psych exam two - chapter eight

psychosis

mental health syndrome characterized by a loss of contact with reality, featuring symptoms like hallucinations (seeing/hearing things not there) and delusions (false, firm beliefs)

schizophrenia

a chronic, severe brain disorder affecting how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, often causing a disconnection from reality

positive symptoms of shizophrenia

delusions, hallucinations, and disorganization in thought and behavior.

negative symptoms of schizophrenia

deficits in functioning that indicate the absence of a capacity present in people without schizophrenia, such as restricted affect.

• Can become more impairing and prominent over time.

• Often lead to lower quality of life.

cognitive deficits of schizophrenia

Deficits in basic cognitive processes, including attention, memory, and processing speed

delusions

False, unshakeable beliefs that are held with strong conviction despite contradictory evidence

most common type of delusion

Persecutory delusions: False, persistent beliefs that one is being pursued by other people.

• Paranoia involves thinking that is characterized by feelings of suspicion, resentment, malice, or beliefs in external influence that are not supported by evidence.

hallucinations

False or inaccurate perceptions that affect the senses and cause people to hear, see, taste, touch, or smell what others do not.

most common hallucinations

auditory verbal hallucinations

catatonia

Disorganized behavior that reflects noticeable psychomotor dysfunction that may involve decreased or excessive and peculiar motor activity.

avolition

a severe, persistent lack of motivation or ability to initiate and maintain goal-directed activities

restricted affect

Severe reduction in or absence of emotional expression.

neurotransmitters

allow neurons to communicate with each other, muscles, or glands, transmitting signals across the synaptic gap

dopamine

a critical neurotransmitter and hormone that acts as the brain's "feel-good" reward chemical, driving motivation, pleasure, memory, and motor control.

serotonine

vital neurotransmitter and hormone that stabilizes mood, promotes feelings of well-being, and regulates essential bodily functions

social drift

Tendency to drift downward in social class compared to the class of one’s family of origin.

• Caused by schizophrenic symptoms that interfere with the ability to complete an education or job.

two-hit model

posits that tumor suppressor genes require both alleles to be inactivated (two "hits"—mutations or deletions) to initiate cancer

atypical antipsychotics

Newer antipsychotics bind to the D4 dopamine receptor and influence several other neurotransmitters like serotonin.

typical

bind to d2 receptors