Abnormal Psych

dissociative fugue

a form of dissociative amnesia in which a person travels to a new location and may assume a new identity, simultaneously forgetting his or her past

cognitive perspective of panic disorder

a misinterpretation of physiological events that are happening in the body

Phobias

a persistent, irrational fear of a particular object, activity or situation

psychodynamic model

a person's behavior is determined largely by underlying psychological forces of which he or she is not consciously aware

sociocultural model

abnormal behavior is best understood in light of the broad forces that influence an individual

post-traumatic stress disorder

an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience - exposure

cognitive model

concentrates on the thinking that underlies behavior

antidepressant drugs

help improve mood of people who are depressed

antipsychotic drugs

help reduce confusion, hallucinations, and delusions

Humanistic model

human beings are born with a natural tendency to be friendly, cooperative, and constructive. Humans also have complex goals and can be understood through them

autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division is the fight or flight response; its parasympathetic division calms.

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

antibipolar drugs

"mood stabilizers" help steady the moods of those with bipolar disorder

biological perspective of OCD

- abnormal serotonin activity - abnormal brain structure and functioning (frontal cortex and caudate nucleus)

cognitive perspective of OCD

- neutralize thoughts and actions - neutralizing action = reward - use CBT and Cognitive therapy

biological perspective of panic disorder

- norepinephrine imbalance - amygdala dysfunction - genetic

acute stress disorder

- symptoms begin within 4 weeks of a traumatic event and last less than a month - persistent feelings of arousal, anxiety and depression

behavioral perspective of OCD

- treat the compulsions rather than obsessions (exposure)

Slowly limit Sarah's anxiety response to the disaster.

What was the purpose of recording Sarah's visually imagined disaster scenes?

humors

4 fluids that flowed through the body (yellow bile, black bile, blood, phlegm)

PTSD lasts an average of 3 years with treatment and 5.5 without treatment

According to the text, how long does it typically take for people to recover from posttraumatic stress disorder? What percent of people continue to experience symptoms even after receiving treatment for many years?

agoraphobia

An abnormal fear of open or public places - fear of 2+ situations - fear of being unable to escape or reach help - avoid situations - >6 months

trephination

An ancient operation in which a stone instrument was used to cut away a circular section of the skull, perhaps to treat abnormal behavior.

obsessive-compulsive disorder

An anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsession) and/ or actions (compulsions).

Desensitization to the memory, removing anxiety associated

What was the purpose of recording the traumatizing incident?

- learning relaxation and breathing techniques, changing his cognitive interpretation of the panic attacks, exposing himself to panic sensations in a controlled environment, and then repeated practice in situations that Joe was avoiding - Whole body tension, breath through a straw, shake head from side to side, place head between legs and then lift, stare at spot on wall, hold breath, run in place, hyperventilate

Describe the 4 steps Dr. Geller decided to take to help Joe overcome his panic attacks. List each of the interoceptive exposure exercises that were part of Joe's treatment.

- Started with education about hoarding disorder - Pros and cons list about being ready to change - Worked on coping strategies to address anxiety - Addressed childhood behaviors - Worked through emotions associated with this time - - Homework--cousin's bike, write down every memory she had of him when not looking at the bike - - Bring bike in and throw it away - Decluttering homework 30 minutes a day with before and after photos, accountability

Describe the cognitive-behavioral model of hoarding.

- So that she could log her anxiety and quantify her compulsions. - Learning that she has 3 separate concerns/categories of compulsions Set up how to go about exposure therapy for her case

Dr. Laslow asked Sarah to keep track of her obsessions and compulsions. What did Sarah learn from entering this information, and how did Dr. Laslow use this information to assist in her treatment program?

