Unit 5.4 Selection categories of psychological disorders

Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Often results an individual having a hard time sustaining focus, fidgeting or constantly moving, and acting without thinking

Autism Spectrum Disorder

a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain

Genetic Factors

Include genetic mutations, inherited genes from parents, or the genetic makeup of a person

Physiological Factors

Refers to things happening inside a person’s body, such as how the brain is growing or functioning

Environmental factors

Include a variety of external influence that impact how the brain develops

Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders

Delusions. Having beliefs that do not align with reality. Hallucinations. Seeing and hearing things or people that aren't really there

Positive Symptoms

Behaviors or experiences that add to a person’s behavior

Negative symptoms

Behaviors or experiences that are absent from or reduced from an individual’s behavior

Delusion

False beliefs, these are positive symptoms because the beliefs are being added to the individual, despite clear or reasonable contradictory evidence

Delusions of persecution

Believing that others are out to harm you

Delusions of grandeur

Belief that you have exceptional abilities, wealth, fame, or are famous

Hallucinations

False perceptions, a positive symptom, since the sensory experience that happening without any external stimulus

Auditory

When a person is hearing voices that aren’t actually there, but some individuals will also have visual, tactile, or olfactory hallucinations as well

Disorganized Motor Behavior

Can be a positive or negative symptom, depending on what is happening with the individual

Catatonia

A condition that affects a person’s movement and behavior

Catatonia Excitement

Individuals often experience sudden movements, with the individual becoming very active with unusual almost out of control movements (positive symptom)

Catatonia Stupor

Often results in the individual being in a state of near-unresponsiveness; with minimal movement or speech (Negative Symptom)

Flat Affect

When an individual experiences reduced emotional expression, often resulting in an individual showing little to no facial expressions and talking in a monotone voice (Negative Symptom)

Alogia

A negative symptom, this is a conditioned that is characterized by a diminished speech not emotion

Disorganized Thinking or speech

Often a positive symptom since it adds abnormal cognitive or linguistic functions to the individual

Tangential Speech

When a person’s speech strays off topic and doesn’t connect back to the original point

Acute Symptoms

Often triggered by stress or a major life event, that appear suddenly and are more reactive to a situation

Chronic Symptoms

Develop over time and remain persistent in a person’s life, these can often lead to functional decline if not properly managed

Dopamine Hypothesis

Proposes that elevated levels of dopamine can contribute to the onset or intensity of schizophrenia symptoms