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abnormal psych test 2
n/a
74
Psychology
Undergraduate 3
10/09/2011

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Term
anxiety
Definition
a negative mood state characterized by bodily symptoms of physical tension and by apprehension about the future.
- a future-oriented mood state
Term
fear
Definition
a response to an actual threat
Term
fight or flight
Definition
to escape or fight back
Term
panic
Definition
-roots are deeply embedded in our cultural myths
-
Term
panic attack
Definition
-defined as an abrupt experience of intense fear or acute discomfort, accompanied by physical symptoms that include heart palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, and dizziness
Term
three types of panic attacks
Definition
-situationally bound
-unexpected
-situationally predisposed
Term
situationally bound panic attacks
Definition
has attacks only in certain situations
Term
unexpected panic attacks
Definition
you dont have a clue when or where the next attack will take place
Term
situationally predisposed panic attacks
Definition
you are more likely to, but not inevitably, have an attack where you have had one before
Term
causes of anxiety disorders
Definition
- inherit a tendency to be tense and uptight
-also associated with specific brain circuits and neurotransmitter systems
-area of brain most often asssociated with anxiety is limbic system
Term
behavioral inhibition system (BIS)
Definition
-activated by signals from the brain stem of unexpected events, such as major changes in body functioning that might signal danger
-this system leads from the septal and hipocampal area in the limbic system to the frontal cortex
Term
fight/flight system (FFS)
Definition
-this circuit originates in the brain stem and travels through the several midbrain structures, including the amygdala, the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and the central gray matter
Term
external cues
Definition
places or situations similar to the one where the initial panic attack occurred
Term
internal cues
Definition
increases in heart rate or respiration that were associated with the initial panic attack, even if they are now the result of normal circumstances
Term
triple vulnerability theory
Definition
-generalized biological vulnerability
-generalized psychological vulnerability
-specific psychological vulnerability
Term
generalized biological vulnerability
Definition
the tendency to be uptight or highstrung might be inherited
Term
generalized physcological vulnerability
Definition
having the strong perception that the things are dangerous and out of your control and you may not be able to cope when things go wrong based on early experiences
Term
specific psychological vulnerability
Definition
when you learn from early experience, such as being taught by your parents, that some situations or objects are fraught with danger (even if they aren't)
Term
comorbidity
Definition
the co-occurence of two or more disorders in a single individual
Term
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (clinical description)
Definition
-characterized by muscle tension, mental agitation, susceptibility to fatigue, irritability, difficulty sleeping
- mostly worry about minor, everyday life events
-prevalent among the elderly
Term
causes of GAD
Definition
-tends to run in families
-having early stressful experiences where they learned that the world is dangerous and out of control
-engage in frantic, intense thought processes or worry without accompanying images
Term
treatment of GAD
Definition
-benzodiazepines are often prescribed
-therapy
-cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT)
- patients evoke the worry process during therapy sessions and confront anxiety-provoking images and thoughts head-on
Term
gocnitive dissonance
Definition
a discomfort caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously
Term
yerkes-dodson curve
Definition
The law dictates that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point.
Term
brain structures involved in dealing with fear and stress
Definition
-amygdala
-ventromedial prefrontal cortex
-medial prefrontal cortex
-prefrontal cortex
Term
panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA)
Definition
individuals experience severe, unexpected panic attacks and dont like being in situations where they feel unsafe
Term
agoraphobia
Definition
fear and avoidance of situations in which they would feel unsafe in the event of a panic attack or symptoms
Term
interoceptive avoidance
Definition
avoidance of internal physical sensations
Term
cause of nocturnal panic
Definition
the change in stages of sleep to slow wave sleep produces physical sensations of "letting go"that are frightening to an individual with a panic disorder
Term
sleep apnea
Definition
an interruption of breathing during sleep that may feel like suffocation
Term
isolated sleep paralysis
Definition
-occurs during the transitional state between sleep and waking
- during this period, the individual is unable to move and experiences a surge of terror that resembles a panic attack
Term
panic control treatment(PCT)
Definition
concentrates on exposing patients with panic disorder to the cluster of interoceptive sensations that remind them of their panic attacks
Term
specific phobia
Definition
an irrational fear of a specific object or situation that markedly interferes with an individuals ability to function
Term
blood-injury-injection phobia
Definition
almost always differ in their physiological reaction from people with other types of phobia
- average onset is 9 years
Term
situational phobias
Definition
phobias characterized by fear of public transportation or enclosed places
-tend to emerge in mid 20's