- Survey all of the different ways in which Elaine's life had been changed by her current fears and anxieties, paying particular attention to curtailed activities - Exposure to the traumatic memory itself - Monitoring feelings and behavior - Scale for assessing anxiety attributed to certain behaviors--anxiety hierarchy

During the first session, Dr. Fehrman gave Elaine 3 components of her therapy. Describe those 3 components.

humanistic perspective of GAD

GAD arises when people stop looking at themselves honestly and acceptingly

biological perspective of GAD

GAD is caused chiefly by biological factors

- Husband separated from her and took the kids - Her kids were embarrassed to have anyone over - She couldn't keep up with having a clean house or space - Isolated herself from everyone - Cluttered her office space so much, gave off the wrong message to students and caused her to need a new space

How did Jenny's hoarding interfere with her life?

- Gave him another situation to cause anxiety - Comorbidity

How did Joe's avoidance of going outside by himself contribute to his panic disorder?

Was very defensive whenever someone brought up hoarding disorder

How is it that Jenny didn't think she had a problem until after she had been in treatment for some time?

- It took her about 3 sessions to get 95% over the compulsions she was experiencing - By session 7, household obsessions and compulsions are eliminated

How many sessions did it take for Sarah to overcome her household obsessions and compulsions?

After 14 sessions she reported her first week of life without being held down by OCD.

How many sessions were necessary for Sarah to overcome her obsessive-compulsive disorder on household and driving issues?

Household obsessions and compulsions then driving, and then directly causing harm (stabbing, burning down)

What were Sarah's primary obsessions and compulsions?

Plane ride triggers anxiety and war was fear vs. plane being anxiety

In the case of "Joe," what event precipitated his panic attack?

- Reuse and repurpose for projects - Utilize items for later - Sell items for profit - Memories attached to items--cousin's bike - Buy new items because it is a good deal even though money was not an issue and the item is not necessary

List some of the beliefs Jenny had about why it was important to hold onto things.

- Obsessive and intrusive thoughts/images - Doubts - Ideas

Obsessions may take different forms. List 3 forms cited in the text.

Increased heart rate or palpitations, Perspiration, trembling, shortness of breath, choking sensation, discomfort or pain in the chest, nausea or other abdominal upset, dizziness or lightheadedness, feeling significantly chill or hot, sensations of tingling or numbness, sense of unreality or separation from the self or others, dread of losing control, dread of dying

What are the symptoms of most panic attacks?

- Saved toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls - Toys were taken away as a punishment, caused her to put more value on materialistic items - Initially diagnosed with ADHD because she was having troubles concentrating in school - Really lonely and isolated as a child, had comfort in accumulating items

What characteristics did Jenny have as a child that are common in individuals who develop hoarding disorder?

The subway accident

What event precipitated Elaine's posttraumatic stress disorder?

Cognitive behavioral therapy --Guide client to think differently about the trauma itself and possible current dangers Invivo therapy --Help client react less fearfully to stimuli and events around them

What modes of therapy did Dr. Fehrman select to assist Elaine with her disorder? Give an example of each type of therapy.

When her and her parents were put in jail during the civil rights movement, attributed to loss of control in her life which she sought to regain throughout the rest of her life

What other incident in Elaine's early life may have contributed to her posttraumatic stress disorder?

Exposure and response prevention, cognitive-behavioral therapy. Medication was a last resort that wasn't needed.

What type of therapy did Dr. Laslow decide to try to help Sarah overcome her OCD?

He overcame his panic attacks and agoraphobia and was able to travel to Europe with his wife

What was the outcome for Joe?

Late adolescents and early adulthood

When do obsessive-compulsive behaviors begin for most individuals?

Norepinephrine and cortisol

Which neurotransmitter and which hormone often have abnormal activity in survivors of severe stress?

The aunt, her son died tragically

Who in Jenny's family appeared to have hoarding tendencies? What situation appeared to trigger an episode?

- She went to the doctor about her knee and he told her she may have to have surgery, distracted her from focusing on anything else due to her anxiety and inner conflict over deciding whether or not to have surgery - Dr. Fehrman told her to put off the decision for a month to help her focus on her PTSD treatment

Why did Elaine fail to take notes of her feared activities as part of her treatment plan? How did Dr. Fehrman handled this problem in his session with Elaine?

- Physician referred her - She severely deteriorated--isolated herself, anxiety over knee surgery

Why did Elaine finally decide to seek treatment?

