PSYC - Psychological Disorders

psychological disorder

a syndrome marked by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior

medical model

the concept that psychological disorders have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and often cured through treatment

epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

DSM-5

American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, used for classifying psychological disorders

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

anxiety disorders

psychological disorders characterized by distressing persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread, accompanied by chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations

phobia

anxiety disorder marked by persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation

obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both

post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia

major depressive disorder

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; one must be depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure

mania

a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgement is common

bipolar disorder

a disorder in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania

rumination

compulsive fretting; overthinking about our problems and their causes

schizophrenia

psychological disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression

delusion

false belief (often of persecution or grandeur) that may accompany psychotic disorders

chronic schizophrenia

form of schizophrenia in which symptoms usually appear by late adolescence or early adulthood

acute schizophrenia

a form of schizophrenia that can begin at any age, frequently in response to a traumatic event

dissociative disorder

a controversial disorder in which consciousness awareness becomes separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings

dissociative identity disorder

a dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities

personality disorders

inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning

antisocial personality disorder

a personality disorder in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even against family and friends

anorexia nervosa

an eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight; sometimes exercises excessively

bulimia nervosa

an eating disorder, in which a person alternates binge eating with purging (by vomiting or taking laxatives)

binge-eating disorder

significant binge eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without the purging or fasting

persistent depressive disorder

long-term, mildly depressed mood