AP Psychology: Mental Health, Abnormal Behavior and Treatment

Health psychology

biopsychosocial model influence on physical health, illness and wellness

stress appraisal

process of figuring out if an event is threatening, challenging, or harmful

determining how to cope w/ it

Diathesis-Stress model

combo of genetics and environment resulting in psychological disorders

Medical model

psych disorders have pysio. causes that can be treated w/ medicine

Four D’s

1. Deviant (non-normal)

2. Distressful (overwhelmed)

3. dysfunctional (impedes on daily function, maladaptive)

4. dangerous

Stress and immune suppression

Stress hinders immune system —> increased chance of illness

Hypertension

how emotional, behavior, and social contribute to elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular

Stressor types

Eustress: good, motivating stress

Distress: negative, causes anxiety, decreased performance

General adaptation syndrome

3-stage model

1. Alarm (fight or flight)

2. Resistance (adapt to continuous stress, try for homeostasis)

3. Exhaustion (burnout)

physiological response to chronic stress

Catharsis

Emotional release or venting of pent-up emotions

releasing reduces future aggression

fight-flight-or-freeze response

automatic, involuntary physical response to threats or acute stress

Tend and befriend theory

Tend: take care of self and others

Befriend: seek social support

Problem-focused coping

stress-management strategy

changing the stressor or how we interact w/ stressor

Emotion-focusing coping

control how you feel abt problem

deep breathing, meditation, medication

mental disorder

syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emtion regulation, or behavior

4 D’s

Eclectic Therapy

uses different types of therapy to treat mental disorders

Psychodynamic Therapy

focus on childhood and enhancing self-insight

Humanistic Therapy

emphasis on self-fufillment

Behavior Therapy

using learning principles to reduce unwanted behavior

Cognitive Therapy

teaches ppl new, more adaptive ways of thinking

believes thoughts can intervene between events and reaction

Rational-emotive behavior theory

problems arise from irrational thinking

Specific phobia

intense, irrational fear of specific noun that poses little danger

Agoraphobia

Anxiety disorder

intense fear of being in open or unfamiliar places —→ avoidance of public situations where escape difficult

Panic disorder

recurring, unexpected panic attacks

ataque de nervious

culture bound syndrome of distress, Latinos

acute emotional outbursts, trembling, shouting, crying, aggression

Social anxiety disorder

intense, persistent fear of being judged, embarrassed, or humiliated in social situations

Generalized anxiety disorder

persistent, excessive, and uncontrollable anxiety abt everyday life

6+ months

Obsessive-Compulsive disorder

unwanted, persistent, and intrusive thoughts/obsessions

creates anxiety

repetitive behaviors and compulsions to reduce distress

Obsession vs. compulsion

obsessions: intrusive urges, thoughts, or images that cause anxiety

Compulsions: repetitive behaviors that are done to reduce stress

Hoarding disorder

difficulty in discarding possessions, regardless of value

posttraumatic stress disorder

anxiety disorder

characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, anxiety, numbness of feeling, insomnia

from intense trauma

Major depressive disorder

2+ weeks, 5 symptoms present

slips in and out of depression

Disruptive Mood dysregulation

6+ months, onset before 10

extreme irritability, 3-4x tantrums

Persistent Depressive Disorder

lack of norepinephrine

Long-term, 2+ years

High-functioning

Bipolar Disorder I

Onset: late adulthood

extreme highs followed by extreme lows

min. 1 week, small reprieve between mania and depression

Bipolar Disorder II

mild hyper, full depression

min. 4 days

Cyclothymic disorder

only mild hyper and mild depression

schizophrenic spectrum disorder

characterized by delusions/hallucinations

loss of contact w/ reality

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Delusions

Hallucinations

Disorganized thinking or speech

Catatonic excitement

Delusions

firmly held, false beliefs that are resistant to reasoning or contradictory evidence

Grandiose: exaggerated superiority of self

Paranoid: belief one is conspired against, spied on; feels like others are “out to get them”

Hallucinations

false or distorted sensory perceptions that occur in the absence of an external stimulus

Disorganized speech

word salad, incomprehensible sentences

Catatonic excitement

periods of extreme restlessness and excessive and purposeless motor activity

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Catatonic stupor

Flat affect

Catatonic stupor

state of significantly decreased reactivity to envir. and events

reduced spontaneous movement

Flat Affect

Total or near absence of appropriate emotional response to situations and events

Possible causes of schizophrenia

illness during pregnancy

Dopamine hypothesis

Dopamine hypothesis

Schizophrenia caused by excess dopamine in brain

overproduction of dopamine or deficiency of enzyme needed to convert dopamine to norepinephrine

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

multiple personalities that come from intense trauma

Kim Noble

Dissociative amnesia

failure to recall important info abt personal experiences that were traumatic or stressful

goes beyond extent of normal forgetting

Anorexia nervosa

starving oneself to achieve a certain body weight or shape

primarily adolescent girls

accompanied by disturbed perception of body perception

Bulimia nervosa

Binge eating followed by purging sessions (barfing, laxatives)

Odd or eccentric cluster

schizos and paranoid

seems to be abt disorders that affect the mind greatly, change in personality/perception of reality

Dramatic, emotional, or erratic cluster

social disorders (antisocial, histrionic)

personality (narcissistic, borderline)

Anxious or fearful cluster

situational avoidance. high anxiety and fear, strong need for control and reassurance

Avoidant, dependent, OCD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

needs 6+ symptoms

onset: before 7

inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity

Autism spectrum disorder

Onset: preschool years

lack of social communication and interaction skills

repetitive patterns of interest, behaviors, and/or activities