AP Psych: Chapter 8- Abnormal Psychology, AP Psych: Chapter 9- Treatment of Psychological Disorders
What is the literal translation of schizophrenia?
"split mind"
What does the evidence suggest regarding a genetic link to schizophrenia? How can sets of twins be tested to be sure that the differences are not due to enviromental factors?
-1 in 10 odds of being diagnosed if sibling or parent has it -children adopted by those with schizophrenia don't "catch" it
List the factors that determine whether a person is more likely to suffer from PTSD after a traumatic event
-amount of emotional distress during trauma -frequency -sensitive limbic system -genes
Describe the symptoms of phobias
-anxiety disorder -persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation
Describe the common symptoms of panic disorder. How does panic disorder differ from generalized anxiety disorder?
-anxiety disorder -unpredictable minutes-long episodes of intense dread -chest pain -terror -choking -other frightening sensations
What are two ways in which schizophrenia develops?
-appear suddenly, seemingly a reaction to stress -develops gradually, emerging from a history of social inadequency
What are the common symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder?
-continually tense -uneasy -apprehensive -state of autonomic nervous system arousal
Discuss the origins and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
-exposure to a traumatic or stressful event -haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, anxiety, insomnia
List the ways in which humanistic therapy differs from psychoanalytic therapy
-focus on present and future rather than past -conscious rather than unconscious thoughts -take immediate responsibility for feelings and actions -promote growth rather than cure illness
Describe the diminished and inappropriate emotion characteristic of schizophrenia. What is meant by "flat affect?"
-inappropriate emotions: laughing at death and agitated for no reason -flat affect: emotionless state -senseless compulsive acts: rocking, rubbing an arm
Describe the symptoms of antisocial personality disorder
-lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even towards friends and family -aggressive, ruthless -clever con artist
Discuss the cognitive characteristics of someone impacted by major depressive disorder
-learned helplessness/sense of hopelessness -self defeating beliefs -negative attributions -self-blame
Explain how the environmental factors influence the development of antisocial personality disorder
-maltreatment at young age -brain development (ex. premature birth) -poverty -altered neurotransmitter balance -family instability
Discuss the psychological and enviromental factors that may trigger schizophrenia
-overuse of drugs (acid, LSD) -mother with severe, long-lasting schizophrenia -birth complications -separation from parents -short attention span -poor muscle coordination -disruptive, withdrawn behavior -emotional unpredictability -poor peer relations
Discuss the prevalaence of schizophrenia
1 in 100 people
List and elaborate on the 6 facts about depression
1. Behavioral and cognitive changes: recall negative information and anxiety making them unmotivated and inactive 2. Widespread 3. Women are twice as vulnerable to major depression 4. Most major depressive episodes self-terminate 5. Stressful events related to work, marriage, and close relationships also precede depression 6. Striking earlier and wider with each new generation
Explain how depression is thought to be a vicious cycle
1. Stressful experiences 2. Negative explanatory style 3. Depressed mood 4. Cognitive and behavioral changes 5. Repeat
Approximately what percent of the population suffers from OCD? At what age do the symptoms typically appear?
2-3% late teens or twenties
Discuss the changes in brain function that occur in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder
Brain has less activity during depressive states the frontal lobe can be smaller and inactive hippocampus is vulnerable
Explain the relationship between the likelihood of recovery and the speed of onset of schizophrenia. How does this differ in acute schizophrenia as compared to chronic schizophrenia?
Chronic: slow developing and recovery is doubtful Acute: develops rapidly, recovery is likely with drug therapy
What researcher conducted the study of the biasing power of labels in people who claimed they were hearing voices saying empty, hollow, and thud?
David Rosenhan
Describe and contrast a typical schizophrenic hallucination with a delusion
Delusion: false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders Hallucination: an experience involving the apparent perception of something not present
How are people biologically predisposed to developing phobias?
Genetic makeup of temperament/personality may make people more/less likely to acquire phobias depending on how neurotic they are. They may naturally have a more active sympathetic nervous system.
Which traits do humanistic therapists use in therapy?
Genuineness: no facades, express true feelings Acceptance: allow clients to feel uncondtionally accepted Empathy: sense and reflect clients' feelings
Discuss the impact genetics and brain structures may have an antisocial personality disorder
Increased risk: -antisocial and unemotional tendencies -lower levels of stress hormones -reduced activity in frontal lobe
Compare characteristics of a state of mania to the state of depression
Mania: hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which the person is overtalkative, overactive, makes poor decisions, and has increased creativity Depression: feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and lethargy
Explain what differentiates anxiety from an anxiety disorder
Normal anxiety is not intense and persistent and doesn't prevent you from completing everyday tasks
Explain why free-floating anxiety can be disabling.
One cannot identify the cause of the anxiety and can therefore not deal with or avoid it
How does having social anxiety differ from having a specific phobia?
