Understanding Psychological Disorders: Deviant, Distressful, and Dysfunctional Behaviors | Study notes Abnormal Psychology

PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

OBJECTIVE 1: Identify the criteria for judging whether

behavior is psychologically disordered.

1. Psychological disorders are persistently harmful

___THOUGTS_______, ____FEELINGS____, and

____ACTIONS______.

2. Psychiatrists and psychologists label behavior disordered

when it is ___DEVIANT______, __DISTRESSFUL__, and

___DYSFUNCTIONAL_____.

3. This definition emphasizes that standards of

acceptability for behavior are ___VARIABLE_____

(constant/variable).

4. ADHD, or ____ATTENTION_____-___DEFICIT___

___HYPERACTIVITY_____ ___DISORDER____ plagues

children who display one or more of three key symptoms:

___INATTENTION____, ___HYPERACTIVITY____, and

___IMPULSIVITY___.

5. ADHD is diagnosed more often in ____BOYS______

(boys/girls). In the past two decades, the proportion of

American children being treated for this disorder

____INCREASED____ (increased/decreased)

dramatically. Experts ___AGREE____ (agree/do not

agree) that ADHD is a real neurobiological disorder.

6. ADHD ___IS_____ (is/is not) heritable, and it ____IS

NOT____ (is/is not) caused by eating too much sugar or

poor schools. ADHD is often accompanied by a

___LEARNING____ disorder or with behavior that is

____DEFIANT____ or temper-prone.

OBJECTIVE 2: Contrast the medical model of psychological

disorders with the biopsychosocial approach to disordered

behavior.

7. The view that psychological disorders are sicknesses is

the basis of the ____MEDICAL_______ model. According

to this view, psychological disorders are viewed as

mental ______ILLNESS______, or

____PSYCHOPATHY______, diagnosed on the basis of

____SYMPTOMS_______ and cured through

___THERAPY________.

8. One of the first reformers to advocate this position and

call for providing more humane living conditions for the

mentally ill was ___PHILIPPE PINEL_____.

9. Today’s psychologists recognize that all behavior arises

from the interaction of ____NATURE_______ and

____NURTURE______. To presume that a person is

“mentally ill” attributes the condition solely to an

___INTERNAL______ problem.

10. Major psychological disorders such as

____DEPRESSION_____ and ___SCHIZOPHRENIA_____

are universal; others, such as _____ANOREXIA____

____NERVOSA_______ and _____BULIMIA______ are

culture-bound. These culture-bound disorders may share

an underlying ______DYNAMIC_____, such as

_____ANXIETY_______, yet differ in their

____SYMPTOMS________.

11. Most mental health workers today take a

____BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL_____ approach, whereby they

assume that disorders are influenced by

____GENETIC________ ____PREDISPOSITIONS____ and

___PHYSIOLOGICAL_____ ____STATES____, inner

___PSYCHOLOGICAL______ _____DYNAMICS______, and

_____SOCIAL_________ and ____CULTURAL_____

circumstances.

OBJECTIVE 3: Describe the goals and content of the

DSM-IV.

12. The most widely used system for classifying

psychological disorders is the American Psychiatric

Association manual, commonly known by its

abbreviation, _____DSM-IV_____. This manual defines a

_____DIAGNOSTIC_______ process and _____16_______

(how many?) clinical syndromes.

13. Independent diagnoses made with the current manual

generally ______SHOW_________ (show/do not show)

agreement.

14. One criticism of the DSM-IV is that as the number of

disorder categories has _____INCREASED_______

(increased/decreased), the number of adults who meet

the criteria for at least one psychiatric ailment has

_____INCREASED______ (increased/decreased).

OBJECTIVE 4: Discuss the potential dangers and benefits of

using diagnostic labels.

15. Studies have shown that labeling has ____A

SIGNIFICANT______ (little/a significant) effect on our

interpretation of individuals and their behavior.

Outline the pros and cons of labeling psychological

disorders.

PSYCHOLOGICAL LABELS MAY BE ARBITRARY.

THEY CAN CREATE PRECONCEPTIONS THAT BIAS

OUR PERCEPTIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS AND

THEY CAN AFFECT PEOPLE’S SELF-IMAGES.

MOREOVER, LABELS CAN CHANGE REALITY, BY

SERVING AS SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES.

DESPITE THESE DRAWBACKS, LABELS ARE

USEFUL IN DESCRIBING, TREATING AND

RESEARCHING THE CAUSES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL

DISORDERS.

