Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders Vocabulary

Front 1

Medical Model

Back 1

The conceptualization of psychological disorders asdiseases that, like physical diseases, have biological causes, definedsymptoms, and possible cures

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DSM-IV-TR

Back 2

A classification system that describes thatfeatures used to diagnose each recognized mental disorder and indicates how thedisorder can be distinguished from other, similar problems

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Comorbidity

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The co-occurrence of two or more disorders in asingle individual

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Diathesis-stress model

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Suggests that a person may be predisposed for amental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress

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Anxiety disorder

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The class of mental disorder in which anxiety isthe predominant feature

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Generalized anxiety disorders (GAD)

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A disorder characterized by excessive worryaccompanied by three or more of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentrationproblems, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance

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Phobic disorders

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Disorders characterized by marked, persistent, andexcessive fear and avoidance of specific objects, activities, and situations

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Specific phobia

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A disorder that involves an irrational fear of aparticular object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual’sability to function

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Social phobia

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A disorder that involves an irrational fear ofbeing publicly humiliated or embarrassed

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Preparedness theory

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The idea that people are instinctively predisposedtowards certain fears

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Panic disorder

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A disorder characterized by the sudden occurrenceof multiple psychological and physiological symptoms that contribute to afeeling of stark terror

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

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A disorder in which repetitive, intrusive thoughts(obsessions) and ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) designed to fend off thosethoughts interfere significantly with an individual’s functioning

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Mood disorders

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Mental disorders that have mood disturbance astheir predominant feature

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Major depressive disorder

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A disorder characterized by a severely depressedmood that lasts 2 weeks or more and is accompanied by feelings of worthlessnessand lack of pleasure, lethargy, and sleep and appetite disturbances

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Dysthymia

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A disorder that involves the same symptoms of depressiononly less severe, but the symptoms last longer, persisting for at least 2 years

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Double depression

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A moderately depressed mood that persists for atleast 2 years and is punctuated by periods of major depression

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Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

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Depression that involves recurrent depressive episodesin a seasonal pattern

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Hopelessness theory

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The idea that individuals who are prone todepression automatically attribute negative experiences to causes that areinternal (i.e., their own fault), stable (i.e., unlikely to change), and global(i.e., widespread)

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Bipolar disorder

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An unstable emotional condition characterized bycycles of abnormal, persistent high mood, persistent high mood (mania) and lowmood (depression)

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Schizophrenia

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A disorder characterized by the profound disruptionof basic psychological processes; a distorted perception of reality; altered orblunted emotion; and disturbances in thought, motivation, and behavior

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Delusion

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A patently false belief system, often bizarre andgrandiose, that is maintained in spite of its irrationality

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Hallucination

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A false perceptual experience that has a compellingsense of being real despite the absence of external stimulation

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Disorganized speech

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A severe disruption of verbal communication inwhich ideas shift rapidly and incoherently from one to another unrelated topic

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Grossly disorganized behavior

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Behavior that is inappropriate for the situation orineffective in attaining goals, often with specific motor disturbances

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Catatonic behavior

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A marked decrease in all movement or an increase inmuscular rigidity and overactivity

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Negative symptoms

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Emotional and social withdrawal; apathy; poverty ofspeech; and other indications of the absence or insufficiency of normalbehavior, motivation, and emotion

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Dopamine hypothesis

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The idea that schizophrenia involves an excess ofdopamine activity