Partner James asked her to get help

Why did Sarah finally decide to seek treatment?

Her symptoms persisted for over a month after the event occurred

Why did the doctor diagnose Elaine with posttraumatic stress disorder rather than acute stress disorder?

- The individual constantly relives the event and this can be wearing on friends and relatives to hear about it over and over again - Feel like an excuse for the survivor to talk about the event

Why do friends and relatives eventually distance themselves from a person who has had a traumatic incident?

The symptoms of a panic attack are very similar to what a heart attack may feel like, in addition to the physiological nature of panic disorder

Why do individuals first suspect a general medical condition?

His panic attacks started in his 70s when most of people who suffer from panic disorders develop in late adolescents

Why is Joe's case different from most panic attacks?

Dr. Geller explained that his symptoms can both be explained and treated through both a cognitive and biological approach. Biologically, panic attacks are similar to flight-or-flight responses to danger but happen when there is no danger present, and cognitively, panic attacks arise when one repeatedly interprets this flight-or-flight response as something more than a false alarm.

Why was Dr. Geller convinced that panic disorders are "best explained by a combination of biological and cognitive factors"?

- Would cause severe emotional distress, would make the situation worse - She wouldn't learn anything, would have no benefit to her in the long run - Would not address the reasoning behind her behavior, the emotionality attributed

Why would it not have been effective just to call a junkman to clear everything out of Jenny's house and make a clean start?

selective amnesia

an inability to remember certain details of an event

biological model

biological theorists see abnormal behavior as an illness brought about by malfunctioning parts of the organism. Brain anatomy or brain chemistry are the cause of behavior

dissociative identity disorder

development of 2 or more personalities - subpersonalities or alternate personalities

four Ds

deviance, distress, dysfunction, danger

dissociative disorders

disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings - disorders triggered by traumatic events - feeling dazed, having trouble remembering things - sense of derealization

psychotropic medications

drugs that mainly effect emotions and thought proceses

psychodynamic perspective of GAD

early experiences with unresolved childhood anxiety leads to GAD

moral treatment

emphasized moral guidance and humane and respectful techniques

Ego

employs reason, when we can and cannot express those impulses

generalized anxiety disorder

excessive anxiety under most circumstances and worry about practically everything - inappropriate worry for >6 months - difficult to control - 3 or more sx - distress and impairment - not substance or medical

continuous amnesia

forgetting continues into the present - rare

Id

instinctual needs (reality principle)

asylums

institutions whose primary purpose was to care for people with mental illness

cultural norms (culture)

its history, values, institutions, habits, skills, technology and arts

localized amnesia

lack of memory for a specific event or events

generalized amnesia

loss of memory of all personal information, including identity before the event - loss of identity

sociocultural perspective of GAD

most likely to develop in people who are faced with ongoing societal conditions that are dangerous - poverty - discrimination

endocrine system

network of glands located throughout the body

behavioral model

our actions are determined largely by our experiences in life and the responses an organism makes to its environment

Panic disorder

periodic short bursts of panic that occur suddenly, reach peak within minutes and gradually pass - recurrent and unexpected - abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort

cognitive perspective of GAD

psychological problems are often caused by dysfunctional ways of thinking

antianxiety drugs

reduce tension and anxiety

Superego

sense of what is right and wrong (morality principle)

social anxiety disorder

severe, persistent, and irrational anxiety about social or performance situations in which they might face scrutiny by others and possibly feel embarrassment

norms

stated and unstated rules for proper conduct

somatogenic perspective

the view that abnormal psychological functioning had physical causes

psychogenic perspective

the view that the chief causes of abnormal functioning are psychological

psychodynamic perspective of OCD

three ego defense mechanisms that are common (isolation, undoing, reaction formation) - battle isn't unconscious

electroconvulsive therapy

two electrodes are attached to the forehead, and an electrical current of 65-140 volts is passed briefly through the brain

dissociative amnesia

unable to recall important information, usually of a stressful nature, about their lives

forms of obssessions

wish, impulse, images, ideas, doubts