UNIT 12: ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

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PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

OBJECTIVE 1: Identify the criteria for judging whether behavior is psychologically disordered.

Psychological disorders are persistently harmful ___THOUGTS_______, ____FEELINGS____, and ____ACTIONS______.
Psychiatrists and psychologists label behavior disordered when it is ___DEVIANT______, DISTRESSFUL, and ___DYSFUNCTIONAL_____.
This definition emphasizes that standards of acceptability for behavior are ___VARIABLE_____ (constant/variable).
ADHD, or ____ATTENTION_____-DEFICIT ___HYPERACTIVITY_____ ___DISORDER____ plagues children who display one or more of three key symptoms: ___INATTENTION____, ___HYPERACTIVITY____, and IMPULSIVITY.
ADHD is diagnosed more often in ____BOYS______ (boys/girls). In the past two decades, the proportion of American children being treated for this disorder ____INCREASED____ (increased/decreased) dramatically. Experts ___AGREE____ (agree/do not agree) that ADHD is a real neurobiological disorder.
ADHD ___IS_____ (is/is not) heritable, and it ____IS NOT____ (is/is not) caused by eating too much sugar or poor schools. ADHD is often accompanied by a ___LEARNING____ disorder or with behavior that is ____DEFIANT____ or temper-prone. OBJECTIVE 2: Contrast the medical model of psychological disorders with the biopsychosocial approach to disordered behavior.
The view that psychological disorders are sicknesses is the basis of the ____MEDICAL_______ model. According to this view, psychological disorders are viewed as mental ______ILLNESS______, or ____PSYCHOPATHY______, diagnosed on the basis of ____SYMPTOMS_______ and cured through ___THERAPY________.
One of the first reformers to advocate this position and call for providing more humane living conditions for the mentally ill was ___PHILIPPE PINEL_____.
Today’s psychologists recognize that all behavior arises from the interaction of ____NATURE_______ and ____NURTURE______. To presume that a person is “mentally ill” attributes the condition solely to an ___INTERNAL______ problem.
Major psychological disorders such as ____DEPRESSION_____ and ___SCHIZOPHRENIA_____ are universal; others, such as _____ANOREXIA____ ____NERVOSA_______ and _____BULIMIA______ are culture-bound. These culture-bound disorders may share an underlying ______DYNAMIC_____, such as _____ANXIETY_______, yet differ in their ____SYMPTOMS________.
Most mental health workers today take a ____BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL_____ approach, whereby they assume that disorders are influenced by ____GENETIC________ ____PREDISPOSITIONS____ and ___PHYSIOLOGICAL_____ ____STATES____, inner ___PSYCHOLOGICAL______ _____DYNAMICS______, and _____SOCIAL_________ and ____CULTURAL_____ circumstances. OBJECTIVE 3: Describe the goals and content of the DSM-IV.
The most widely used system for classifying psychological disorders is the American Psychiatric Association manual, commonly known by its abbreviation, _____DSM-IV_____. This manual defines a _____DIAGNOSTIC_______ process and _____ 16 _______ (how many?) clinical syndromes.
Independent diagnoses made with the current manual generally ______SHOW_________ (show/do not show) agreement.
One criticism of the DSM-IV is that as the number of disorder categories has _____INCREASED_______ (increased/decreased), the number of adults who meet the criteria for at least one psychiatric ailment has _____INCREASED______ (increased/decreased). OBJECTIVE 4: Discuss the potential dangers and benefits of using diagnostic labels.
Studies have shown that labeling has ____A SIGNIFICANT______ (little/a significant) effect on our interpretation of individuals and their behavior. Outline the pros and cons of labeling psychological disorders. PSYCHOLOGICAL LABELS MAY BE ARBITRARY. THEY CAN CREATE PRECONCEPTIONS THAT BIAS OUR PERCEPTIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS AND THEY CAN AFFECT PEOPLE’S SELF-IMAGES. MOREOVER, LABELS CAN CHANGE REALITY, BY SERVING AS SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES. DESPITE THESE DRAWBACKS, LABELS ARE USEFUL IN DESCRIBING, TREATING AND RESEARCHING THE CAUSES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS.

UNIT 12 : ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

ANXIETY DISORDERS

OBJECTIVE 5: Define anxiety disorders , and explain how these conditions differ from normal feelings of stress, tension, or uneasiness.

