sleep.

Bipolar Disorder

Alternating periods of mania and depression.

Mania

State of extreme euphoria, energy, and impulsivity.

Learned helplessness

Belief that one cannot control negative events.

Rumination

Repetitive, intrusive, negative thoughts.

Suicide

Intentional self-inflicted death.

Non-suicidal self injury

Deliberate self-harm without intent to die.

Schizophrenia

Disorder with disturbances in thought, perception, emotion, and behavior.

Positive symptoms

Added abnormal behaviors (delusions, hallucinations, etc.).

Negative symptoms

Loss of normal behaviors (flat affect, alogia, etc.).

Cognitive symptoms

Problems with attention, memory, and orientation.

Delusion

Strong false belief despite evidence.

Hallucination

False sensory experience.

Disorganized speech

Incoherent or illogical speech.

Neologism

Made-up word.

Word salad

Random, jumbled, incoherent speech.

Flat affect

Reduced or absent emotional expression.

Catatonia

Immobility, rigid posture, or purposeless movements.

Alogia

Reduced speech output.

Asociality

Withdrawal from social interaction.

Anxiety disorder

Anxiety without clear cause that impairs functioning.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Disorder involving obsessions or compulsions.

Obsession

Persistent intrusive thought.

Compulsion

Repetitive behavior performed to reduce anxiety.

Personality disorder

Rigid, maladaptive behavior patterns impairing functioning.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Autism spectrum disorder

Impaired communication and social interaction; repetitive behaviors.

Psychotherapy

Treatment using psychological techniques.

Biomedical therapy

Treatment using medication or medical procedures.

Psychoanalysis

Therapy focused on unconscious conflicts.

Psychodynamic therapy

Modern psychoanalysis emphasizing insight and relationships.

Insight

Gaining awareness of unconscious motivations.

Resistance

Client avoids anxiety-producing topics.

Transference

Client projects feelings onto therapist.

Countertransference

Therapist projects feelings onto client.

Humanistic therapy

Focus on personal growth and self-actualization.

Person-centered therapy

Rogerian therapy focused on acceptance and empathy.

Unconditional positive regard

Total acceptance without judgment.

Behavior therapy

Changes behavior using learning principles.

Exposure therapy

Facing feared stimuli to reduce anxiety.

Systematic desensitization

Gradual exposure paired with relaxation training.

Cognitive therapy

Changes maladaptive thought patterns.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Combines cognitive therapy with behavior modification.

Rational-emotive behavior therapy

Challenges irrational beliefs (Ellis).

Interpersonal therapy

Focus on current relationships.

Group therapy

Therapy with several clients together.

Family therapy

Therapy targeting family system and interactions.

Meta-analysis

Combining results of many studies.

Regression to the mean

Extreme symptoms naturally return to average.

Spontaneous remission

Symptoms improve without treatment.

Randomized controlled trial

Research method using random assignment to compare treatments.

Placebo

Inactive substance producing improvement through expectation.

Common factors

Shared helpful elements (empathy, warmth, hope).

Therapeutic alliance

Cooperative, trusting relationship between therapist and client.

Antipsychotic drugs

Medications for schizophrenia and psychosis.

Antidepressant drugs

Medications for depression and anxiety.

Electroconvulsive therapy

Electric stimulation used for severe depression.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Magnetic pulses to brain regions to treat depression.