Abnormal Psychology Chapter
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Questions and Answers

What is the most widely accepted definition of a psychological disorder according to DSM-5?

  • A disorder that only affects behavioral functioning
  • A disorder that has no impact on social functioning
  • A disorder unrelated to culture
  • Behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunctions that are unexpected in their cultural context and associated with distress and impairment (correct)

    • What is the scientific study of psychological disorders called?

    Psychopathology

    Psychiatrists typically earn a Psy.D. degree in medical school.

    False

    The greater the deviation from average, the more ____________ abnormal behavior is considered.

    <p>abnormal</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Hippocrates coined the word hysteria to describe a concept he learned from which culture?

    <p>Egyptians</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Louis Pasteur's germ theory of disease was developed in the 19th century.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who is considered the father of hypnosis?

    <p>Franz Mesmer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Moral therapy as a system originated with the French psychiatrist Philippe Pinel and his close associate Jean-Baptiste __________.

    <p>Pussin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the brain structure with its function:

    <p>Brain stem = Handles essential automatic functions Cerebellum = Controls motor coordination Thalamus and Hypothalamus = Regulating behavior and emotion Limbic system = Located around the edge of the brain, involved in regulation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the predominant characteristic associated with panic according to the text?

    <p>Increased heart rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The majority of individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in clinical samples are male.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the median age of onset for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) based on interviews?

    <p>31</p> Signup and view all the answers

    ______ are most often prescribed for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) but carry risks such as impairment of cognitive and motor functioning.

    <p>Benzodiazepines</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the treatment with the disorder it is commonly prescribed for:

    <p>Benzodiazepines = Generalized Anxiety Disorder Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) = Panic Disorder Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) = Generalized Anxiety Disorder Exposure-based treatments = Agoraphobia</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the feeling state that accompanies what we say at a given point?

    <p>Affect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the systematic evaluation of psychological, biological, and social factors in an individual presenting with a possible psychological disorder?

    <p>Clinical assessment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The flight or fight response is activated during potentially life-threatening emergencies.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The first neuroimaging technique that uses multiple X-ray exposures of the brain from different angles is called a __________ scan.

    <p>computerized axial tomography (CAT) or CT</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following brain imaging techniques with the type of information they provide:

    <p>PET scan = Brain functioning fMRI = Immediate response to an event EEG = Recording low-voltage currents SPECT = Brain functioning using a different tracer substance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is epidemiology?

    <p>The study of incidence, distribution, and consequences of a particular problem or set of problems in populations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Epidemiological research can definitively identify the causes of a particular phenomenon.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the phenomenon known as when behavior changes due to a person's expectation of change rather than experimenter manipulation?

    <p>placebo effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    _____ are the genetic mechanisms that contribute to the underlying problems causing the symptoms and difficulties experienced by people with psychological disorders.

    <p>Endophenotypes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following neurotransmitter systems with their involvement in anxiety:

    <p>GABA–benzodiazepine system = Associated with increased anxiety Serotonergic system = Implicated in anxiety Noradrenergic system = Also implicated in anxiety Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system = Central to the expression of anxiety</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the fight/flight system (FFS) identified by Gray and Graeff?

    <p>circuits involved in immediate alarm-and-escape response</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which structures are part of the limbic system that regulates emotional experiences and expressions, learning, and controlling impulses?

    <p>Hippocampus, Cingulate Gyrus, Amygdala</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which part of the brain contains more than 80% of all neurons in the central nervous system?

    <p>Cerebral Cortex</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The right hemisphere of the brain is primarily responsible for verbal and cognitive processes.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The largest part of the forebrain is the ______, which contains more than 80% of all neurons in the central nervous system. This part of the brain provides us with our distinctly human qualities, allowing us to look to the future and plan, to reason, and to create.

    <p>cerebral cortex</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the neurotransmitter with its description:

    <p>Serotonin = Influences behavior, moods, and thought processes Dopamine = Implicated in schizophrenia, addiction, depression, and ADHD GABA = Inhibitory neurotransmitter, reduces anxiety and overall arousal Glutamate = Excitatory transmitter responsible for 'turning on' neurons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is trichotillomania?