Anxiety disorders are psychological disorders characterized by ____DISTRESSING, PERSISTENT ANXIETY OR MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIORS THAT REDUCE ANXIETY______. The key to differentiating anxiety disorders from normal anxiety is in the ____INTENSITY______ and the ___PERSISTENCE____ of the anxiety.
Four anxiety disorders discussed in the textbook are ____GENERALIZED______ ____ANXIETY_____ DISORDER_______, ______PANIC ___DISORDER______, ____PHOBIAS______, and ___OBSESSIVE______-____COMPULSIVE_____ ____DISORDER_______. OBJECTIVE 6: Contrast the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
When a person is continually tense, apprehensive and physiologically aroused for no apparent reason, he or she is diagnosed as suffering from a ____GENERALIZED______ ____ANXIETY_____ disorder. In Freud’s term, the anxiety is ____FREE______- ____FLOATING_____.
In generalized anxiety disorder, the body reacts physiologically with the arousal of the ____AUTONOMIC___ nervous system. In some instances, anxiety may intensify dramatically and unpredictably be accompanied by chest pain or choking, for example; people with these symptoms are said to have _____PANIC_____ DISORDER. This anxiety may escalate into a minutes-long episode of intense fear, or a ____PANIC______ ____ATTACK______.
People who fear situations in which escape or help might not be possible when panic strikes suffer from ___AGOROPHOBIA_____. OBJECTIVE 7: Explain how a phobia differs from the fears we all experience.
When a person has an irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation, the diagnosis is a ____PHOBIA______. Although in many situations, the person can live with the problem, some ___SPECIFIC_____ ____PHOBIAS______, such as a fear of thunderstorms, are incapacitating.
When a person has an intense fear of being scrutinized by others, the diagnosis is a ____SOCIAL___ ____PHOBIA_____. OBJECTIVE 8: Describe the symptoms of obsessive- compulsive disorder. 8. When a person cannot control repetitive thoughts and actions, an ____OBSESSIVE_______- ____COMPULSIVE_______ disorder is diagnosed. 9. Older people are ______LESS____ (more/less) likely than teens and young adults to suffer from this disorder. OBJECTIVE 9: Describe the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and discuss survivor resiliency. 10. Traumatic stress, such as that associated with witnessing atrocities or combat, can produce ___POST______-_____TRAUMATIC_______ _____STRESS________ disorder. The symptoms of this disorder include ______HAUNTING_____ ____MEMORIES_______, ____NIGHTMARES_____, _____SOCIAL_______ _____WITHDRAWAL_____, ______JUMPY_______ ______ANXIETY_____, and ____INSOMNIA_________. Despite such symptoms, some psychologists believe this disorder is OVERDIAGNOSED_____. 11. Researchers who believe this disorder may be overdiagnosed point to the ____SURVIVOR ____RESILIENCY________ of most people who suffer trauma. Also, suffering can lead to ____POST_______- _____TRAUMATIC________ GROWTH______, in which people experience an increased appreciation for life. OBJECTIVE 10: Discuss the contributions of the learning and biological perspectives to our understanding of the development of anxiety disorders. 12. Freud assumed that anxiety disorders are symptoms of submerged mental energy that derives from intolerable impulses that were _____REPRESSED______ during childhood. 13. Learning theorists, drawing on research in which rats are given unpredictable shocks, link general anxiety with ____CLASSICAL_____ conditioning of _____FEARS_________. 14. Some fears arise from ______STIMULUS ____GENERALIZATION____, such as when a person who fears heights after a fall also comes to fear airplanes. 15. Phobias and compulsive behaviors reduce anxiety and thereby are _____REINFORCED____. Through ____OBSERVATIONAL______ learning, someone might also learn fear by seeing others display their own fears. 16. Humans probably ____ARE_______ (are/are not) biologically prepared to develop certain fears. Compulsive acts typically are exaggerations of behaviors that contributed to our species’ _____SURVIVAL______. 17. The anxiety response probably _____IS________ (is/is not) genetically influenced. 18. PET scans of persons with obsessive-compulsive disorder reveal excessive activity in a brain region called the ____ANTERIOR______ _____CINGULATE____ cortex.

OBJECTIVE 14: Summarize the contributions of the biological perspective to the study of depression, and discuss the link between suicide and depression.

