Clinical Psychology: Mood Disorders, Suicide, Eating Disorders, and Substance Use Disorders

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the clinical definitions, diagnostic criteria, etiological mechanisms, demographic patterns, and treatments for mood disorders, suicide, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.

Mood Disorders

A broad diagnostic category of mental disorders characterized by severe disturbances in emotional state, subclassified into Depressive Disorders (such as Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder) and Bipolar Disorders (such as Bipolar I, Bipolar II, and Cyclothymia).

Major Depressive Episode (MDE)

A discrete period of at least $2$ weeks during which an individual experiences at least $5$ of $9$ depressive symptoms for most of the day, nearly every day, representing a marked change in functioning; at least one symptom must be depressed mood or anhedonia.

Anhedonia

A core depressive symptom defined as markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities that were previously considered enjoyable.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

A mood disorder characterized by the presence of one or more major depressive episodes in the absence of any history of manic or hypomanic episodes, with recurrent episodes separated by at least $2$ consecutive months without meeting MDE criteria.

Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)

A chronic mood disorder characterized by depressed mood for most of the day, more days than not, for at least $2$ years ($1$ year in children and adolescents, where mood can be irritable), accompanied by at least $2$ additional depressive symptoms, with symptoms absent for no more than $2$ months at a time.

Grief (vs. Major Depressive Episode)

A psychological state primarily characterized by feelings of emptiness and loss occurring in waves ('pangs of grief') tied to memories of the deceased, in which self-esteem is generally preserved and death-related thoughts focus on 'joining' the deceased rather than worthlessness.

Negative Cognitive Triad

Aaron Beck's cognitive model positing that depression is maintained by automatic, negative, and biased evaluations concerning the Self ('I am worthless'), the World ('No one loves me'), and the Future ('Things will always be this way').

Depressive Causal Attributions

A maladaptive cognitive attributional style for negative events characterized by internal ('it is my fault'), stable ('it will always be this way'), and global ('I fail at everything') explanations.

Behavioral Activation (BA)

An evidence-based psychological treatment for depression that identifies client values, schedules value-congruent activities, and monitors mood to disrupt the self-perpetuating cycle of reduced environmental rewards and behavioral withdrawal.

Manic Episode

A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and persistently increased goal-directed activity or energy lasting at least $7$ days (or any duration if hospitalization is required or psychotic symptoms are present), causing marked impairment.

Hypomanic Episode

A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and increased energy lasting between $4$ and $6$ consecutive days, noticeable by others but not severe enough to cause marked impairment, hospitalization, or psychosis.

Bipolar I Disorder

A mood disorder characterized by the occurrence of at least one full manic episode; major depressive episodes are common but not required for diagnosis.

Bipolar II Disorder

A mood disorder requiring the occurrence of at least one hypomanic episode AND at least one major depressive episode, with no lifetime history of a full manic episode.

Cyclothymia

A chronic, less severe mood disorder lasting at least $2$ years ($1$ year in children/adolescents) characterized by alternating subthreshold hypomanic symptoms and subthreshold depressive symptoms present for more than half the time, with no symptom-free periods exceeding $2$ months.

Pressured Speech

A manic and hypomanic symptom characterized by speech that is unusually rapid, loud, accelerated, and difficult to interrupt due to an intense internal urge to keep talking.

Flight of Ideas

A continuous flow of accelerated speech in which an individual jumps rapidly from one topic to another, reflecting the subjective cognitive experience of racing thoughts during mania or hypomania.

Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT)

A specialized psychotherapy for bipolar disorder that assists patients in regulating daily routines (such as sleep, eating, and activity rhythms), resolving interpersonal conflicts, and managing environmental stressors.

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)

Direct, deliberate destruction of body tissue resulting in non-fatal physical injury, undertaken without any intent to die.

Suicide Attempt

A non-fatal, self-directed, potentially injurious behavior accompanied by at least some intent to die as a result of the act.

Died by Suicide

The preferred, non-stigmatizing clinical language used by suicide prevention organizations to describe a fatal suicide outcome, replacing problematic phrases such as 'committed suicide' or 'successful suicide.'

Perceived Burdensomeness (PB)

A dimension of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide involving the erroneous belief that one is a defect or liability to family, friends, or society, fostering the thought that 'my death is worth more than my life.'

Thwarted Belongingness (TB)

A dimension of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide describing the painful cognitive and emotional state of feeling socially disconnected, alienated, or lacking meaningful social bonds.

