Behavior Disorders of Children and Adolescents

A comprehensive set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering key concepts, disorders, brain regions, therapies, and research terms from the provided lecture notes.

Abnormal Behavior

BoDys Den Dan Soc

Behavior of distress, dysfunction, deviance from norms, dangerousness, and social cost.

Abnormal Psychology

Scientific study aimed at predicting, explaining, diagnosing, causes, and treatment of maladaptive behavior.

Absolute Refractory Period

After firing, a neuron cannot fire again regardless of stimulation.

Acceptance Techniques

A cognitive therapy method to reduce worry and anxiety.

Acquired Capability For Suicidality

Desensitization to death or bodily harm due to repeated exposure to pain or danger.

Action Potential

Neuron depolarizes and fires when threshold is reached.

Acute Stress Disorder

PTSD-like symptoms that begin within 3 days to 1 month after trauma.

Adaptive Skills

Skills that help daily functioning and navigation of life.

Adjustment Disorder

Identifiable stressor within 3 months causing significant impairment.

Adrenal Glands

Glands atop the kidneys releasing cortisol to manage stress.

Agoraphobia

Fear of leaving home or traveling to public places.

All-or-Nothing Principle

Neuron fires if it reaches threshold; otherwise it does not.

Amygdala

Brain region evaluating sensory input and emotional salience.

Anal Stage

Libido focused on the anus during toilet training (ages 2-3).

Anorexia Nervosa

Eating disorder with restricted intake, very low weight, and fear of weight gain.

Antecedents

Environmental events or stimuli that trigger a behavior.

Asylums

Places of refuge where mentally ill individuals could receive care.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Difficulties with executive functioning like planning and focus.

Attribution Theory

Motivation to explain behavior via dispositional or situational factors.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Neurodevelopmental disorder with social communication deficits and restricted interests.

Automatic Thoughts

Negative thoughts that contribute to depression.

Autonomic Nervous System

Regulates involuntary functions; includes sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Low interest in eating leading to inadequate calories and nutrients.

Axon

Nerve fiber that transmits signals to other neurons.

Axon Terminals

End of the axon where signaling ends and chemical transmission begins.

Behavior Modification

Process of changing behavior through systematic methods.

Behavioral Assessment

Measuring a target behavior to understand and intervene.

Behaviors

What a person does, says, thinks, or feels.

Binge-Eating Disorder (BED)

Recurrent binge eating with distress, occurring regularly over time.

Biological Model

Explains behavior via genetics, brain chemistry, and nervous system function.

Bipolar Disorder I

Mood disorder with at least one manic episode.

Bipolar Disorder II

Mood disorder with hypomanic and depressive episodes; no full manic episode.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

Obsessive focus on perceived defects in appearance.

Bulimia Nervosa

Binge eating with compensatory behaviors; weight/shape concerns present.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord; primary control center of the nervous system.

Cerebellum

Brain region coordinating movement and balance; learning simple responses.

Child Psychopathology

Abnormal psychology present during childhood.

Classical Conditioning

Two events become linked due to repeated pairing, not necessarily causation.

Classification

Systematic organization or categorization of things.

Classification Systems

Standard lists of disorders and criteria used for diagnosis.

Client-Centered Therapy

Humanistic approach emphasizing warmth, understanding, and acceptance.

Clinical Assessment

Gathering data to determine the client’s problem and symptoms.

Clinical Description

Information about thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a disorder.

Clinical Diagnosis

Determining if symptoms match criteria in a classification system.

Clinical Interview

Face-to-face data collection on behavior, attitudes, and life history.

Cognitive Coping Skills Training

Teaches social skills, communication, and assertiveness.

Cognition or Intellectual Functioning

Ability to solve problems, understand, and analyze information.

Cognitive Restructuring

Replacing maladaptive thoughts with more adaptive ones.

Cognitive Triad

Negative views about self, world, and future.

Comorbidity

Two or more disorders co-occur in the same person.

Complex Trauma

Exposure to multiple traumatic events during development.

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviors or mental acts in response to obsessions.

Conditioning

Learning where two events become linked.

Conduct Disorder

Severe behavior disorder with disregard for rules and others' rights.

Confounding Variables

Uncontrolled variables that affect study results.

Consciousness

Freud described a level of awareness in personality.

Consequences

Outcomes that reinforce or discourage future behavior.

Contingencies

Dependence relationships between events.

Control Group

Experiment group that does not receive the treatment.

Cortisol

Hormone released during stress response.

Counterconditioning

Reversing previous learning through new associations.

Courtesy Stigma

Stigma affecting those connected to a person with a disorder.

Course

Pattern a disorder tends to display over time.

Critical Thinking

Analytical, evidence-based evaluation of claims.

Cross-Sectional Validity

Behavior transfers across different environments.

Culture

Shared behaviors, values, and products that define a group.

Culture-Sensitive Therapies

Therapies that incorporate cultural values and stressors.

Cyclothymic Disorder

Mood disorder with mild hypomanic and depressive symptoms.

Dangerousness

Threat to safety of self or others.

Deinstitutionalization

Release of patients from mental health facilities.

Dendrites

Branch-like structures receiving signals from other neurons.

Denial

Refusing to acknowledge painful realities.

Dependent Variable (DV)

Measured variable in an experiment.

Depolarized

Inside of neuron becomes positive as ions flow in.

Depressant Substances

Suppress CNS activity (eg, alcohol, opioids).

Descriptive Statistics

Summary statistics that describe data.

Deviance

Deviation from the norm or mean; rare behavior.

Differential Reinforcement

Using rewards to encourage desirable behaviors and reduce errors.

DSED (Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder)

Overly friendly behavior with strangers due to caregiver impairment.

Displacement

Relieving impulse by directing it to a safer object.

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)

Childhood mood disorder with persistent irritability and outbursts.

Distress

Severe emotional or physical pain affecting functioning.

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter involved in movement and reward.

Dream Analysis

Psychoanalytic exploration of dream content.

Dyscalculia

Disorder affecting mathematical abilities.

Dyslexia

Disorder affecting reading skills.

Ego

Freud’s mediator between id and superego, balancing reality.

Ego-Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies to cope with anxiety.

Enactive Learning

Learning by doing.

Encopresis

Incontinence with bowel movements in children.

Endorphins

Neurotransmitters that reduce pain and induce calm.

Enuresis

Urinary incontinence in children.

Enzymatic Degradation

Enzymes break down excess neurotransmitters in synapse.

Epidemiological Study

Correlational research measuring prevalence and incidence.

Epidemiology

Science studying frequency and causes of diseases in populations.

Eros

Life instincts expressed through libido.

Etiology

Cause or origin of a disorder.

Excoriation

Recurrent skin picking.

Existential Perspective

Focus on self-creation, free will, meaning, and anxiety as normal.

Exorcism

Ritual to remove evil spirits by various means.