Psych Chapter 12: Psychological Disorders

Dissociative fugue

A dissociative disorder in which one experiences amnesia and then flees to a new location

Dissociative amnesia

A dissociative disorder marked by loss of memory or self-identity; skills and general knowledge are usually retained

Waxy flexibility

A feature of catatonic schizophrenia in which people can be molded into postures that they maintain for quite some time

Learned helplessness

A model for the acquisition of depressive behavior, based on findings that organisms in aversive situations learn to show inactivity when their operants go unenforced

Hallucination

A perception in the absence of sensory stimulation that is confused with reality

Borderline personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by instability in relationships, self-image, mood, and lack of impulse control

Body dysmorphic disorder

A somatoform disorder characterized by preoccupation with an imagined or exaggerated physical defect in one's appearance

Conversion disorder

A somatoform disorder in which anxiety or unconscious conflicts are "converted" into physical symptoms that often have the effect of helping the person cope with anxiety or conflict

Acute stress disorder (ASD)

A stress disorder, similar to PTSD, which follows a traumatic event, but only lasts from 2 days to a month

Paranoid schizophrenia

A type of schizophrenia characterized by delusions - commonly of persecution - and vivid hallucinations

Disorganized schizophrenia

A type of schizophrenia characterized by disorganized delusions, vivid hallucinations, and inappropriate affect

Catatonic schizophrenia

A type of schizophrenia characterized by striking motor impairment

Compulsion

An irresistible urge to repeat an act or engage in ritualistic behavior such as hand washing

Biopsychosocial perspective

Description of psychological disorders in terms of the interactions of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors

Somatoform disorders

Disorders in which people complain of physical (somatic) problems even though no physical abnormality can be found

Dissociative disorders

Disorders in which there are sudden, temporary changes in consciousness or self-identity

Manic

Elated, showing excessive excitement

Personality disorders

Enduring patterns of maladaptive behavior that are sources of distress of the individual or others

Ideas of persecution

Erroneous beliefs that one is being victimized or persecuted

Rapid flight of ideas

Rapid speech and topic changes, characteristic of manicky behavior

Psychomotor retardation

Slowness in motor activity and (apparently) in thought

Social phobia

An irrational, excessive fear of public scrutiny

La belle indifference

A French term descriptive of the lack of concern for their (imagined) medical problem sometimes shown by people with conversion disorders

Stupor

A condition in which the senses, thought, and movement are dulled

Dissociative identity disorder

A disorder in which a person appears to have two or more distinct identities or personalities that may alternately emerge

Bipolar disorder

A disorder in which the mood alternates between two extreme poles (elation and depression) aka manic depression

Negative symptoms

The deficiencies among people with schizophrenia such as flat affect, lack of motivation, loss of pleasure, and social withdraw

Antisocial personality disorder

The diagnosis given a person who is in frequent conflict with society, yet who is undeterred by punishment and experience little or no guilt and anxiety

Positive symptoms

The excessive and sometimes bizarre symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, delusions, and loose associations

Predictive validity

The extent to which a diagnosis permits one to predict the course of a disorder and the type of treatment that may be of help

Multiple personality disorder

The previous term for dissociative identity disorder

Panic disorder

The recurrent experiencing of attacks of extreme anxiety in the absence of external stimuli that usually elicit anxiety

Sympathetic system

The system that is activated during phobia experiences

Attributional style

The tendency to attribute one's behavior to internal or external factors, stable or unstable

Schizotypal personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by oddities of thought and behavior, but not involving bizarre psychotic behaviors

Paranoid personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by persistent suspiciousness, but not involving the disorganization of paranoid schizophrenia

Schizoid personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by social withdrawal

Avoidant personality disorder

A personality disorder in which the person is unwilling to enter relationships without assurance of acceptance because of fears of rejection and criticism

Neuroticism

A personality trait characterized largely by persistent anxiety

Schizophrenia

A psychotic disorder characterized by loss of control of thought processes and inappropriate emotional responses

Obsession

A recurring thought or image that seems out of control

Major depressive disorder (MDD)

A serious to severe depressive disorder in which the person may show loss of appetite, psychomotor retardation, and impaired reality testing

Flat affect

A severe reduction in emotional expressiveness, found among many people with schizophrenia or serious depression

Acrophobia

Fear of high places

Affect

Feeling or emotional response, particularly as suggested by facial expression and body language

Generalized anxiety disorder

Feelings of dread and foreboding and sympathetic arousal of at least 6 months' duration