Module 11 - Depression, Anxiety & Schizophrenia

What is the medical model?

Treating psychological disorders as diseases with biological causes

What is psychopathology?

The study of psychological disorders

What is diagnosis?

Classifying a psychological disorder

What is etiology?

The causes of a disorder

What is epidemiology?

The study of distribution of disorders in a population

What is prevalence?

The proportion of people with a disorder over time

What is prognosis?

The predicted outcome of a disorder

What are the three criteria for a mental disorder?

Deviance, distress, dysfunction

What is deviance?

Thoughts/behaviours that are unusual in a context

What is distress?

Subjective suffering

What is dysfunction?

Impairment in daily functioning

What is the DSM?

A manual used to diagnose mental disorders

Who publishes the DSM?

American Psychiatric Association

Why is the DSM criticized?

Overdiagnosis, labeling, pathologizing normal behavior

What is anxiety?

Increased sympathetic nervous system activity with feelings of apprehension

Is anxiety always bad?

No, it is adaptive and helps respond to threats

What is the fight-or-flight response?

Fast stress response using adrenaline for immediate threats

What system activates fight-or-flight?

Sympathetic nervous system

What hormones are released in fight-or-flight?

Adrenaline and noradrenaline

What is the HPA axis?

Slow stress response involving hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal glands

What hormone is released in HPA response?

Cortisol

What type of stress does HPA handle?

Long-term stress

What defines an anxiety disorder?

Excessive or inappropriate anxiety

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Chronic anxiety without a specific cause

What characterizes GAD onset?

Gradual and persistent

What is panic disorder?

Sudden, unexpected panic attacks

What is agoraphobia?

Fear of being in public due to panic risk

What is a phobia?

Irrational fear of a specific object or situation

What is the difference between panic disorder and phobia?

Panic has no trigger; phobia has a specific trigger

How are phobias learned?

Classical conditioning

How are phobias maintained?

Negative reinforcement (avoidance reduces fear)

What is social anxiety disorder?

Fear of social situations and evaluation by others

What is OCD?

A disorder involving obsessions and compulsions

What are obsessions?

Intrusive, unwanted thoughts

What are compulsions?

Repetitive behaviors that reduce anxiety

What is hoarding disorder?

Difficulty discarding items due to anxiety

What is PTSD?

A delayed stress response after trauma

What are PTSD symptoms?

Flashbacks, avoidance, numbing, hyperarousal

What is unique about PTSD onset?

Delayed (months or years later)

What is the key difference between OCD and PTSD?

OCD = future threat thoughts; PTSD = past trauma thoughts

Are disorders qualitatively or quantitatively different?

Quantitatively (extremes of normal processes)

What is low mood?

Reduced motivation when opportunities are poor

What is depression?

Persistent, extreme low mood (unipolar)

What is anhedonia?

Inability to feel pleasure

What are cognitive symptoms of depression?

Negative thoughts, slowed thinking

What is psychomotor retardation?

Slowed physical movement

What neurotransmitters are low in depression?

Serotonin and norepinephrine

What do antidepressants do?

Increase neurotransmitter activity

What are SSRIs?

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

What is a clean drug?

Affects only one neurotransmitter system

What is a dirty drug?

Affects multiple systems

What is bipolar disorder?

Mood disorder with both mania and depression

What is mania?

Extreme high mood with high energy and impulsivity

Why is mania risky?

Leads to impulsive, harmful decisions

What is schizophrenia?

A severe disorder affecting thought, perception, behavior, and emotion

What is prevalence of schizophrenia?

About 1%

What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

Excess behaviors (delusions, hallucinations)

What are negative symptoms?

Deficits (lack of emotion, motivation, speech)

What is a delusion?

False belief

What is a hallucination?

Perception without stimulus

What predicts better prognosis in schizophrenia?

More positive than negative symptoms

What is the diathesis-stress model?

Disorder arises from genetic vulnerability + stress

What neurotransmitter is linked to schizophrenia?

Dopamine

What do antipsychotics do?

Reduce dopamine activity

What is tardive dyskinesia?

A movement disorder side effect of antipsychotics

What are the three historical explanations of mental illness?

Supernatural, somatogenic, psychogenic

What is the modern model of mental illness?

Biopsychosocial model

What is autism spectrum disorder?

A developmental disorder affecting social communication and behavior

What are core features of autism?

Social difficulties and repetitive behaviors

What is the social brain?

Brain systems for understanding others

Is there a single cause of autism?

No, multiple genetic and environmental factors

What is psychopathy?

A personality pattern with lack of empathy and antisocial traits

What are traits of psychopathy?

Manipulation, shallow emotions, impulsivity

How is psychopathy different from antisocial behavior?

It includes emotional deficits

Is psychopathy categorical or dimensional?

Dimensional (spectrum)

What causes psychopathy biologically?

Differences in emotion-processing brain regions