Lecture Notes on Psychological Disorders and Treatment

Flashcards for vocabulary review of psychological disorders and treatment methods.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Conditions that affect the brain's development, leading to problems in areas like learning, communication, and behavior (e.g., autism, ADHD).

Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders

A group of disorders marked by disturbances in thought, perception, and behavior, including schizophrenia.

Disorganized Thinking, Speech

A symptom of schizophrenia, where a person’s speech is fragmented or disconnected, making it difficult to understand.

Catatonia (Catatonic Stupor)

A state of immobility or lack of responsiveness, often seen in severe mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia.

Positive Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia or other mental disorders that add new behaviors, such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech.

Depressive Disorders

Mood disorders characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and changes in sleep and appetite. Causes include genetic, environmental, and biochemical factors.

Bipolar Disorder

A mood disorder involving extreme mood swings, from manic (high-energy, impulsive) episodes to depressive (low-energy, sad) episodes. Causes may include genetics and brain chemistry.

Anxiety Disorders

Mental disorders marked by excessive fear or anxiety. Causes can include genetics, brain chemistry, or stressful life events.

Panic Disorder

An anxiety disorder characterized by sudden, unexpected panic attacks, causing physical symptoms like heart racing and shortness of breath.

Taijin Kyofusho

A Japanese anxiety disorder, where individuals fear that their actions or appearance will offend others.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

A disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, often affecting children and sometimes continuing into adulthood.

Delusions

False beliefs: persecution delusions involve believing one is being targeted or harmed, while grandeur delusions involve believing one has special powers or importance.

Word Salad

A jumbled, incoherent mixture of words or phrases, often seen in severe cases of schizophrenia.

Stupor (Catatonic Stupor)

A lack of movement or responsiveness, often part of catatonia, where the individual may not react to external stimuli.

Flat Affect

A symptom of schizophrenia where a person shows little to no emotion or facial expression.

Major Depressive Disorder

A mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in activities.

Mania

An intense emotional state of euphoria, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior, often seen in bipolar disorder.

Specific Phobia

An intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights or spiders.

Ataque de Nervios

A culturally specific syndrome, often seen in Latin American cultures, involving symptoms of intense emotional distress, crying, and aggression.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

A disorder characterized by persistent, excessive worry about a variety of issues, often accompanied by physical symptoms.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A neurodevelopmental disorder affecting communication, social interaction, and behavior, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe.

Hallucinations

False sensory perceptions, such as hearing voices or seeing things that aren’t present, often associated with schizophrenia.

Disorganized Motor Behavior

Unusual or unpredictable behavior or movements, often seen in individuals with schizophrenia, such as agitation or inappropriate postures.

Negative Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia that involve a decrease in normal functioning, like reduced emotional expression or inability to perform daily tasks.

Schizophrenia Causes

May be caused by a combination of genetic factors, brain chemistry, and environmental stressors.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

A form of chronic depression where the symptoms last for at least two years, with milder but long-term effects.

Bipolar I

Involves manic episodes and depressive episodes.

Bipolar II

Involves hypomanic episodes (less intense than mania) and depressive episodes.

Agoraphobia

A fear of being in places where escape might be difficult or help unavailable, often leading to avoidance of public spaces.

Social Anxiety Disorder

An intense fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations, leading to avoidance of social interactions.

Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

Characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Causes can include genetic factors, brain chemistry, and learned behaviors.

Dissociative Amnesia

Memory loss related to a traumatic event, with fugue involving the person traveling or assuming a new identity.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A disorder that develops after experiencing a traumatic event, causing flashbacks, anxiety, and emotional numbness.

Bulimia Nervosa

An eating disorder involving episodes of binge eating followed by behaviors like purging to avoid weight gain.

Paranoid Personality Disorder

A personality disorder marked by a pervasive distrust and suspicion of others, often interpreting others’ motives as malicious.

Cluster B Personality Disorders

Includes personality disorders like borderline, antisocial, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders, characterized by emotional instability and dramatic behavior.

Borderline Personality Disorder

A personality disorder marked by unstable relationships, self-image, and emotions, often with intense fear of abandonment.

Dependent Personality Disorder

A personality disorder characterized by excessive dependence on others, difficulty making decisions, and fear of being alone.

