Clinical Psychology - Mental Disorders

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Questions and Answers

Which disorder is characterized by irrational fears of specific objects or situations?

  • Generalized anxiety disorder
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • Panic disorder
  • Phobia (correct)

What defines personality disorders according to the provided content?

  • Enduring inflexible behavior patterns that differ from social expectations (correct)
  • Temporal behavior changes caused by environmental factors
  • Behavior that is adaptable and reactive to stress
  • Enduring inflexible behavior patterns that conform to social expectations

Which of the following is NOT a common type of anxiety disorder?

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Generalized anxiety disorder
  • Panic disorder
  • Narcissistic personality disorder (correct)

What characterizes the paranoid subtype of schizophrenia?

<p>Delusions of grandeur and persecution (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which cluster of personality disorders is characterized by fearful and anxious behavior?

<p>Cluster C (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a core principle of humanistic therapy according to Carl Rogers?

<p>Individuals have innate worth and potential for growth (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which treatment approach primarily aims to resolve unconscious conflicts?

<p>Psychoanalysis (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant change introduced in the DSM-5?

<p>Non-axial assessments (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary criticism of the DSM classification system?

<p>It encourages stigma towards individuals with disorders (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of systemic desensitization?

<p>Gradual exposure to anxiety-producing stimuli (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the weaknesses of using DSM classifications?

<p>It can lead to misdiagnosis due to overlapping symptoms (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?

<p>To change maladaptive behavior and thinking patterns (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'comorbidity' refer to in the context of mental disorders?

<p>The presence of multiple disorders in an individual (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which therapy method focuses more on social and interpersonal experiences in contrast to traditional psychoanalysis?

<p>Modern Psychoanalysis (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary issue with the old methods of treating mental illness mentioned?

<p>They often resembled more torture than therapeutic help (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

A psychological disorder characterized by persistent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that are intended to reduce anxiety.

Anxiety Disorders

A group of mental health conditions that involve persistent and excessive fear and worry. Examples include panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Phobia

Characterized by irrational fears of specific objects or situations that lead to avoidance behaviors.

Personality Disorders

A range of mental health conditions marked by inflexible and unhealthy personality patterns that cause significant distress or dysfunction in daily life.

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Schizophrenic Disorders

A serious mental illness characterized by a range of symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and changes in behavior and emotions. Subtypes include paranoid, disorganized, and catatonic.

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What defines a mental illness?

A mental illness is characterized by a significant dysfunction in an individual's ability to function normally, causing distress to themselves or others.

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What is the DSM 5?

The classification system used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders. It provides a standardized way to identify and understand different mental health conditions.

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Psychoanalysis Therapy

This approach involves bringing unconscious conflicts into conscious awareness, often through techniques like free association, dream analysis, and interpretation of resistance, helping individuals resolve these conflicts and gain insight into their behavior.

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Humanistic Therapy

This therapy focuses on the individual's potential for growth and self-actualization, believing that people are inherently good and capable of positive change.

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Behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This therapy aims to change maladaptive behaviors and thinking patterns by manipulating environmental variables and restructuring cognitive patterns. Techniques include systematic desensitization and cognitive restructuring.

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Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A treatment for severe depression involving inducing a seizure by passing electrical current through the brain. Primarily used for short-term treatment and often focuses on one hemisphere to minimize damage to verbal memories.

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Eclectic Therapy

A type of therapy that uses a combination of different approaches, depending on the individual patient and their specific needs.

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Trephining

A process where a hole is drilled into the skull. This practice was used in ancient times as a treatment for mental illness, thought to release evil spirits.

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High Comorbidity

A term used to describe mental disorders that are co-occurring, meaning a person may have more than one disorder at the same time.

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Reliability in Mental Disorder Diagnosis

This refers to the ability to objectively classify abnormal behavior consistently and reliably. It is a concern when there is a high degree of overlap or ambiguity between different mental disorders.

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Study Notes

Clinical Psychology - Mental Disorders

  • Mental illness is defined as maladaptive behaviour, impairing function, distressing the individual and/or others
  • Stigma surrounds mental illness, poorly understood in society.
  • 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem at any given time.

Causes of Mental Disorders

  • Causes are multifaceted, involving both nature (biological) and nurture (environmental/social factors).
  • Biogenic factors include genetics and biology.
  • Nature vs nurture: psychodynamics, humanistic/sociocultural aspects (social factors, responses of others), and cognitive/behavioural factors.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)

  • The DSM is a classification system developed by psychiatrists for diagnosing mental disorders.
  • Different versions exist, with the current one being DSM-5-TR.
  • Diagnoses in DSM-IV-TR used to be categorized on 5 axes.
  • Currently, there is non-axial assessment.
  • Axes IV and V (social/environmental factors and overall functioning) are assessed as separate notations.

Treatment of Mental Disorders

  • Early approaches involved attributing mental illness to spirits or demons.
  • Treatments then shifted towards exorcism-like practices, reflecting prevailing beliefs about the cause of illness.
  • Modern treatments include eclectic approaches, drawing from various perspectives, such as psychodynamic (focus on unconscious conflicts) and humanistic (emphasizing a person's inherent worth) therapy.
  • Other treatments include behavioral, cognitive behavioral, and biological treatments.

Specific Mental Disorders

  • Anxiety disorders: Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and doom, accompanied by physical reactions. Various types include OCD, panic disorder, PTSD, phobias and generalized anxiety disorder.
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
  • Phobias: Irrational fears of specific objects or situations. Multiple types exist, such as agoraphobia, social phobia, and specific phobia (e.g., arachnophobia).
  • Somatoform disorders: characterized by physical symptoms with no apparent medical cause. Conditions include somatization disorder and conversion disorder.
  • Dissociative disorders: involve a disruption in consciousness or perception of reality. Examples include amnesia and identity disorder.
  • Personality disorders: consist of enduring patterns of inflexible behaviour that stem from social expectations and differ from social norms. Cluster A, B, and C define different personality types.

Subtypes of Schizophrenia

  • Schizophrenia has varying subtypes including Paranoid, Disorganized, Catatonic, Undifferentiated. Positive (e.g. delusions, hallucinations) and negative symptoms (e.g. emotional flatness, apathy) are key characteristics.

Mood Disorders

  • Mood disorders are characterized by extreme emotional states like mania and depression. Bipolar disorder is an example of a mood disorder, featuring alternating episodes of mania and depression. Depression is another mood disorder, featuring a period of low mood

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