Abnormal Psychology: Definitions, Theories, and Treatments

Distress

Emotional or physical pain caused by abnormal behavior

Dysfunction

Interference with a person's ability to function in daily life

Deviance

Behavior that falls outside of cultural norms

Dangerousness

Behavior that can harm or scare oneself or others

Personal Distress

Behavior that causes significant emotional pain and suffering

Disability

Impairment in an important area of life, such as work or relationships

Violation of social norms

Behaviors that go against widely held standards and beliefs

Social norms

Widely held standards and beliefs used to judge behaviors

Theories

Set of ideas that provide a framework for understanding mental disorders

Treatments

Interventions that target the causal factors of psychological disorders

Biological approaches

Understanding mental disorders through brain structures and chemistry

Brain structures

Changes in brain structure can impact behavior, memory, and emotion

Phineas Gage

Brain injury that helped identify the impact of brain damage on behavior

Henry Molaison (H.M.)

Surgery that resulted in loss of recent memories and inability to form new ones

Brain chemistry

Abnormal activity in neurotransmitters can contribute to mental disorders

Biochemical Imbalances

Psychological symptoms can arise from too many or too few receptors or malfunctioning neurotransmitter systems

Behavior genetics

The pathway from genes to behavior and the influence of environment

Gene and Expression

Study of changes in gene expression without change in gene sequence

Epigenetics

Life experiences alter DNA structure and function

Environmental influence on genes

Maternal grooming can impact gene expression and stress response

Diathesis-stress model

Interaction between underlying predisposition and environmental stressors

Categorical vs dimensional systems of diagnosis

Categorical: Yes or no diagnosis, Dimensional: Continuum of measurement

Prototypical approach

Identifying essential features of a disorder while allowing for nonessential variations

Panic attacks

Defined by a set of somatic and cognitive symptoms

DSM-5

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edition

ICD

International classification of diseases, global standard for diagnostic classification

Sign

Objective evidence of a disorder perceptible to the practitioner

Symptom

Subjective evidence of a disorder perceived by the patient

Diagnosis

Label that identifies a set of symptoms that tend to occur together

Differential diagnosis

Distinguishing between conditions with similar symptoms

Case Study

Detailed biographical information used to generate hypotheses

Correlation

Study of the relationship between two or more variables

Experiment

Manipulation of variables to determine causal relationships

Circadian rhythm

Internal clock synchronized to external cues, such as the light-dark cycle

Anxiety disorder

Severe and chronic fear that interferes with daily functioning

Panic disorder

Recurrent panic attacks and fear of future attacks

Social anxiety disorder

Fear of social or performance situations with scrutiny from others

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Obsessions and compulsions that cause distress and interfere with daily life