Mood disorders ______TEND___ (tend/do not tend) to run in families. Studies of ____TWINS___ also reveal that genetic influences on mood disorders are ____STRONG___ (weak/strong).
To determine which genes are involved in depression, researchers use ____LINKAGE_____ ____ANALYSIS_______, in which they examine the ____DNA_________ of both affected and unaffected family members. Using _____ASSOCIATIVE____ studies, they also search for correlations between DNA variation and population traits.
Depression may also be caused by ____LOW_____ (high/low) levels of two neurotransmitters, ____NOREPINEPHRINE___ and EPINEPHRINE_.
Drugs that alleviate mania reduce NOREPINEPHRINE____; drugs that relieve depression increase _____NOREPINEPHRINE or ____SEROTONIN____ supplies by blocking either their __REUPTAKE____ or their chemical BREAKDOWN.
People with depression also have lower levels in their diet of the ___OMEGA- 3 ____ fatty acid. Countries such as ____JAPAN_____, where people consume more ___FISH____ that are rich in this fatty acid, tend to have ____LOW_____ (high/low) rates of depression.
The brains of depressed people tend to be ____LESS_____ (more/less) active, especially in the area of the ___LEFT______ ___FRONTAL_____ lobe. In severely depressed patients, this brain area may also be ___SMALLER____ (smaller/larger) in size. The brain’s __HIPPOCAMPUS____, which is important in processing ____MEMORIES_____, is vulnerable to stress-related damage. Anti-depressant drugs that boost ___SEROTONIN____ may promote recovery by stimulating neurons in this area of the brain. OBJECTIVE 15: Summarize the contributions of the social- cognitive perspective to the study of depression, and describe the events in the cycle of depression.
According to the social-cognitive perspective, depression may be linked with ______SELF___-____DEFEATING____ beliefs and a ____NEGATIVE_____ ___EXPLANATORY____ style.
Such beliefs may arise from ____LEARNED__ ___HELPLESSNESS____, the feeling that can arise when the individual repeatedly experiences uncontrollable, painful events.
Gender differences in UNCONTROLLABLE ___STRESS______ help explain why women have been twice as vulnerable to depression. Describe how depressed people differ from others in their explanations of failure and how such explanations tend to feed depression.
Research studies suggest that depressing thoughts usually ____COINCIDE WITH__ (precede/follow/coincide with) a depressed mood.
Depression-prone people respond to bad events in an especially ____SELF-FOCUSED___, SELF-BLAMING way.
According to Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, when trouble strikes, men tend to ____ACT____ and women tend to ___THINK (OR OVERTHINK)____.
Being withdrawn, self-focused, and complaining tends to elicit social REJECTION (empathy/rejection). Outline the vicious cycle of depression. DEPRESSION IS OFTEN BROUGHT ON BY STRESSFUL EXPERIENCES. DEPRESSED PEOPLE BROOD OVER SUCH EXPERIENCES WITH MALADAPTIVE EXPLANATIONS THAT PRODUCE SELF-BLAME AND AMPLIFY THEIR DEPRESSION. IN ADDITION, BEING WITHDRAWN AND COMPLAINING TENDS TO ELICIT SOCIAL REJECTION AND OTHER NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES. SCHIZOPHRENIA OBJECTIVE 16: Describe the symptoms of schizophrenia, and differentiate delusions and hallucinations.
Schizophrenia, or “split mind,” refers not to a split personality, but rather to a split from REALITY.
Three manifestations of schizophrenia are disorganized __THINKING_____, disturbed ___PERCEPTIONS____, and inappropriate ____EMOTIONS____ and ___ACTIONS____.
The distorted, false beliefs of schizophrenia patients are called DELUSIONS.
Many psychologists attribute the disorganized thinking of schizophrenia to a breakdown in the capacity for ___SELECTIVE______ ___ATTENTION____.
The disturbed perceptions of people suffering from schizophrenia may take the form of HALLUCINATIONS_, which usually are ___AUDITORY____ (visual/auditory).
Some victims of schizophrenia lapse into a zombielike state of apparent apathy, or ____FLAT____ AFFECT_____; others, who exhibit ____CATATONIA, may remain motionless for hours and then become agitated.

OBJECTIVE 17: Distinguish the five subtypes of schizophrenia, and contrast chronic and acute schizophrenia.

