Psychological disorders, Therapies, and Olfaction

Gate-control theory

a theory that explains our experience of pain as an interaction between nerves athat transmit pain messages and those that inhibit these messages.

Gustatory system

system involved in the sensation and perception of taste.

haptics

the active, exploratory aspect of touch sensation and perception.

kinesthesis

our sense of bodily motion and position

nociception

activity of nerve pathways that respond to uncomfortable situations.

olfactory epithelium

a thin layer of cells that are lined by sensory receptors called cillia (involved in perception of smell)

olfactory system

the sense of smell; the detection of airborne particles with specialized receptors located in the nose.

abnormal psychology

The psychological study of mental illness

diagnostic & statistical manual for mental disorders

The manual that establishes criteria for the diagnosis of mental disorders.

insanity defense

a legal strategy of claiming that a defendant was unable to differentiate between right & wrong when the criminal act was committed.

maladaptive behavior

behavior that hinders a person’s ability to function in work, school, relationships, or society.

medical model

using one’s understanding of medical conditions to think about psychological conditions.

agoraphobia

an intense fear of visiting open, public places out of fear of having a panic attack.

bipolar disorder

a type of mood disorder characterized by extreme highs and lows in mood, motivation, and energy; sometimes referred to as manic depression

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

a type of anxiety disorder involving frequently elevated levels of anxiety that are not directed at or limited to any particular situation.

major depression

a disorder marked by prolonged and unjustified periods of sadness, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, social withdrawal, and cognitive and physical sluggishness.

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

a type of anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted, inappropriate, and persistent thoughts (obsessions); repetitive, stereotyped behaviors (compulsions); or a combination of the two.

panic disorder

An anxiety disorder marked by repeated episodes of sudden, very intense fear.

phobia

a type of anxiety marked by severe, irrational fear of a particular object or situation.

social anxiety disorder

an irrational fear of being observed, evaluated, or embarrassed in public.

specific phobias

disorders involving an intense fear of an object, activity, or organism.

catatonia

A symptom of schizophrenia marked by prolonged periods of immobility and muteness, repetitive and purposeless movements may also occur.

delusions

false beliefs about reality

hallucinations

false perceptions of reality, such as hearing internal voices.

negative symptoms

symptoms of schizophrenia involving the absence of adaptive behavior.

neurodevelopmental hypothesis

a hypothesis that states irregular biological and environmental factors interact during child development to produce symptoms of schizophrenia.

positive symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia are characterized by behaviors that should not occur, such as confused and paranoid thinking, and inappropriate emotional reactions.

schizophrenia

a collection of mental disorders characterized by chronic and significant breaks from reality, a lack of integration of thoughts and emotions, and serious problems with attention and memory.

clinical psychologists

a mental health professional with a doctoral degree who diagnoses and treats mental health problems ranging from the everyday to the chronic and severe.

community psychology

an area of psychology that focuses on identifying how individuals’ mental health is influenced by the neighborhood, economics, social groups, and other community-based variables.

counseling psychologists

a mental health professional who typically works with people needing help with common problems such as stress, coping, and mild forms of anxiety and depression, rather than severe mental disorders.

deinstitutionalization

a grass-roots movement that pushed for returning people from mental institutions to their communities and families and enabling individuals to receive treatment on an outpatient basis.

empirically supported treatments

also called evidence based therapies; treatments that have been tested and evaluated using sound research designs.

psychiatrists

a physician who specialized in mental health, and who diagnoses and treats mental disorders primarily through prescribing medications that influence brain chemistry.

psychotherapy

process for resolving personal, emotional, behavioral, and social problems so as to improve well being

residential treatment centers

facilities that provide psychotherapy and life skills training so that the residents can become integrated into society as best as possible.

behavioral therapies

a form of therapy that addresses problem behaviors and thoughts, and the environmental factors that trigger them, as directly as possible.

cognitive-behavioral therapy

a form of therapy that consists of procedures such as exposure, cognitive restructuring, and stress inoculation training.

dream analysis

a method of understanding unconscious thought by interpreting the manifest content (what happens in a dream) to get a sense of the latent content (the unconscious elements that motivated the dream)

exposure therapy

a set of procedures in which exposure to a feared situation is done repeatedly and gradually under controlled conditions.

free association

a therapeutic method that instructs the patient to reveal any thoughts that arise, no matter how odd or meaningless they may seem

insight therapy

a general term referring to psychotherapy that involves dialogues between client and therapist for the purposes of gaining awareness and understanding of psychological problems and conflicts.

object relation therapy

a variation of psychodynamic therapy that focuses on how early childhood experiences and emotional attachments influence later psychological functioning.

person/client-centered therapy

a humanistic therapy method that focuses on individuals’ ability to solve their own problems and reach their full potential with the encouragement of the therapist

psychoanalysis

an approach to therapy developed by Sigmund Freud and his associates in which insight was gained by examining how behavior and personality are influenced by unconscious processes.

psychodynamic therapies

forms of insight therapy that emphasize the need to discover and resolve unconscious conflicts.

resistance

a tendency of psychoanalysis patients to avoid directly answering crucial questions posed by the therapist

systematic desensitization

a technique in which gradual exposure to a feared stimulus or situation is blended with relaxation training

systems approach

an orientation toward family therapy that involves identifying and understanding what each individual family member contributes to the entire family dynamic

transference

a psychoanalytic process in which patients direct the emotional experiences that they are reliving toward the therapist

virtual reality exposure (VRE)

a therapeutic technique that uses real-time computer graphical displays that create a sense that the client is immersed in an actual environment.

antianxiety drugs

drugs prescribed to alleviate nervousness and tension, and to prevent and reduce panic attacks.

andidepressant drugs

drugs prescribed to elevate mood and reduce pther symptoms of depression

antipsychotic drugs

drugs used to treat disorders such as schizophrenia, and sometimes patients with severe mood disorders.

deep brain stimulation (DBS)

a technique that involves electrically stimulating highly specific regions of the brain

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

a psychiatric treatment in which an electrical current is passed through the brain to induce a temporary seizure.

lesion

a technique that inflicts controlled damage to brain tissue so as to study its function

mood stabilizers

drugs prescribed to prevent or reduce the manic side of bipolar disorder

psychotropic drugs

medications designed to alter psychotropic functioning

tardive dyskinesia

a neurological condition marked by involuntary movements and facial tics. It is a side effect associated with early forms of anti-psychotic medication.

transcranial magnetic stimulation

a procedure in which researchers send an electromagnetic pulse to a targeted region of the brain, which can either stimulate or temporarily disable it.