Abnormal Psychology Review Flashcards

Flashcards for Abpsych Lecture Notes

Relaxation Response

A relaxation technique developed by Herbert Benson where a person silently repeats a mantra to minimize distractions.

Biofeedback

A process of making patients aware of specific physiological functions that they would ordinarily not notice consciously.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Incapacitating exhaustion following minimal exertion, often accompanied by fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain, depression, and anxiety.

Neurasthenia

Lack of nerve strength.

Endogenous Opioids

Substances occurring naturally throughout the body that function like neurotransmitters to shut down pain sensation.

Phantom Limb Pain

The experience of pain disconnected from disease or injury, where the patient is aware of the limb amputation but still feels pain.

Acute Pain

Typically follows an injury and disappears once the injury heals or is effectively treated, often within a month.

Chronic Pain

Pain that may begin with an acute episode but does not decrease over time, even when the injury has healed.

Type A Behavior Pattern

A behavior pattern characterized by being hard-driving, impatient, and angry.

Type B Behavior Pattern

A behavior pattern characterized by being relaxed and less concerned.

Coronary Heart Disease

Blockage of arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle.

Hypertension

A potentially deadly condition of high blood pressure; often called the 'silent killer'.

Essential Hypertension

The overwhelming majority of hypertension cases that have no specific verifiable cause.

Systolic Blood Pressure

The pressure when the heart is pumping blood.

Diastolic Blood Pressure

The pressure between beats when the heart is at rest.

Stroke/Cerebral Vascular Accident

Temporary blockage or rupture of blood vessels leading to the brain.

Cardiovascular Disease

Afflictions in the mechanisms responsible for transporting blood to the body's tissues and organs.

Cancer

Fatal medical conditions involving abnormal cell growth and malignancy.

Psychoncology

The study of psychological factors involved in the course and treatment of cancer.

Oncology

Study of cancer.

AIDS-Related Complex (ARC)

Group of minor health problems that appears after HIV infection but before development of full-blown AIDS.

Autoimmune Disease

Condition in which the body's immune system attacks healthy tissue rather than antigens.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

The study of psychological influences on the neurological responding implicated in our immune response.

Killer T Cells

Targets viral infections within the cells by directly destroying the antigens.

Macrophages

A type of leukocyte that surrounds identifiable antigens and destroys them.

Immunoglobulins

Highly specific molecules that act as antibodies to neutralize antigens.

B Cells

Lymphocytes that operate within the humoral part of the immune system and circulate in the blood and bodily fluids.

Memory B Cells

These cells are created so that when a specific antigen is encountered in the future, the immune response will be faster.

Suppressor T Cells

These T cells stop the production of antibodies by B cells when they are no longer needed.

T4 Cells or Helper T Cells

Activates B cells to produce antibodies and T cells to fight antigen.

Antigen

Foreign materials such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Immune System

Protects the body from any foreign materials that may enter it.

White Blood Cells (Leukocytes)

White blood cells that do most of the work to fight antigens; includes T cells and B cells.

Humoral Immune System

One part of the immune system.

Cellular Immune System

One part of the immune system.

Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Theorized that the body goes through an ALARM response, a stage of RESISTANCE, and a stage of EXHAUSTION in response to sustained stress.

Behavioral Medicine

Knowledge derived from behavioral science is applied to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.

Health Psychology

Practitioners study psychological factors that are important to the promotion and maintenance of health.

Genital Herpes

Is an incurable sexually transmitted infection

Psychosomatic Medicine

Psychological factors affected somatic (physical) function.

Sexual behavior

considered normal in our culture unless it is associated with one of three kinds of impaired functioning: gender dysphoria, sexual dysfunction, or paraphilic disorders

Sexual dysfunction

find it difficult a function adequately while having sex; for example, they may a become aroused or achieve orgasm.

Paraphilic disorders

relatively new term for sexual deviation, sexual arousal occurs primarily in the context of inappropriate objects or individuals

Gender dysphoria

there is incon-gruence and psychological distress and dissatisfaction with the gender one has been assigned at birth (boy or girl).

"Hooking up,"

which refers specifically to a range of physically intimate behaviors outside of a committed relationship

Sexual dysfunction

Sexual disorder in which the client finds it difficult to function adequately while having sex

Desire phase

Sexual urges occur in response to sexual cues or fantasies

Arousal stage

A subjective sense of sexual pleasure and physiological signs of sexual arousal

Plateau Phase

Brief period occurs before orgasm.

Orgasm Phase

in males, feelings of the inevitability of ejaculation, followed by ejaculation: in females, contractions of the walls of the lower third of the vagina

Resolution phase

Decrease in arousal occurs after orgasm (parlicularly in men)

Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder

which includes diff-as with penetration during intercourse due in many cases painful contractions or spasms of the vagina—appears only in females

Lifelong

Present during entire sexual history

Acquired

interupts normal sexual pattern

Male hypoactive sexual desire disorder

Apparent lack of interest in sexual activity or fantasy

Erectile disorder

Recurring inability to achieve or maintain adequate erection

Female sexual interest/arousal disorder

Recurring inability to achieve or maintain adequate lubrication

Female orgasmic disorder

Inability to achieve orgasm despite adequate desire and arousal

Premature ejaculation

Ejaculation before it is desired, with minimal stimulation

Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder

Marked pain, anxiety, and tension associated with intercourse for which there is no medical cause

Vaginismus

Le., involuntary muscle spasms in the front of the vagina that prevent or interfere with intercourse, occurs in females

Paraphilic disorders

Sexual arousal occurs almost exclusively in the context of inappropriate objects or individuals

Fetishistic disorder

Sexual attraction to nonliving objects

Voyeuristic disorder

Sexual arousal achieved by viewing unsuspecting person undressing or naked

Exhibitionistic disorder

Sexual gratification from exposing one's genitals to unsuspecting strangers

Transvestic disorder

Sexual arousal from wearing opposite-sex clothing (cross-dressing)

Sexual sadism disorder

Sexual arousal associated with inflicting pain or humiliation

Sexual masochism disorder

Sexual arousal associated with experiencing pain or humiliation

Pedophilic disorder or pedophilia

Strong sexual attraction to children

Incest

Sexual attraction to family member

Frotteuristic disorder

Paraphilic disorder in which the person gains sexual gratification by rubbing against unwilling victims in crowds from which they cannot escape

Orgasmic reconditioning

patients are instructed to masturbate to their usual fantasies but to substitute more desirable ones just before ejaculation

Gender nonconformity

A phenomenon in which pre-pubescent children do not identify with their biological sex, but instead identify strongly with the gender of the opposite sex and display varying degrees of behavior more characteristic of the opposite sex

Sex reassignment

surgery removal of breasts or penis: gental reconsituction