Psychology of Mental Illness Exam II

Prevalence

How often something occurs.

Point Prevalence vs. Lifetime Prevalence

Point prevalence is disorders diagnosed right now; lifetime prevalence is diagnosed at any point in life.

Onset, Etiology, and Prognosis

Onset is when symptoms start; etiology is the causes; prognosis is the likely course of the condition.

Comorbidity

Having two or more disorders or conditions at the same time.

Fear vs. Stress vs. Anxiety

Fear is immediate alarm to a serious threat; stress is response to demands disrupting balance; anxiety is vague sense of danger and worry.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Disproportionate, ongoing, uncontrollable anxiety about multiple matters with at least 3 physical/psychological symptoms.

Specific Phobia vs. Agoraphobia

Specific phobia is persistent fear of a specific object/situation; agoraphobia is fear of being in public places where help is unavailable.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Severe, persistent, and irrational anxiety about social or performance situations with worry about embarrassment or scrutiny.

Panic Attack & Panic Disorder

Panic attack is a short bout of panic peaking quickly; panic disorder involves unforeseen attacks followed by 1+ month of concern or dysfunctional behavior.

Obsessions vs. Compulsions

Obsessions are unwanted persistent thoughts/images; compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to lower anxiety.

Common Obsession & Compulsion Themes

Obsession themes include dirt, violence, order; compulsion themes include cleaning, checking, counting, and touching.

Systematic Desensitization vs. Flooding

Systematic desensitization pairs gradual exposure with relaxation; flooding involves immediate, intense exposure to the feared stimulus.

ERP vs. Prolonged Exposure (PE)

ERP resists performing rituals during triggers; PE is a structured protocol to process traumatic memories directly.

Neurological Pathways of Arousal

The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) pathway and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) pathway.

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) vs. PTSD

The main difference is time: ASD symptoms last between 3 days and 1 month; PTSD symptoms last for more than 1 month.

Dissociative Amnesia

Inability to recall important life-relevant information, usually surrounding stressful events (types include selective, generalized, continuous).

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) & Trauma Model

Disruption to identity with 2+ personality states and memory gaps, primarily caused by severe chronic childhood trauma before age 6-9.

Major Depressive Episode (MDE)

Lasts 2+ weeks with at least 5 symptoms including sad mood or loss of pleasure, across emotional, cognitive, physical, motivational, and behavioral categories.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) vs. PDD

Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) symptoms last at least 2 years, making it longer in duration than MDD.

Neurotransmitters in Depression

Low serotonin levels and low norepinephrine levels.

Reactive (Exogenous) vs. Endogenous Depression

Reactive is triggered by external life events and stressors; endogenous appears internally out of the blue due to biological/genetic factors.

Manic Episode (MAE)

Abnormally elevated, expansive, or irritable mood with increased energy lasting at least 1 week (or requiring hospitalization).

Hypomania (HYE)

Less severe elevated mood and increased energy lasting at least 4 consecutive days that does not cause major impairment or require hospitalization.

Bipolar I vs. Bipolar II Disorder

Bipolar I requires at least one full manic episode; Bipolar II requires at least one hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode.

Combined Treatment for Clinical Disorders

Combining drug therapy and psychotherapy is the gold standard because medications treat biology from the inside out while psychotherapy treats behavior from the outside in.