Unit 8: Clinical Psychology

• psychological disorder: deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional behavior patterns
• medical model: view of mental illness as due to a physical disorder requiring medical treatment
• Philipe Pinel: French man who said the medical model should be applied to people with mental disorders
• biopsychosocial approach: an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
• David Rosenhan Study: Researcher sent eight healthy individuals to hospital, complaining of hearing voices saying "empty, dull, thud." They were admitted and given treatment, even when "voices" were no longer present. Proved concern for labeling and admittance.
• DSM-5: the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.
• Epigenetics: the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change
• attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity
• anxiety disorders: disorders in which the main symptom is excessive or irrational worry and fearfulness
• social anxiety disorder: an anxiety disorder involving the extreme and irrational fear of being embarrassed, judged, or scrutinized by others in social situations
• generalized anxiety disorder: an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal
• panic disorder: An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations.
• agoraphobia: fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places
• specific phobia: a disorder that involves an irrational fear of a particular object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual's ability to function
• compulsion: an unreasonable need to behave in a certain way to prevent a feared outcome
• post-traumatic stress disorder: an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience
• major depressive disorder: severe form of lowered mood in which a person experiences feelings of worthlessness and diminished pleasure or interest in many activities
• Serotonin: A neurotransmitter that affects hunger, sleep, arousal, and mood.
• bipolar disorder: mood disorder in one experiences both manic and depressed episodes
• mania: a mood disorder marked by a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state
• Schizophrenia: a psychological disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression
• positive symptoms: symptoms of schizophrenia that are excesses of behavior or occur in addition to normal behavior; hallucinations, delusions, and distorted thinking
• Hallucinations: false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus
• Delusions: false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders
• flat affect: a lack of emotional responsiveness
• dopamine hypothesis: the idea that schizophrenia involves an excess of dopamine activity
• somatic symptom disorder: psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a somatic (bodily) form without apparent physical cause
• conversion disorder: A rare somatoform disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found.
• illness anxiety disorder: a disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease
• dissociative disorders: disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings
• dissociative identity disorder (DID): the occurrence of two or more distinct identities in the same individual
• personality disorders: psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning
• anti-social personality disorder: A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.
• paranoid personality disorder: type of personality disorder characterized by extreme suspiciousness or mistrust of others
• borderline personality disorder: condition marked by extreme instability in mood, identity, and impulse control
• histrionic personality disorder: a personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality and preoccupation with being the center of attention; emotional shallowness; overly dramatic behavior
• dependent personality disorder: A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of clinging and obedience, fear of separation, and an ongoing need to be taken care of.
• avoidant personality disorder: A personality disorder characterized by consistent discomfort and restraint in social situations, overwhelming feelings of inadequacy, and extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation.
• obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: a personality disorder characterized by preoccupation with orderliness, perfection, and control
• Hoarding Disorder: Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value