Download Chapter 14 Review

Chapter 14 Review
AP Psychology
Psychological Disorders
Read the chapter and know the following terms and information:
Psychological Disorders- personally distressful
ADHD- Distractibility, fidgeting, jumpy, (watch lots of TV as toddlers- at 7 will display ADHD), US National
Institute of Mental Health development of ADHD is a consequence of genetic influences, eye-tracking device
(to measure ability to focus on an follow spots of light assesses ADHD), maturation fo ADHD brain is normal,
it lags behind peers by about 3 years.
Medical Model- thought that most psychological disorders are biologically based.(like in the nervous system)using the term "sicknesses" is a way to support the medical model of psychological disorders.
Biopsychosocial approach- would consider substance abuse as a interactive influence of nature and nurture on
substance abuse. (it would also try to explain that certain psychological disorders occur only in particular
cultures)
Today's psychologists assume the disordered behavior is influenced by social circumstances, inner
psychological dynamics, genetic predispositions and physiological states.
DSM-IV-TR used to identify psychological disorders (reliable, two psychologists would come up with the same
disorder), must be applied to observable patterns of behaviors.
The law and psychological disorders: insanity decisions are made by the Judicial system
Anxiety Disorders- Anxiety is persistent and distressing- then it is a disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (cannot pinpoint the reason for the agitated and anxious state): tense,
apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic arousal. (is often accompanied by depression)
Panic Disorder- intense dread that lasts for several minutes and a accompanied by shortness of breath,
trembling, dizziness, or heart palpitations.
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Rape victim can experience a panic attack when she sees anyone wearing a coat that resembles the one
worn by her attacker. This reaction best illustrates the process of stimulus generalization.
Phobias-persistent, irrational fear of a specific object or situation.
it is easy to condition but hard it extinguish fears of the type of stimuli that threatened our ancestors. This fact
is best explained from a biological perspective (alligators)
Specific phobia- scared of one particular thing
Social phobia- shy, embarrassed, misses social interactions
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Agoraphobia- psychological disorder because it is personally dysfunctional: avoidance of situation in
which panic may strike (would stay close to home), seclusion
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-repetitive thoughts and unwanted actions (repetitive behavior), like brushing
teeth so many times etc.
Obsession- inability to stop thinking about something (thinking you might try to set your own house on fire)
Compulsions are repetitive thoughts (checking to see if the stove is off)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-distressed dreams and intrusive memories of an intensely fearful and life
threatening experience. (increased personal strength) Cancer survivors who develop a fresh delight in their
children and savor the joy of each new day best illustrate post traumatic growth.
Understanding Anxiety Disorders - some people are more genetically predisposed than other to develop
anxiety disorders.
Fear learning experience can traumatize the brain by creating fear circuit within the Amygdala.
Somatoform Disorders- no apparent physical cause for symptoms a person is experiencing.
Hypochondrias- misinterpretation so of normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease.
Blindness and paralysis
Conversion Disorders- physical symptoms, such as blindness or paralysis that make no physiological sense.
(Freud tried to understand and treat psychological disorders stemmed form his puzzlement over conversion
disorders)
Dissociative Disorders
 Dissociative Identity Disorder- detach themselves form the experience of severe and prolonged abuse
 Dramatic increase in reported cases of dissociative identity disorder during the past 40 or dos years most
strongly suggests that symptoms of this disorder involve
 DID
 Disturbances of Memory is a major characteristic of DID
 Disruptions in conscious awareness and sense of identity
Mood Disorders
Major Depressive Disorder Number one reason people seek mental health services is depression
 Worthlessness
 Two weeks of the major depressive disorder signs
 Compared to men, women are more likely to be diagnosed as suffering from depression
 Western individualism is most clearly responsible for an increase in depression
 Initiation of the vicious cycle of depression is often caused by stressful life experiences.
 Left frontal lobe show reduced brain activity in those that are depressed
 Low norepinephrine levels and low serotonin levels associated with depression
 Learned helplessness is closely associated with depression
 Women more vulnerable to depression than men because women reflect or contemplate on the
negative life events (this is a social cognitive perspective of psychology)
 Suicide raters are higher in rich than power and lower in young men than old men
 Alcohol abuse increased the likelihood of suicide and depressed before raises the likelihood of
suicide. (rich old men alcohol depressed before)
 Psychoanalytic perspective thinks that depression is internalization of anger

Bipolar Disorder (mood disorder)
 Mania is most likely to experiencing by those suffering bipolar disorder
 Mania is likely to characterized as feelings of elation
 Alternations between extreme helplessness and unrealistic optimism

Understanding Mood Disorders
Schizophrenia
 Identical Twins (1/2 will have schizophrenia if the other twin has schizophrenia)
 North America (winter and spring months births are slightly increased risk for schizophrenia)
 Small thalamus which relates to the inability to focus their attention
 PET scans study shows that paranoia is related to increased activity in the amygdale
 Shrinkage of cerebral tissue is most likely associated with schizophrenias
 Cocaine may increase symptoms of schizophrenia by increasing dopamine levels
 Reactive schizophrenia – (acute- fast/rapid coming on) are more likely to recover
 Process schizophrenia- (chronic- long/slow coming on) are less likely to recover
 Repeating of another’s speech or movements is most common among those with catatonic schizophrenia
 Hallucinations experienced by those who suffer from schizophrenia are most likely involved in hearing
things that are not there.
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Seeing one eyed monster would be a hallucination believing you can jump from a building and fly is a
delusion.
False beliefs of persecution may accompany schizophrenia are called delusions
Disorganized and fragmented thinking (associated with schizophrenia)
Disorganized thinking, disturbed perceptions and inappropriate emotions and actions
Personality Disorders
1. Avoidant- which involves a lot of anxiety
2. Schizoid
i.
odd/eccentric behavior
ii.
emotionless and disengagement
3. Historionic
i.
dramatic
ii.
attention getting
4. Antisocial
i. lack of conscience
Antisocial Personality Disorder Frontal lobe cognitive functions has deficits that could cause problems with planning and
organization which is linked to antisocial personality disorders
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Understanding Antisocial Personality Disorder
Rates of Psychological Disorders
 Immigrants have better mental health than native born Americans
 26% of adult Americans have suffered a clinically significant psychological disorder
during the prior year
 The surge of violent crimes in western nations in the last 40 years is best explained with
the biopsychosocial. Approach.
 13 year old boys have been found to have low levels of adrenaline are later convicted of a
crime as 18-26 year olds.