Abnormal Psychology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes provided.

Four D's of abnormal psychology

Deviance, Distress, Dysfunction, Danger

Trephination

An early method to release evil spirits believed to cause mental illness.

Hippocrates' cause of mental illness

Imbalance of the four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile)

Jerome Frank’s three essential features of therapy

A sufferer, a trained healer, and a series of contacts between them

Informed consent in research

Participants must be fully informed of study details and their rights before agreeing to participate

Psychodynamic model

Emphasizes unconscious conflicts and childhood experiences

Cognitive-behavioral model

Emphasizes learning, thinking, and beliefs

Sociocultural model

Focuses on roles, societal norms, and family structure

Humanistic-existential model

Centers on self-actualization and authenticity

Two types of information required by DSM-5 for diagnosis

Categorical and dimensional information

Self-monitoring

A client records their own behaviors or symptoms to track patterns

Observer reactivity

When a subject alters behavior because they know they’re being observed

First step in systematic desensitization

Relaxation training

What distinguishes panic disorder from GAD?

Panic disorder involves sudden panic attacks; GAD involves chronic worry

Safety behavior in anxiety

A behavior that prevents feared outcomes, like avoiding eye contact

Best treatment combo for OCD?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy and antidepressants

Anhedonia

Loss of pleasure in usual activities

Cyclothymic disorder

A milder form of bipolar with periods of hypomania and mild depression

Difference between bipolar I and II?

Bipolar I includes full manic episodes; Bipolar II has hypomania

Theory explains helplessness in depression

Seligman's learned helplessness theory

Death ignorer

Someone who believes death won't end their existence

What increases suicide risk during recovery from depression?

The person gains energy to act on suicidal thoughts

Distinguishes bulimia from binge eating disorder

Bulimia includes compensatory behaviors like purging

Which disorder?

Severe weight loss and fear of gaining weight

Electrolyte problem is common in bulimia?

Low potassium levels (hypokalemia)

Purpose of an antagonist drug?

To block or change the effect of an addictive substance

Cirrhosis

Scarring of the liver due to alcohol use

The brain system linked to pleasure and reinforcement and involved in addiction?

Reward circuit

Difference between hallucinations and delusions?

Hallucinations involve perception; delusions involve belief

Clang association

Speech based on sound rather than meaning (e.g., rhyming words)

Type I vs. Type II schizophrenia?

Type I = positive symptoms; Type II = negative symptoms

Diathesis-stress model?

Schizophrenia arises from a biological predisposition triggered by environmental stress

Tardive dyskinesia

Involuntary facial movements caused by long-term antipsychotic use

Social breakdown syndrome

Institutionalized patients experience withdrawal, anger, and loss of function due to poor care

Goal of milieu therapy

To create a supportive environment promoting self-respect and responsibility

Token economy

A system where patients earn tokens for desired behaviors, which can be exchanged for rewards

Most common hallucination in schizophrenia?

Auditory (hearing voices)

Prodromal phase of schizophrenia

The early phase with mild symptoms like social withdrawal or odd beliefs

Improves schizophrenia prognosis

Good premorbid functioning and primarily positive symptoms

Characterizes narcissistic personality disorder

Grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy

The Dark Triad

Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy

Most effective therapy for borderline personality disorder

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

Associated with antisocial personality disorder

Disregard for others, impulsivity, and criminal behavior

Characterizes histrionic personality disorder

Excessive attention-seeking and emotionality

How does avoidant personality disorder differ from schizoid PD?

Avoidant PD involves desire for social connection but fear of rejection

Conduct disorder

A childhood disorder with aggressive, destructive, and rule-violating behavior

Oppositional defiant disorder

A pattern of angry, defiant, and argumentative behavior toward authority

Theory of mind

Understanding others’ mental states; lacking in autism spectrum disorder

Enuresis

Repeated bedwetting after the age when bladder control is expected

ADHD

A disorder with inattention and hyperactivity; symptoms must occur in at least two settings

Anorexia nervosa's defining symptom

Extreme fear of gaining weight and refusal to maintain a healthy weight

Eating disorder often leads to normal or above-normal weight?

