Clinical Psychology Flashcards pt.1

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Definition: “psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity.

Example: I get easily distracted, have trouble focusing and rabmle frequently with jumbled thoughts.'“

Social Anxiety

Definition: “Intense fear and avoidance of social situations (formerly called social phobia).

Example: Jack avoids social gatherings, like parties because he gets overwhelming fear of being judged or embarrassed.”

Generalized Anxiety

Definition: “An anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of automatic nervous system arousal.

Example: I constantly worry about everyday situations like health, work performance, and my families finances, even when there is no apparent reason for concern.”

Panic Disorder

Definition: “An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person may experience terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, and other frightening sensations; often followed by worry over a possible next attack.

Example: After experiencing a panic attack with symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath while driving, an Vicky becomes fearful of driving again.”

Phobias

Definition: “An anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation.

Example: Anna has an irrational fear of spiders and goes out of her way to avoid places where she thinks she might encounter them.”

Agoraphobia

Definition: “Fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one has felt loss of control and panic.

Example: Sara becomes increasingly anxious about leaving her house after experiencing a panic attack in a crowded store, so she avoids going outside entirely.”

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Definition: “A disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both.

Example: Noah feels an overwhelming urge to wash his hands excessively, fearing germs, even when he knows his hands are clean.”

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Definition: “A disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience.

Example: A veteran struggles with flashbacks and nightmares related to combat experiences after hearing the 4th of July fireworks”.

Major Depressive Disorder

Definition: “A disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or another medical condition, two or more weeks with five or more symptoms, at least one of which must be either one depressed mood or two loss of interest or pleasure.

Example: A teenager experiences persistent sadness, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, and struggles to maintain grades in school.”

Bipolar Disorder

Definition: "A disorder in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania (formerly called manic depressive disorder).

Example: Kyle experiences extreme mood swings, alternating between depressive periods of fatigue and hopelessness and manic episodes of high energy”.

Schizophrenia

Definition: “A disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression.

Example: Sean begins to hear voices and believe that he is being stalked by the government, leading to social withdrawal.”

Conversion Disorder

Definition: “A disorder related to somatic symptom disorder in which a person experiences very specific, physical symptoms that are not compatible with recognized medical or neurological conditions (also called functional neurological symptom disorder).

Example: Sam experiences sudden paralysis of his legs after a traumatic event, but medical examinations find no neurological cause.”

Illness Anxiety Disorder (formerly hypochondriasis)

Definition: “A disorder related to somatic symptom disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease.

Example: Grace obsessively monitors her physical health and fears they have a serious illness despite consistent medical reassurance that she is healthy.”

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Definition: “A rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities (formerly called multiple personality disorder).

Example: Liz displays distinct identities, each with its own history and characteristics, which emerge during stressful situations, leading to memory gaps where she cannot recall the actions of her other identities.”

Dissociative Fugue

Definition: “A dissociative disorder characterized by the sudden and unintentional travel away from home or customary work locations, alongside an inability to recall one’s past or usually associated with a stressful or traumatic event.

Example: Aiden wakes up in a different city with no recollection of how he got there or of his identity, leading to confusion and the need to be assisted in reconnecting with his past.”

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Definition: “A personality disorder in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even towards friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist.

Example: Fred engages in deceitful behavior, like lying and manipulating others for personal gain, with little regard for the feelings of those they harm”.

Anorexia Nervosa

Definition: “An eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight; sometimes accompanied by excessive exercise.

Example: Lilys has extreme dieting behaviors and intense fear of gaining weight, despite being dangerously underweight, leading to serious health consequences.”

Bulimia Nervosa

Definition: “An eating disorder in which a person's binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) is followed by inappropriate weight loss-promoting behavior, such as vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise.

Example: Danny engages in cycles of binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting to avoid weight gain, leading to physical and emotional distress.”

Binge-Eating Disorder

Definition: “Significant binge eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without compensatory behavior that marks bulimia nervosa.

Example: Cara feels a loss of control during binge eating episodes, consuming large quantities of food in a short amount of time, followed by feelings of guilt and shame without engaging in any sort of purge.”

Mania

Definition: “A hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgment is common.

Example: Fay is in a manic phase where she spends excessive amounts of money on unnecessary items, believing she are invincible, which can lead to significant life disruptions.”

Rumination

Definition: “Compulsive fretting; overthinking problems and their causes.

Example: Alex repeatedly thinks about a negative interaction from a week ago, analyzing every detail and struggling to move on, which exacerbates feelings of sadness.”

Hallucination

Definition: “Full sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus.

Example: Stu sees bugs crawling on the wall that aren't there due to a severe mental health condition or substance abuse, leading to significant distress.”

Delusion

Definition: “A false belief, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders.

Example: Dylan believes he has been selected to compete in the hunger games, despite having no evidence to support this belief.”

DSM V

Definition: “The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.

Example: Mental health practitioners use the DSM V to classify and diagnose clients based on their symptoms, such as meeting the criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, helping guide treatment plans.”

David Rosenhan

Definition: “A psychologist known for conducting the influential study titled "On Being Sane in Insane Places," which highlighted the challenges of psychiatric diagnoses.

Example: Rosenhan conducted a study revealing that mental health professionals often failed to distinguish between genuine psychological disorders and normal behavior, raising significant questions about the diagnostic process and treatment in psychiatric settings.”