Chapter 15, Psych - Psychological Disorders

Comorbidity

Co-occurence of two disorders in the same individual.

Specific Phobia

Anxiety disorder characterized by excessive distressing and persistent fear or anxiety about a specific object.

Agoraphobia

Anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear, anxiety, and avoidance of situations in which it might be difficult to escape if one experiences symptoms of a panic attack.

Panic disorder

Anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected panic attacks, along with at least one month of worry about panic attacks or self-defeating behavior related to the attacks.

Locus Coeruleus

Area of the brainstem that contains norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that triggers the body's fight or flight response; has been implicated in panic disorder.

Orbitofrontal cortex

Area of the frontal lobe involved in learning and decision making.

International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

Authoritative index of mental and physical diseases, and the criteria for their diagnosis; published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition

Authoritative index of mental disorders and the criteria for their diagnosis; published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Etiology

Cause or causes of a psychological disorder.

Generalized Anxiety disorder

Characterized by a continuous state of excessive, uncontrollable, and pointless worry and apprehension.

Anxiety disorder

Characterized by excessive and persistent fear and anxiety, and by related disturbances in behavior.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Characterized by extreme and persistent fear or anxiety and avoidance of social situations in which one could potentially be evaluated negatively by others.

Hoarding disorder

Characterized by persistent difficulty in parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value or usefulness.

OCD

Characterized by the tendency to experience intrusive and unwanted thoughts and urges (obsessive) and/or the need to engage in repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsion) in response to the unwanted thoughts and urges.

Hopelessness theory

Cognitive theory of depression proposing that a style of thinking that perceives negative life events as having stable and global causes -> leads to a sense of hopelessness and then to depression.

Major depressive disorder

Commonly referred to as "depression" or "major depression", characterized by sadness of loss of pleasure in usual activities, as well as other symptoms.

Suicide

Death caused by intentional, self-directed injurious behavior.

Persistent depressive disorder

Depressive disorder characterized by a chronically sad and melancholy mood

Supernatural

Describes a force beyond scientific understanding.

Atypical

Describes behaviors or feelings that deviate from the norm.

Diagnosis

Determination of which disorder a set of symptoms represents.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Experiencing a profoundly traumatic event leads to a consolation of symptoms that include intrusive and distressing memories of the event, avoidance of stimuli connected to the event, negative emotional states, feelings of detachment from others, irritability, proneness towards outburst, hyper vigilance, and a tendency to startle easily; these symptoms must occur for at least one month.

Bipolar and related disorders

Group of mood disorders in which mania is the defining feature.

OCD and related disorders

Group of overlapping disorders listed in the DSM-5 that involves intrusive, unpleasant thoughts and/or repetitive behaviors.

Rumination

In depression, tendency to repetitively and passively dwell on one's depressed symptoms, their meanings, and their consequences.

Body dysmorphic disorder

Involves excessive preoccupation with an imagined deflect in physical appearance.

Psychological Disorder

Is a condition characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Safety behavior

Mental and behavior acts designed to reduce anxiety in social situations by reducing the chance of negative social outcomes; common is social anxiety disorder.

Harmful dysfunction

Model of psychological disorders resulting from the inability of an internal mechanism to perform its natural function.

Bipolar disorder

Mood disorder characterized by mood states that vacillate between depression and mania.

Mood disorder

One of a group of disorders characterized by severe disturbances in mood and emotions; the categories of mood disorders listed in the DSM-5 are bipolar and related disorders and depressive disorders.

Depressive disorder

One of a group of mood disorders in which depression is the defining feature.

Manic episode

Period in which an individual experiences mania, characterized by extremely cheerful and euphoric mood, excessive talkativeness, irritability, increased activity levels, and other symptoms.

Panic Attack

Period of extreme fear or discomfort that develops abruptly; symptoms are both physiological and psychological.

Flashback

Psychological state lasting from a few seconds to several days, during which one relives a traumatic event and behaves as though the event were occurring at that moment.

Mania

State of extreme elation and agitation

Psychopathology

Study of psychological disorders including their symptoms, causes, and treatment; manifestation of a psychological disorder.

Seasonal pattern

Subtype of depression in which a person experiences the symptoms of major depressive disorder only during a particular time of year.

Peripartum Onset

Subtype of depression that applies to women who experience an episode of major depression either during pregnancy or in the four weeks following childbirth.

Diathesis Stress Model

Suggests that people with a predisposition for a disorder ( a diathesis) are more likely to develop the disorder when faced with stress; model of psychopathology.

Flight of ideas

Symptom of mania that involves an abruptly switching in conversation from one topic to another.

Suicidal Ideation

Thoughts of death by suicide, thinking about or planning suicide, or making a suicide attempt.