People with social anxiety will avoid social situations all together, while people wtih specific phobias avoid the stimulus that arouses the fear
List and contrast positive symptoms with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Positive: -hallucunations -talk in disorganized and deluded ways -inappropriate laughter, tears, and rage Negative: -toneless voices -expressionless faces -mute, rigid bodies
How might the terms positive and negative when referring to symptoms of schizophrenia be similar to the use of reinforcement and punishment?
Positive: added inappropriate behaviors Negative: takes away desirable behaviors
Compare the methods of psychotherapy, biomedical therapy, and the eclectic approach in how they are used to treat psychological disorders
Psychotherapy: treatment involving psychological techniques: interactions between the trained therapist and one seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal personal growth Biomedical Therapy: perscribed medication or medical procedure that acts directly on a patient's nervous system Eclectic Approach: depends on patient's problems, uses techniques from other forms of therapy
What are the 6 types of ways to view situations?
Stable: continuous Temporary Global: no one or nowhere else Specific: name resources Internal: blame self External: blame others
Discuss the disorganized thinking and speaking that are symptoms of schizophrenia
Symptoms: -disorganized and delusional thinking -disturbed perceptions -inappropriate emotions and actions -hallucinations
Discuss why the sufferer's knowledge that the obsessions are irrational actually adds to the suffering
They recognize that their thoughts and actions are abnormal, but cannot do anything about it as only 1/5 people recover
Describe the symptoms of conversion disorder
This rare somatoform disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found, includes: blindness, paralysis, ect.
In what way does the biological perspective help us understand the development of phobias and anxiety? Consider both natural selection and genetics in your response.
Those not fearful of certain stimuli are less likely to survive and certain genes can make you more prone to disorders
What role does explanatory style play in depression?
Those with a pessimistic explanatory styles have a higher risk for depression than those with an optimistic explanatory style
What classifies behaviors as a psychological disorder?
Three D's: Distress Dysfunction Deviance
Define counterconditioning
a behavior therapy procedure that uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors
Briefly summarize Mary Cover Jones' 1924 work with counterconditioning
a boy scared of rabbits and other furry objects learned to associate them with the relaxed feeling of eating by exposing him to both stimuli at once
Explain how unconditional positive regard is used as a tool in therapy by humanistic psychologists
a caring, accepting, nonjudgemental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients to develop self-awareness and self-acceptance
client-centered therapy
a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within a genuine, accepting, empathetic environment to facilitate clients' growth
bipolar disorder
a mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania
psychological disorder
a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
How does progressive relaxation help those going thorugh exposure therapy?
ability to relax one muscle group after another until you achieve a drowsy state of complete relaxation and comfort
Describe how virtual reality exposure therapy is being used to treat anxiety
an anxiety treatment that progressively exposes people to stimulations of their greatest fears
What behaviors or emotions are expressed for the personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder?
anxiety fearful sensitivity to rejection withdrawn
Describe agoraphobia. Hypothesize why agoraphobia is often one of the most frequently diagnosed types of phobias but may not actually be the most frequently occurring.
becoming afraid of public places or open spaces due to concern that they will not be able to escape or get help if needed
Explain the way in which therapy based on operant conditioning principles works
behavior modification: reinforcing desired behaviors and punishing/not rewarding undesired ones -shaping: rewarding closer and closer approximations of the desired behaviors)
dissociative disorders
disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings
Describe the phenomenon of dissociation and explain how it differs from a dissociative disorder
disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings. Experiencing a sudden loss of memory or change in identity, often in a response to an overwhelmingly stressful situations
How did other researchers support the view that DID is a genuine disorder?
distinct brain and body states shift with changing personalities- such as better hand-eye coordination -heightened activity in brain areas controlling traumatic memories
What behaviors or emotions are expressed for the personality disorder, histrionic/narcissistic personality disorder?
dramatic or impulsive behaviors attention getting and self focused
What behaviors or emotions are expressed for the personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder?
eccentric behaviors emotionless disengagement
Why does Rogers believe that active listening would be helpful in treating clients?
echoing, restating, and seeking clarification of what a person expresses and acknowledging these feelings allows people to realize they possess resources for growth -paraphrase, invite clarification, and reflect their feelings
What role does dopamine play in schizophrenia?
excess dopamine receptors that intensify brain signals, which create hallucinations and paranoia
Discuss Joseph Wolpe's work with exposure therapies and explain how they are used to treat anxiety or phobias
exposes people to what they normally avoid -with repeated exposure, one can become less anxiously responsive to things that scare them
Detail the steps in which systematic desensitization would be used by a behavior therapist
exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli (commonly used to treat phobias)
delusion
false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders
What is one of the main techniques utilized in psychoanalytic therapy?