    <p>The urge to pull out one's own hair from anywhere on the body.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common characteristic of animal hoarders?

    <p>Failure to care for animals and provide suitable living conditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Prior to DSM-5, trichotillomania and excoriation were classified as impulse control disorders.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Excoriation disorder is also known as ___.

    <p>skin picking disorder</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the sex ratio among common fears, except for fear of heights?

    <p>Approximately equal</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Separation anxiety disorder usually has its onset around 7 years of age.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the ways in which a phobia can develop according to the text?

    <p>experiencing a false alarm (panic attack) in a specific situation, observing someone else experience severe fear (vicarious experience), being told about danger, or direct experience where real danger or pain results.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Separation anxiety disorder is characterized by children’s unrealistic 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 that will separate them from their ________.

    <p>parents</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following anxiety disorders with their characteristics:

    <p>Selective Mutism = Lack of speech in expected social settings Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) = Exposure to traumatic event leads to reexperiencing and avoidance Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) = Exaggerated shyness and fear of social situations Separation Anxiety Disorder = Worry about separation from loved ones</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What kind of therapy involves reliving emotional trauma to relieve emotional suffering?

    <p>Psychoanalytic therapy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Attachment disorders typically emerge after the age of five.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What kind of disorder describes anxious or depressive reactions to life stress that are milder than PTSD?

    <p>Adjustment disorders</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Obsessions are mostly nonsensical thoughts, images, or urges that the individual tries to resist or eliminate, while compulsions are the thoughts or actions used to suppress the obsessions and provide ______.

    <p>relief</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following disorders with their characteristics:

    <p>Hoarding Disorder = Excessive acquisition of things, difficulty discarding, living with excessive clutter Body Dysmorphic Disorder = Preoccupation with imagined defects in appearance, compulsive behaviors like checking in mirrors Attachment Disorders = Disturbed behaviors in children, failure to form normal attachment relationships</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context

    • Abnormal behavior is a psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected.
    • The concept of impairment is useful, although not entirely satisfactory, and the behavior must be associated with distress to be classified as abnormal.

    Definition of Psychological Disorder

    • The most widely accepted definition used in DSM-5 describes behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunctions that are unexpected in their cultural context and associated with present distress and impairment in functioning, or increased risk of suffering, death, pain, or impairment.

    Psychopathology

    • Psychopathology is the scientific study of psychological disorders.
    • Counseling psychologists tend to study and treat adjustment and vocational issues encountered by relatively healthy individuals.
    • Clinical psychologists concentrate on more severe psychological disorders.

    Professionals in the Field

    • Psychiatrists earn an M.D. degree in medical school and then specialize in psychiatry during residency training, investigating the nature and causes of psychological disorders, making diagnoses, and offering treatments.
    • Psychiatric social workers earn a master's degree in social work, collecting information relevant to the social and family situation of the individual with a psychological disorder, and treating disorders.
    • Psychiatric nurses have advanced degrees, such as a master's or Ph.D., and specialize in the care and treatment of patients with psychological disorders.
    • Marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors typically spend 1-2 years earning a master's degree and provide clinical services.

    Epidemiology

    • Prevalence refers to the number of people in the population as a whole who have a disorder.
    • Incidence refers to the number of new cases that occur during a given period.

    Course of a Disorder

    • The course of a disorder refers to its pattern over time, including chronic, episodic, or time-limited courses.
    • Prognosis refers to the anticipated course of a disorder, including the likelihood of recovery.

    Historical Conceptions of Abnormal Behavior

    • The supernatural tradition attributes abnormal behavior to agents outside the body and environment, such as demons, spirits, or the moon.
    • In the Middle Ages, treatments for abnormal behavior included exorcism, confinement, beatings, and other forms of torture.

