Unit 7 Vocab

DSM-IV

he fifth version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Anxiety

a vague, generalized apprehension or feeling that one is in danger

Phobia

an intense and irrational fear of a particular object or situation

Panic Disorder

an extreme anxiety that manifests itself in the form of panic attacks

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

disorder in which victims of traumatic events experience the original event in the form of dreams or flashbacks

Somatoform Disorder

physical symptoms for which there is no apparent physical cause

Conversion Disorder

changing emotional difficulties into a loss of a specific voluntary body function

Dissociative Disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences alterations in memory, identity, or consciousness

Dissociative Amnesia

the inability to recall important personal events or information; is usually associated with stressful events

Dissociative Fugue

a dissociative disorder in which a person suddenly and
unexpectedly travels away from home or work and is unable to recall the past

Dissociative Identity Disorder

a person exhibits two or more personality states, each
with its own patterns of thinking and behaving

Schizophrenia

a group of disorders characterized by confused and disconnected thoughts, emotions, and

Delusions

false beliefs that a person maintains in the face of contrary evidence

Hallucinations

perceptions that have no direct external cause

Major Depressive Disorder

severe form of lowered mood in which a person experiences feelings of worthlessness and diminished pleasure or interest in many activities

Bipolar Disorder

disorder in which an individual alternates between feelings of mania (euphoria) and depression

Personality Disorder

maladaptive or inflexible ways of dealing with others and one’s environment

Antisocial Personality Disorder

personality disorder characterized by irresponsibility, shallow emotions, and lack of conscience

Psychological Dependence

use of a drug to such an extent that a person feels nervous and anxious without it

Addiction

a pattern of drug abuse characterized by an overwhelming and compulsive desire to obtain and use the drug
drug

Tolerance

physical adaptation to a drug so that a person needs an increased amount in order to produce the original effect

Withdrawl

the symptoms that occur after a person discontinues the use of a drug to which he or she has become addicted

Psychotherapy

any treatment used by therapists to help troubled individuals overcome their problems

Eclectic Approach

method that combines various kinds of therapy or combinations of therapies

Placebo Effect

the influence that a patient’s hopes and expectations have
on his or her improvement during therapy

Empathy

capacity for warmth and understanding

Group Therapy

patients work together with the aid of a leader to resolve interpersonal problems

Psychoanalysis

therapy aimed at making patients aware of their unconscious motives so that they can gain control over
their behavior

Insight

the apparent sudden realization of the solution to a problem

Free Association

a method used to examine the unconscious; the patient is instructed to say whatever comes into his or her mind

Resistance

the reluctance of a patient either to reveal painful
feelings or to examine long-standing behavior patterns

Dream Analysis

a technique used by psychoanalysts to interpret the content of patients’ dreams

Transference

the process, experienced by the patient, of feeling toward an analyst or therapist the way he or she feels or felt toward some other important figure in his or her life

Client-Centered Therapy

reflects the belief that the client and therapist are partners in therapy