free association- relax, allow you to focus on your thoughts, say aloud whatever comes to mind
Define the biopsychosocial model and discuss how the biopsychosocial model explains psychological disorders
how biological, psychological, and social-culture factors interact to produce disorders Bio: evolution, genes, brain chemistry Psych: stress, trauma, learned helplessness Social: roles, expectations *Recognizes that the mind and body are insepearable
What brain structures are activated in someone who suffers from OCD?
hyperactive anterior angulate cortex: monitors actions and checks for errors
What classifies behaviors as a disorder?
if it impairs your life
Explain what David Rosenhan means by saying a label has "a life and an influence of its own."
labels can cause biased perceptions and create self-fulfilling prophecies
What are the research findings regarding the role neurotransmitters play in depression and mania?
norepinephrine: increases arousal and boosts mood, scarce during depression serotonin: arousal, scarce during depression
Explain how a token economy can be utilized to impact and change behavior. What are the concerns with using this method?
operant conditioning: procedure in which people earn a token of some sort for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange them for various reinforcements
What structures are impacted or implicated in people with chronic schizophrenia?
out of sync neurons in the brain and less active frontal lobe, contribute to schizophrenia symptoms
What are the causes for schizophrenia?
overabundance of dopamine, low birth weight, oxygen deprivation during delivery, fluid- filled ventricles of the brain, or famine /infection during conception
Discuss the research findings on the stigmatizing power of labels
people labeled certain ways are expected to and are therefore often perceived as the label
Explain the way in which selective attention is impacted by schizophrenia
people with schizophrenia cannot block out other stimuli to focus on one, and become easily distracted, making them incoherent
Describe the characteristics of dissociative identity disorder
person exhibits two or more of our normal capacity for personality shifts -blinding headaches, blackouts
Reflecting on the the story of little Albert, how might Cover Jone's counterconditioning be used to replace Albert's fear of small, white furry objects?
present white furry objects with a stimulus Little Albert finds enjoyable, so he'll learn to associate them
mood disorders
psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes
Discuss the uses and misuses of the insanity plea
saying that one is not responsible for their actions due to a mental issue Can they be held accountable?
In what way is motor behavior impacted by schizophrenia?
senseless, compulsive acts, motionless for hours
What category of people is at a greater risk for panic disorder? Why?
smokers because nicotine is a stimulant
Explain the arguments against DID as a genuine disorder
some argue it as an extension of our normal capacity for personality shifts and people think that they have it, but don't or are acting
Discuss how classical conditioning and operant conditioning principles can be used to explain the development of anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD
stimulus generalization occurs and develops fears, reinforcement helps maintain phobias and compulsions as they arise
Describe the general characteristics of somatoform (or somatic symptom) disorders
symptoms take a somatic/bodily from without apparent physical cause
Discuss the assumptions that cognitive therapy relies onto explain disorders
teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting: based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions
According to psychoanalytic theory, what role does resistance play in therapy?
the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material
Define the medical model, and discuss how it explains psychological disorders. How has this model changed the way patients are treated?
the concept that diseases, in this case psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and in most cases cured, often through treatment at a hospital
Explain the genetic influences on depression
the heritability of major depression is 35-40%, many genes likely work together
Explain transference in psychoanalytic therapy
the patients' transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (love or hatred for a parent, ect.)
Explain what is meant by a predisposition
the tendency to suffer from a particular condition
In what way are psychodynamic and humanistic therapies similar?
they attempt to reduce inner conflicts that hinder growth by providing new insights
Explain one key manner in which behavioral therapies differ from insight/Freudian therapies
they don't believe in the power of self-awareness and how it diminishes psychological problems
How can suffering from agoraphobia impact someone's life?
they may not even be able to leave their own home
How does psychoanalyst's interpretation of your resistance offer insight into the cause of your disorder or conflicts?
they will notice your resistances and interpret their meaning (as to your underlying wishes, feelings and conflicts)
What was Freud's goal with psychoanalytic therapy?
to bring repressed feelings into patients' conscious awareness
What is meant by rumination? In what ways do negative thoughts and negative moods interact?
to endlessly rehash something in one's mind, overthink -pessimistic thinkers have a higher risk of depression
Discuss the evidence for prenatal viral infections as a cause for schizophrenia
two known risk factors for schizophrenia are low birth weight and oxygen deprivation during delivery
List the symptoms of major depressive disorder
two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and lethargy
How does aversive conditioning differ from systemation desensitization?
type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior
Explain how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) differs from normal obsessions or tendencies toward perfectionism.
unwanted repetitive obsessions/thoughts and/or actions/compulsions, which causes one distress
How have PET scans been used to determine how the brain in those suffering from schizophrenia differs from those who are not?
used while people were hallucinating; brain became highly active in the thalamus and amygdala
Describe how psychodynamic therapy differs from traditional psychoanalysis
views individuals as responding to unconsious forces and childhood experiences that seeks to enhance self-insight
Discuss how observational learning principles can be used to explain the development of phobias
we can develop fears based off of observations of another's behavior to a stimulus