Bulimia nervosa

Binge-eating disorder

Repeated episodes of bingeing without purging, often leading to obesity

Amenorrhea

Loss of menstrual periods; common in anorexia nervosa

Relationship between alcohol and suicide

Alcohol lowers inhibitions and increases suicide risk by impairing judgment

Learned helplessness theory

The belief that one has no control over outcomes, leading to depression

Factitious disorder

Faking illness for attention without external rewards (e.g., Munchausen syndrome)

Conversion disorder

Neurological symptoms (e.g., paralysis) without medical explanation, often from stress

Somatic symptom disorders

Disorders where psychological distress presents as physical symptoms

Illness anxiety disorder

Excessive worry about having a serious illness despite medical reassurance

Glove anesthesia

Numbness in the hand inconsistent with nerve patterns—often seen in conversion disorder

Biofeedback

Controlling involuntary functions like heart rate or muscle tension

Viral theory of schizophrenia

Suggests prenatal exposure to viruses (especially in winter births) increases risk

Delusion of reference

Belief that irrelevant events (e.g., a TV anchor’s words) refer specifically to you

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Excesses like hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech/behavior

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Deficits like flat affect, poverty of speech, and lack of motivation

Schizotypal personality disorder

Eccentric thoughts/behavior, social anxiety, and odd beliefs (not full psychosis)

Borderline personality disorder

Emotional instability, impulsivity, intense relationships, fear of abandonment

DBT

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Cluster does avoidant personality disorder belong to

Cluster C (anxious/fearful)

Disorder includes a belief that one is superior and entitled

Narcissistic personality disorder

Conduct disorder's relation to antisocial PD?

Conduct disorder in youth often precedes antisocial personality disorder in adulthood

Most effective treatment for autism spectrum disorder

Behavioral interventions like ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)

Theory of mind help children do

Understand that others have thoughts, feelings, and perspectives different from their own

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder

A childhood condition involving chronic irritability and frequent temper outbursts

Relational aggression

Harming others through manipulation, rumor-spreading, or damaging social relationships

Frotteuristic disorder

Repeated urges or behavior involving touching or rubbing against a non-consenting person

Sexual sadism disorder

Sexual arousal from inflicting pain or humiliation on others

Voyeuristic disorder

Sexual arousal from watching unsuspecting people who are naked or engaging in sexual activity

Gender dysphoria

Distress due to a mismatch between one’s gender identity and assigned sex

Primary hormone linked to decreased sexual desire when imbalanced

Prolactin

Classical conditioning used for in treating substance use

Creating associations between substance cues and discomfort (e.g., aversion therapy)

Contingency management

Rewarding individuals for staying drug-free with incentives like vouchers

Korsakoff’s syndrome

Memory disorder caused by chronic alcoholism and vitamin B1 deficiency

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

A condition in infants caused by alcohol exposure in utero, leading to physical and cognitive abnormalities

Synesthesia

A blending of the senses (e.g., tasting colors or hearing images), sometimes seen with LSD use

Makes antipsychotic drugs potentially dangerous long term

Risk of extrapyramidal symptoms, including tardive dyskinesia

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome

A rare, life-threatening reaction to antipsychotic medication causing fever, rigidity, and confusion

Token economy based on

Operant conditioning (reinforcing positive behavior)

Primary goal of CBT for schizophrenia

Help individuals reframe delusional beliefs and reduce distress from symptoms

Schizoid personality disorder

Detachment and limited emotional expression

Paranoid personality disorder

Deep distrust and suspicion of others

Narcissistic personality disorder different from healthy self-esteem?

It lacks regard for others and often masks insecurity

Why is antisocial PD hard to treat?

Lack of remorse and motivation to change

Link between selfies and narcissism

Research shows a weak but present correlation between frequent selfies and narcissistic traits

Covert-destructive pattern in conduct disorder

Secretive destructive behaviors, like vandalism or property damage

Key concern with diagnosing bipolar disorder in children

Overdiagnosis of rage as mania led to creation of DMDD (Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder)

Most common reason for school-aged sleep deprivation

Teens not getting enough sleep compared to their biological needs

Difference between hallucinations and illusions

Hallucinations are false perceptions without stimuli; illusions distort actual stimuli

One of the worst things to mix with alcohol after heavy drinking?

Barbiturates, due to dangerously increased sedation and risk of overdose