The term schizophrenia describes a ____CLUSTER OF DISORDERS___ (single disorder/cluster of disorders).
Positive symptoms of schizophrenia include ____DISORGANIZED AND DELUDED THINKING, INAPPROPRIATE EMOTIONS ________. Negative symptoms include ____ EXPRESSIONLESS FACES, TONELESS VOICES, MUTE OR RIGID BODIES ______.
When schizophrenia develops slowly (called CHRONIC OR PROCESS schizophrenia) recovery is _____LESS_____ (more/less) likely than when it develops rapidly in reaction to particular life stresses (called ACUTE (OR REACTIVE)_ schizophrenia). OBJECTIVE 18: Outline some abnormal brain chemistry, functions, and structures associated with schizophrenia, and discuss the possible link between prenatal viral infections and schizophrenia.
The brain tissue of schizophrenia patients has been found to have an excess of receptors for the neurotransmitter DOPAMINE. Drugs that block these receptors have been found to __DECREASE____ (increase/decrease) schizophrenia symptoms. Drugs that interfere with receptors for the neurotransmitter GLUTAMATE can produce negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Brain scans have shown that many people suffering from schizophrenia have abnormally ___LOW_____ (high/low) brain activity in the ___FRONTAL_____ lobes.
Enlarged, ____FLUID______-filled areas and a corresponding ____SHRINKAGE_____ of cerebral tissue is also characteristic of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia patients also have a smaller-than-normal _____THALAMUS_____, which may account for their difficulty in filtering _____SENSORY INPUT_____ and focusing ATTENTION.
Some scientists contend that the brain abnormalities of schizophrenia may be caused by a prenatal problem, such as LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, birth complications such as ____OXYGEN__ DEPRIVATION, or a VIRAL ___INFECTION_____ contracted by the mother. OBJECTIVE 19: Discuss the evidence for a genetic contribution to the development of schizophrenia.
Twin and adoptive studies SUPPORT (support/do not support) the contention that heredity plays a role in schizophrenia.
The role of prenatal environment in schizophrenia is demonstrated by the fact that identical twins who share the same PLACENTA, and are therefore more likely to experience the same prenatal ____VIRUSES____, are more likely to share the disorder.
1. Adoption studies _____CONFIRM____ (confirm/do not confirm) a genetic link in the development of schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE 20: Describe some psychological factors that may be early warning signs of schizophrenia in children.
2. It appears that for schizophrenia to develop there must be both a ____GENETIC___ predisposition and some _PSYCHOLOGICAL trigger. List some of the warning signs of schizophrenia in high- risk children. SUCH SIGNS MAY INCLUDE SEVERE, LONG-LASTING SCHIZOPHRENIA IN THE MOTHER; COMPLICATIONS AT BIRTH AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT; SEPARATION FROM PARENTS; SHORT ATTENTION SPAN AND POOR MUSCLE COORDINATION; DISRUPTIVE OR WITHDRAWN BEHAVIOR; EMOTIONAL UNPREDICATABILITY; AND POOR PEER RELATIONS AND SOLO PLAY. PERSONALITY DISORDERS OBJECTIVE 21: Contrast the three clusters of personality disorders, and describe the behaviors and brain activity associated with the antisocial personality disorder.
3. Personality disorders exist when an individual has character traits that are enduring and impair ____SOCIAL____ ___FUNCTIONING____.
4. A fearful sensitivity to rejection may predispose the _AVOIDANT____ personality disorder. Eccentric behaviors, such as emotionless disengagement, are characteristic of the SCHIZOID personality disorder. A person with _____HISTRIONIC personality disorder displays shallow, attention-getting emotions. A person who exaggerates his or her own importance exhibits a _NARCISSISTIC personality disorder, and a person who has an unstable identity and unstable relationships is considered ___BORDERLINE____.
5. An individual who seems to have no conscience, lies, steals, is generally irresponsible and may be criminal is said to have an ___ANTISOCIAL____ personality. Previously, this person was labeled a ___PSYCHOPATH OR SOCIOPATH____.
6. Studies of biological relatives of those with antisocial and unemotional tendencies suggest that there IS (is/is not) a biological predisposition to such traits.
7. Some studies have detected early signs of antisocial behavior in children as young as THREE TO SIX. Antisocial adolescents tended to have been IMPULSIVE____, UNINHIBITED, unconcerned with ____SOCIAL ____REWARDS__, and low in ___ANXIETY____.
8. PET scans of murderers’ brains reveal reduced activity in the ____FRONTAL__ _____LOBE___.
9. As in other disorders, in antisocial personality, genetics IS NOT (is/is not) the whole story.

Understanding Psychological Disorders: Deviant, Distressful, and Dysfunctional Behaviors, Study notes of Abnormal Psychology

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PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

UNIT 12 : ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

ANXIETY DISORDERS