Ab Psych

• Psychological Disorder


  Psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
• Psychological Dysfunction


  Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning that interferes with daily functioning
• Distress or Impairment


  Individual is extremely upset and cannot function properly, either to self or to others
• Atypical or Not Culturally Expected (Deviance)


  Deviates from the average or the norm of the culture, not just to the society but deviation from the person's usual behavior
• Dangerousness


  • Creates potential harm to self (suicidal gestures) and others (excessive aggression)
• Duration


  How long the mental state has been persisting; constant fluctuation of mood, thoughts, and behaviors is normal, but if changes are sustained, persistent and pervasive, it can be concerning
• Psychopathology


  Scientific study of mental disorders
• Clinical Psychology


  Applied branch of psychology that seeks to understand, assess, and treat psychological conditions in a clinical setting
• Abnormal Psychology


  Branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotions, and thought which may or may not indicate an underlying condition
• Normal Behavior


  One behavior that is like other people in the society; normality is social conformity, personal comfort, and a process
• Criteria for determining Abnormal Behavior

  • Norm-violation
  • Statistical rarity
  • Personal Discomfort
  • Deviation
  • Maladaptiveness
• Clinical Assessment


  The systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in an individual presenting with a possible psychological disorder
• Diagnosis


  Process of determining whether the particular problem afflicting the individual meets all criteria for a psychological disorder
• Epidemiology


  Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in a given population
• Prevalence


  Number of active cases in a population during a given period of time
• Point Prevalence


  Proportion of actual, active cases of a disorder in a given population at a given point in time
• 1 Year Prevalence


  Everyone who experienced depression at any point in time throughout the entire year
• Lifetime Prevalence


  Estimate number of people who have had a particular disorder at any time in their lives
• Incidence


  Number of new cases occur over a given period of time
• Sign


  Manifestation of disease that the physicians receive
• Symptom


  Subjective representation of the complaints of the patient
• Syndrome


  Group of symptoms that occur together more often by chance
• One-Dimensional


  Looking for a single cause
• Multidimensional


  Looking for a systemic cause
• Genes


  Long molecules of DNA at various locations on chromosomes, within cell nucleus
• Basic Genetic Epidemiology


  Statistical analysis of family, twin, and adoption studies; if the disorder can be inherited and how much is attributable to genetics
• Advanced Genetic Epidemiology


  Studies the factors that influence the disorder
• Gene Finding


  What gene influences the behavior
• Molecular Genetics


  Biological analysis of individual DNA samples; biological processes genes affect to produce symptoms of the disorder
• Family Studies


  Examine behavioral pattern or emotional trait in the context of the family
• Proband

  Family member with the trait singled out for study
• Adoption Studies


  Identify adoptees who have a particular behavioral pattern or psychological disorder and attempt to locate first-degree relatives who were raised in different family settings
• Twin Studies


  Usually conducted to identical twins because they share genetic makeup
• Those people who reported more severe stressful life events and had at least one short allele of the 5-HTT gene were at greater risk of developing depression
• Epigenetics


  Factors other than inherited DNA sequence, such as new learning or stress, that alter the phenotypic expression of genes
• Neuroscience


  Study of the nervous system, especially the brain to understand behavior, emotions, and cognitive processes
• Synapse


  A tiny fluid-filled space between the axon endings of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another neuron
• Agonist


  Effectively increase the activity of the neurotransmitters (Excitatory)
• Antagonist


  Decrease or block neurotransmitter (Inhibitory)
• Inverse Agonists


  Produces effects opposite to those produced by the neurotransmitters