    The Biological Tradition

    • The Greek physician Hippocrates is considered the father of modern Western medicine, suggesting that psychological disorders could be treated like any other disease.
    • Hippocrates believed that the brain was the seat of wisdom, consciousness, intelligence, and emotion, and that disorders involving these functions would logically be located in the brain.
    • The humoral theory of disorders attributed disease to an imbalance of four bodily fluids or humors: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm.

    The Psychological Tradition

    • The psychological tradition emphasizes the role of emotional and psychological factors in abnormal behavior.
    • Moral therapy, developed in the 19th century, emphasized treating institutionalized patients as normally as possible in a setting that encouraged and reinforced normal social interaction.
    • Philippe Pinel and Jean-Baptiste Pussin introduced humane and positive psychological interventions, including removing chains used to restrain patients.

    An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

    • No influence operates in isolation, and biological and psychological factors interact and influence each other to create a psychological disorder.
    • Huntington's disease and phenylketonuria (PKU) are examples of disorders caused by genetic defects, but with little contribution from other genes or environmental background.
    • Linkage studies attempt to identify the location of genes contributing to a disorder by studying individuals who share the same disorder and other features, such as eye color.
    • The environment may occasionally turn on certain genes, leading to changes in the number of receptors at the end of a neuron, which affects biochemical functioning in the brain.### Interaction between Genetic Vulnerability and Environmental Stress
    • Genetic vulnerability can increase the likelihood of experiencing stressful life events
    • People with a genetic vulnerability to a certain disorder may have a personality trait that makes them more prone to accidents, for example, impulsiveness
    • The interaction between genetic and environmental factors influences the development of behavior and personality

    The Central Nervous System (CNS)

    • The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord
    • There are two main parts of the CNS: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system

    Neurons

    • Dendrites receive messages from other neurons, which are converted into electrical impulses
    • Axons transmit impulses to other neurons
    • Neurons are not directly connected; there is a small space (synaptic cleft) between them
    • Neurotransmitters are biochemicals that transmit impulses across the synaptic cleft

    Brain Structure

    • The brain stem is the lower, more ancient part of the brain, handling essential automatic functions
    • The forebrain is more advanced and evolved more recently
    • The hindbrain regulates automatic activities, such as breathing, heartbeat, and digestion
    • The cerebellum controls motor coordination and may be associated with autism
    • The midbrain coordinates movement with sensory input and contains parts of the reticular activating system
    • The thalamus and hypothalamus regulate behavior and emotion, and function as a relay between the forebrain and brain stem
    • The limbic system, located at the base of the forebrain, regulates emotional experiences and expressions, and is involved in basic drives such as sex, aggression, hunger, and thirst
    • The basal ganglia, also at the base of the forebrain, control motor activity
    • The cerebral cortex, the largest part of the forebrain, provides distinctly human qualities such as planning, reasoning, and creating

    Brain Regions

    • The temporal lobe is associated with recognizing sights and sounds, and long-term memory storage
    • The parietal lobe is associated with recognizing sensations of touch and monitoring body positioning
    • The occipital lobe is associated with integrating and making sense of visual inputs
    • The frontal lobe is associated with higher cognitive functions, such as thinking, reasoning, and planning, and is involved in psychopathology

    The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

    • The PNS coordinates with the brain stem to ensure the body is functioning properly
    • The PNS has two main components: the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
    • The somatic nervous system controls muscles, while the autonomic nervous system regulates the cardiovascular and endocrine systems
    • The autonomic nervous system has two divisions: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system
    • The sympathetic nervous system mobilizes the body during times of stress or danger, while the parasympathetic nervous system balances the sympathetic system and facilitates the storage of energy

    Endocrine System

    • The endocrine system produces hormones that are released directly into the bloodstream
    • The hypothalamus connects to the pituitary gland, which regulates the endocrine system
    • The pituitary gland stimulates the adrenal glands, which produce epinephrine and cortisol
    • The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis is a system that regulates stress response

