Neuropsychiatric Illness and Major Psychiatric Disorders

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to neuropsychiatric illnesses and major psychiatric disorders, including definitions and characteristics of various conditions.

Schizophrenia

A serious mental disorder characterized by disordered thoughts, delusions, hallucinations, and other bizarre behaviors.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Also called unipolar depression, it is characterized by a pervasive low mood affecting all aspects of life.

Bipolar Disorder

A mental health condition marked by alternating periods of despondency and elation, affecting men and women equally.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

A type of anxiety disorder characterized by excessive, ongoing worry and tension.

Diagnostic Criteria for Schizophrenia

Includes six criteria such as disordered thoughts, blunted affect, and duration of symptoms for at least six months.

Dopamine Hypothesis

A theory suggesting that the overactive dopamine system is a contributing factor in the pathology of schizophrenia.

Affective Disorder

A category of mental health disorders characterized by disturbances in mood.

Neuroleptics

Antipsychotic medications that work primarily by blocking dopamine receptors.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

A disorder characterized by obsessions (recurrent thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors).

Diathesis-Stress Model

A model suggesting that mental disorders develop due to a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental stressors.

Flat Affect

A condition where an individual shows an absence of emotional expression.

Anhedonia

The inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable.

Tardive Dyskinesia

A movement disorder associated with long-term use of neuroleptics, resulting from too many dopamine receptors.

Clozapine

An atypical antipsychotic medication that does not strongly block D2 receptors but works at D4 and D3 receptors.

Panic Disorder

Characterized by recurrent panic attacks, which include extreme anxiety and fear, often with physical symptoms like heart palpitations.