ex: claustraphobia,phobia of planes
Term
natural environment phobia
Definition
develop fears of situations or events occurring in nature
- peak age of onset of about 7 years

ex: heights, storms, and water
Term
animal phobia
Definition
fear of animals and insects
-age of onset peaksaround 7 years
Term
seperation anxiety disorder
Definition
characterized by childrens unrelaistic and persistent worry that something will happen to their parents or other important people in their life or that something will happen to the children themselves
Term
social phobia
Definition
people who suffer severely around others
Term
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Definition
a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you've seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death.
Term
causes of post-traumatic stress disorder
Definition
-changes the body's response to stress.
-It affects the stress hormones and chemicals that carry information between the nerves (neurotransmitters).
Term
symptoms of PTSD
Definition
-reliving the event,which disturbs day to day activity
- avoidance
-arousal
Term
symptoms of PTSD
Definition
-reliving the event,which disturbs day to day activity
- avoidance
-arousal
Term
treatment
Definition
-desensitization
-support groups
-medication- antidepressants
Term
obsessive compulsive disorder
Definition
an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions).
Term
symptoms of OCD
Definition
-•Obsessions or compulsions that are not due to medical illness or drug use
- •Obsessions or compulsions that cause major distress or interfere with everyday life
Term
obsessions
Definition
repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas or sensations
Term
compulsions
Definition
behaviors that make them feel driven to do something
Term
hypochondriasis
Definition
a belief that physical symptoms are signs of a serious illness, even when there is no medical evidence to support the presence of an illness.
Term
somatization disorder
Definition
a long-term (chronic) condition in which a person has physical symptoms that involve more than one part of the body, but no physical cause can be found
Term
causes of somatization disorder
Definition
People with this disorder have many physical complaints that last for years. Most often, the complaints involve chronic pain and problems with the digestive system, nervous system, and reproductive system.
- stress often worsens the symptoms
Term
treatment of somatization disorder
Definition
talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy
Term
conversion disorder
Definition
a condition in which a person has blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation.
Term
causes of conversion disorder
Definition
- can begin suddenly after a sudden experience
-People are more at risk for a conversion disorder if they also have a medical illness, dissociative disorder, or a personality disorder.
- may occur because of a psychological conflict
Term
symptoms of conversion disorder
Definition
include the loss of bodily functions such as:
- blindness
-inability to speak
-numbness
-paralysis
Term
treatment of conversion disorder
Definition
-talk therapy (psychotherapy)
-stress management training
-affected body parts will need physical therapy
Term
pain disorder
Definition
when a patient experiences chronic pain in one or more areas, and is thought to be caused by psychological stress.
Term
treatment of pain disorder
Definition
antidepressants and talk therapy
Term
body dysmorphic disorder
Definition
in which the affected person is excessively concerned about and preoccupied by a perceived defect in his or her physical features
Term
causes of body dysmorphic disorder
Definition
- most clinicians believe it could be a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors from their past or present. Abuse and neglect can also be contributing factors
Term
symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder
Definition
depression, social phobia, and obsessive compulsive disorder
Term
treatment of body dysmorphic disorder
Definition
psychotherapy and medication
Term
malingering
Definition
deliberately faking symptoms
Term
secondary gain
Definition
benefits of illness
Term
factitious disorder
Definition
fake
Term
dissociative disorder
Definition
-involve severe detachments or alterations
-affects identity, memory or consciousness
Term
dissociative amnesia
Definition
inablilty to recall personal info, usually of a stressful or traumatic nature.
-dissociative amnesia is common during war.
-in most cases forgetting is selective for traumatic events.
Term
generalized amnesia
Definition
people who are unable to remember anything including who they are. it may be lifelong or may extend from from a period in the more recent past, such as 6 months or a year.
Term
localized or selective amnesia
Definition
failure to recall specific events, usually traumatic, that occur during a specific period.
Term
depersonalization disorder
Definition
- when feelings of unreality are so severe and frightening that they dominate an individuals life and prevent functioning.
-
Term
acute PTSD
Definition
can be diagnosed 1 month after the event occurs
Term
chronic PTSD
Definition
when PTSD continues longer than 3 months
Term
acute stress disorder
Definition
-PTSD occurring within the first month after the trauma
Term
catharsis
Definition
reliving emotional trauma to releive emotional suffering
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