Capability for Suicide (CS)

The acquired biological and psychological ability to overcome the instinct for self-preservation and enact lethal self-harm, developed through habituation to physical pain and fear of death via exposure to painful or provocative experiences.

Means Safety

A suicide prevention approach focused on creating physical or psychological barriers to lethal methods (e.g., safe firearm and medication storage), reducing impulsive attempts without leading to method substitution.

IS PATH WARM

A clinical mnemonic outlining acute suicide warning signs: Ideation, Substance abuse, Purposelessness, Anxiety/agitation, Trapped, Hopelessness, Withdrawal, Anger, Recklessness, and Mood changes.

Anorexia Nervosa (AN)

An eating disorder characterized by restriction of energy intake leading to significantly low body weight ($\text{BMI} < 18.5$ or $< 85\%$ of expected weight), intense fear of gaining weight or behavior interfering with weight gain, and undue influence of body shape/weight on self-evaluation.

Lanugo

A medical complication of anorexia nervosa characterized by the growth of fine, downy body hair as a physiological adaptation to conserve body heat during starvation.

Bulimia Nervosa (BN)

An eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g., vomiting, laxative misuse, fasting, or excessive exercise) occurring at least once a week for $3$ months, in individuals who are not underweight.

Binge-Purge Cycle

A maintaining behavioral loop in bulimia nervosa where dietary restriction leads to intense hunger and anxiety, precipitating a binge episode, which triggers guilt and subsequent purging or compensatory behaviors, restarting the cycle.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

An eating disorder defined by recurrent binge eating episodes occurring at least once weekly for $3$ months, accompanied by $3$ or more features (eating rapidly, feeling uncomfortably full, eating without hunger, eating alone from embarrassment, feeling disgusted/guilty), marked distress, and the absence of compensatory behaviors.

Serotonin Hypothesis of Eating Disorders

A biological theory proposing that anorexia nervosa is associated with an over-functioning of the serotonin system, whereas bulimia nervosa is driven by an under-functioning of serotonin.

Ghrelin

A short-term gastrointestinal hormone referred to as the 'hunger hormone' that acts on the hypothalamus to stimulate appetite and promote food intake; dysregulated in disorders involving binge eating.

Leptin

A long-term regulatory hormone synthesized by adipose (fat) cells that signals energy sufficiency to the hypothalamus to suppress appetite; decreases when body fat drops, triggering hunger.

Fat Talk

Social dialogue and mutual self-disparaging commentary regarding body shape, weight, or eating patterns (e.g., 'I look so fat,' 'I need to diet'), which empirically increases body dissatisfaction.

Maudsley Model (Family-Based Therapy / FBT)

An evidence-based adolescent anorexia nervosa treatment involving the family system across three phases: refeeding the client under parental supervision, negotiating new relational patterns, and termination.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

A problematic pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, diagnosed by the presence of at least $2$ of $11$ DSM-5 criteria within a $12$-month period across four domains: impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and pharmacological criteria.

Tolerance

A pharmacological criterion of substance use disorder defined as a need for markedly increased amounts of a substance to achieve intoxication or the desired effect, or a markedly diminished effect when continuing to use the same amount.

Withdrawal

A substance-specific cluster of negative cognitive, physiological, and behavioral symptoms that develops when blood or tissue concentrations of a substance decline in an individual who had engaged in heavy, prolonged use.

Delirium Tremens (DTs)

A severe, potentially fatal ($10\%$ mortality rate) third stage of alcohol withdrawal occurring more than $3$ days after cessation in heavy users, characterized by vivid hallucinations, delusions, fever, perspiration, extreme agitation, and irregular heartbeat.

Mesolimbic Reward Pathway

The primary dopaminergic reward circuitry of the brain, composed of dopamine-producing neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) projecting to the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, which reinforces substance consumption.

Antabuse (Disulfiram)

An aversive counterconditioning pharmacological agent for alcohol use disorder that inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase, causing severe physical discomfort (nausea, vomiting, flushing, dizziness, fainting) if alcohol is consumed.

Naltrexone

An opioid receptor antagonist medication that blocks endorphin receptors, thereby attenuating the reinforcing and pleasurable effects of opioids and alcohol.

Methadone

A synthetic, orally administered full opioid agonist utilized in maintenance programs to alleviate severe withdrawal symptoms and cravings while blunting euphoria from illicit opioids like heroin.

Motivational Interviewing

A collaborative, non-confrontational psychotherapy for substance use disorders where the therapist does not challenge the client's substance use directly, but instead helps them explore and resolve ambivalence to foster internal motivation for change.