    Neurotransmitters

    • Research on neurotransmitter function focuses on changes in activity levels
    • Agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists are used to study neurotransmitter function
    • Neurotransmitters can be classified into two categories: amino acid and monoamine neurotransmitters
    • Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter that "turns on" neurons
    • GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that regulates the transmission of information
    • The GABA system is involved in reducing anxiety, anger, and aggression
    • Serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine are monoamine neurotransmitters that influence behavior, mood, and thought processes
    • SSRIs (selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are used to treat anxiety, mood, and eating disorders
    • Norepinephrine is involved in regulating behavioral tendencies, such as alarm responses and panic
    • Dopamine is involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, addiction, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

    Cognitive Science

    • Cognitive science is concerned with how we acquire and process information, and how we store and retrieve it
    • Learned helplessness is a phenomenon in which organisms learn to feel helpless in the face of uncontrollable events
    • Modeling or observational learning occurs when we learn by observing others
    • Prepared learning refers to the idea that we have evolved to learn about certain types of objects or situations that contribute to the survival of the species

    Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis

    • Clinical assessment is the systematic evaluation of psychological, biological, and social factors in an individual
    • Diagnosis is the process of determining whether a particular problem meets the criteria for a psychological disorder
    • Affect refers to the feeling state that accompanies verbal expressions
    • Neuroimaging techniques, such as CT, MRI, PET, and SPECT scans, are used to visualize the brain structure and function### EEG and ERP
    • EEG (Electroencephalogram) records low-voltage currents from different places on the scalp
    • ERP (Event-Related Potential) records EEG patterns in response to specific events or stimuli

    Research Strategies

    • Idiographic strategy: focuses on individual differences and unique characteristics
    • Nomothetic strategy: focuses on general laws and principles that apply to a group or population
    • Classification: categorizes objects or people based on shared attributes or relations
    • Taxonomy: classification system used in science to categorize entities (e.g., insects, rocks, behaviors)
    • Nosology: classification system used in medicine to categorize diseases or disorders
    • Nomenclature: system of names or labels used to describe diseases or disorders

    History of DSM

    • DSM-I (1952): first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
    • DSM-II (1968): second edition, updated criteria and categories
    • DSM-III (1980): radical changes, introduced multiaxial system and precise diagnostic criteria
    • DSM-IV (1994): updated criteria, eliminated distinction between organic and non-organic disorders
    • DSM-IV-TR (2000): text revision, clarified criteria and improved consistency
    • DSM-5 (2013): major changes, removed multiaxial system, introduced dimensional assessment

    Multiaxial System

    • Axis I: clinical disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, mood disorder)
    • Axis II: personality disorders and intellectual disability
    • Axis III: physical disorders and conditions
    • Axis IV: psychosocial and environmental problems
    • Axis V: global assessment of functioning

    Research Methods

    • Correlational research: studies relationships between variables
    • Epidemiology: studies incidence, distribution, and consequences of a problem in a population
    • Placebo effect: phenomenon where expectation of change leads to actual change
    • Comparative treatment research: compares different treatments for a disorder
    • Single-case experimental design: studies individual cases with repeated measurements
    • Endophenotypes: genetic mechanisms underlying psychological disorders

    Prevention and Intervention Strategies

    • Health promotion/positive development: focuses on skill-building and protective behaviors
    • Universal prevention: targets entire populations to prevent problems
    • Selective prevention: targets specific groups at risk
    • Indicated prevention: targets individuals showing early signs of problems

    Anxiety and Panic Disorders

    • Anxiety: negative mood state with bodily symptoms and apprehension
    • Fear: immediate emotional response to current danger
    • Panic attack: sudden experience of intense fear or discomfort, accompanied by physical symptoms
    • Panic disorder: recurrent unexpected panic attacks
    • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): excessive anxiety and worry for at least 6 months

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    Description

    This quiz covers the concept of abnormal psychology, including psychological disorders and their historical context. It is based on David Barlow's Abnormal Psychology and is suitable for board exam review.

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