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
