Psychological Disorders Flashcards

Flashcards of key vocabulary terms and definitions from the Psychological Disorders lecture.

Abnormal Behavior

Actions, thoughts, and feelings that are distressing or harmful, keeping someone from forming meaningful relationships.

Insanity

A legal term concerning a defendant's ability to understand their actions, competence to stand trial, and potential for involuntary commitment.

Psychopathology

Sickness or disorder of the mind.

Diathesis-stress model

A model proposing that a disorder may develop when an underlying vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event.

Assessment

Evaluation of a person’s mental functions and actions to categorize thoughts, emotions, and behaviors for diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnosis

Identification of a disease or condition

Comorbidity

The co-occurrence of two or more disorders in a single individual.

Phobia

Intense, unrealistic fear focused on an object or situation that the individual avoids.

Social Phobia

Extreme fear or anxiety and avoidance of social situations where negative evaluation is possible.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Vague, uneasy sense of tension and apprehension, characterized by free-floating anxiety.

Panic Anxiety Disorder

Sharp, intensely uncomfortable attacks of anxiety with recurrent abrupt experiences of unexpected intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A disorder that may occur after exposure to death, threats of death, or sexual violation.

Obsessions

Anxiety-provoking thoughts that will not go away.

Compulsions

Irresistible urges to engage in specific behaviors or actions.

Hoarding Disorder

Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with personal possessions, even those of apparently useless or limited value.

Major Depression

A mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and other physical and cognitive symptoms.

Bipolar Disorder

Periods of mania usually alternate irregularly with periods of severe depression.

Bipolar I Disorder

Mood disorder characterized by extremely elevated moods during manic episodes.

Bipolar II Disorder

Mood disorder characterized by alternating periods of extremely depressed and mildly elevated moods.

Schizophrenia

A psychological disorder characterized by extreme alterations in thought, in perceptions, and /or in consciousness, resulting in a break from reality, so the person experiences psychosis.

Positive Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia that are marked by excesses in functioning, such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech or behavior.

Negative Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia that are marked by deficits in functioning, such as apathy, lack of emotion, and slowed speech and movement.

Delusions

False beliefs based on incorrect inferences about reality.

Hallucinations

False sensory perceptions that are experienced without an external source.

Disorganized Speech

Speaking in an incoherent way that involves frequently changing topics and saying strange or inappropriate things.

Disorganized Behavior

Acting in strange or unusual ways, including strange movement of limbs and inappropriate self-care.

Personality Disorders

Personalities that have developed improperly and are disturbing to the person or to others making them very difficult to treat.

Paranoid Personality Disorder

Pervasive pattern of mistrust and suspiciousness regarding others' motives.

Schizoid Personality Disorder

Socially isolated, emotionally cold, indifferent to others.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Peculiar thoughts and behaviors; poor interpersonal relationships.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Failure to conform to social or legal codes; lack of anxiety and guilt; irresponsible behaviors.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Intense fluctuations in mood, self-image, and interpersonal relationships.

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Self-dramatization, exaggerated emotional expression, and seductive, provocative or attention-seeking behaviors.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Exaggerated sense of self-importance; exploitative behavior; lack of empathy.

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Pervasive social inhibition; fear of rejection and humiliation.

Dependent Personality Disorder

Excessive dependence on others; inability to assume responsibilities; submissive.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Perfectionism; controlling interpersonal behavior; devotion to details; rigidity.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Disorders considered within the context of normal childhood development and includes a wide range of disorders.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

A developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction, by impaired communication, and by restricted, repetitive behavior and interests.

ADHD

A disorder characterized by excessive activity or fidgeting, inattentiveness, and impulsivity.

Rape Trauma Syndrome

A collection of psychological effects that can occur after experiencing rape or sexual assault

Competence to stand trial

A defendant's state of mind at the time of trial allowing them to understand the proceedings and assist legal counsel

Involuntary commitment

When a person is admitted to a psychiatric facility against their will - typically because they pose a danger to themselves or others

Prognosis

The likely course of a disease or ailment

Free-floating anxiety

Anxiety that is not tied to any specific threat or situation

Flashbacks

Reliving a traumatic event as though it were happening in real time.

Numbing

Emotional detachment following a traumatic experince

Racing thoughts

A state in which thoughts are moving quickly through the mind

Psychosis

A condition that affects the way your brain processes information, causing you to lose touch with reality

Apathy

Lack of intrest, enthusiasm, or concern