Hoarding Disorder

A disorder involving the excessive accumulation of items, often causing distress or impairment in daily functioning.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

A disorder in which a person has two or more distinct identities or personality states, often caused by severe trauma.

Feeding and Eating Disorders

Include disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, often involving unhealthy preoccupation with food, body image, and weight.

Personality Disorders

Enduring patterns of behavior that deviate from cultural expectations and cause significant distress or impairment in functioning.

Schizoid Personality Disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships and a preference for solitude.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

A personality disorder marked by a disregard for the rights of others, often involving deceit, impulsivity, and aggression.

Cluster C Personality Disorders

Includes personality disorders like avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders, characterized by anxiety, fear, or perfectionism.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

A personality disorder marked by a preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control.

Dissociative Disorders

Involves disruptions in memory, identity, or perception, often linked to trauma or stress.

Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

Disorders like PTSD, caused by exposure to traumatic events or high levels of stress.

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by extreme weight loss, an intense fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image.

Cluster A Personality Disorders

Includes personality disorders like schizoid, schizotypal, and paranoid personality disorders, often marked by unusual or odd behaviors.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

A personality disorder characterized by odd beliefs, eccentric behavior, and social anxiety, but not as severe as schizophrenia.

Histrionic Personality Disorder

A personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behaviors.

Avoidant Personality Disorder

A personality disorder marked by social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to criticism.

Deinstitutionalization

The process of releasing people with severe mental illness from long-term psychiatric hospitals into community-based care.

Group/Individual Therapy

Therapy conducted with a therapist and one person (individual) or multiple people (group).

Humanistic Therapy

Focuses on personal growth and self-fulfillment rather than treating illness.

Person-Centered Therapy

A type of humanistic therapy by Carl Rogers that emphasizes creating a safe, nonjudgmental space.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Accepting and supporting a person no matter what they say or do (key in person-centered therapy).

Free Association

Saying whatever comes to mind to uncover unconscious thoughts.

Dream Analysis

Interpreting dreams to understand unconscious desires or issues.

Psychodynamic Therapy Techniques

Focus on uncovering unconscious conflicts, often through talking and examining past experiences.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Using learning principles (like reinforcement) to improve specific behaviors (common in autism treatment).

Aversion Therapy

Pairs unwanted behavior with an unpleasant stimulus (e.g., nausea-inducing drug with alcohol).

Fear Hierarchies

A list of fear-inducing situations ranked from least to most scary, used in exposure therapy.

Exposure Therapy

Gradually facing feared objects or situations to reduce anxiety.

Systematic Desensitization

Combines relaxation techniques with gradual exposure to fears.

Token Economy

System where people earn tokens for good behavior, which can be exchanged for rewards.

Cognitive Restructuring

Changing negative or irrational thinking patterns.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Combines changing thoughts (cognitive) and behaviors (behavioral) to treat issues like anxiety or depression.

Cognitive Therapy Techniques

Focus on changing distorted or harmful thought patterns.

Cognitive Triad

In depression, a person has negative views of self, world, and future.

Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

Challenges irrational beliefs to reduce emotional distress.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

A CBT-based therapy that teaches emotional regulation and mindfulness, especially for borderline personality disorder.

Active Listening

Therapist fully focuses, understands, and responds thoughtfully to the speaker.

Biological Interventions/Therapy

Treat mental disorders using medical methods like medication or brain stimulation.

Antidepressants

Often increase serotonin and/or norepinephrine.

Antipsychotic Medications

Block dopamine receptors to reduce psychotic symptoms.

Antianxiety Medications

Often enhance GABA activity to calm the nervous system.

Lithium

A mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar disorder.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A treatment where electric currents are passed through the brain to treat severe depression.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain, often for depression.

Psychoactive Medications

Drugs that affect brain chemistry to influence mood or behavior.

Tardive Dyskinesia

A serious side effect of long-term use of antipsychotics causing involuntary facial and body movements.

Psychosurgery

Rare surgical procedures done on the brain to treat mental illness.

Lobotomy

An outdated and controversial psychosurgery that involved cutting connections in the brain’s frontal lobe.

Biofeedback

Learning to control body functions (like heart rate) using real-time feedback.

Effective Uses of Hypnosis

Can help with pain, anxiety, or habit control by making the mind more open to suggestion.