Psychology Chapter 15: Anxiety Disorders

Podcast Beta

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is the term for the experience of intense, frequent, or continuous false alarms?

Anxiety disorder (correct)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Panic attack

Phobia

What is the primary function of anxiety, according to Learning Outcome 15.4?

To cause panic attacks

To serve as an internal alarm bell that warns of potential danger (correct)

To experience fear

To avoid danger

What is the term for intentional behaviors or mental acts performed in a stereotyped fashion?

Phobias

Anxiety disorders

Obsessions

Compulsions (correct)

How did the classification of insanity in Aboriginal culture differ from the European settlers?

There was no recognition that it was equivalent Signup and view all the answers

What was the main conclusion drawn from Rosenhan's study?

Behaviour is meaningful only when understood in context Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the experience of frequent and unpleasant thoughts that can lead to compulsive behaviors?

Obsessions Signup and view all the answers

What is a common characteristic of compulsions in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder?

They are irrational and must be performed Signup and view all the answers

What is a common consequence of frequent false alarms in anxiety disorders?

Dysfunctional avoidance behaviors Signup and view all the answers

What does family alliance describe?

Who sides with whom in family conflicts Signup and view all the answers

What do psychodynamic theorists distinguish among?

Three broad classes of psychopathology Signup and view all the answers

What is involved in pathological anxiety?

A heightening of nervous system activity Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential consequence of labelling a person with a mental illness?

They may face discrimination based on their diagnosis Signup and view all the answers

What do biological researchers tend to find is related to psychopathology?

All of the options listed Signup and view all the answers

What is the view of psychological symptoms from a family systems perspective?

They are dysfunctional efforts to cope with a disturbance in the family Signup and view all the answers

What is the main finding of Rosenhan's study of eight individuals admitted to psychiatric hospitals?

Labelling a person with a mental illness leads average people to interpret their behaviour as evidence of the illness Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the origins of psychological disorders and/or physiological disturbances?

Aetiology Signup and view all the answers

What is the view of psychopathology from an evolutionary perspective?

It may be adaptive in certain situations Signup and view all the answers

What is the descriptive approach most tied to?

No one theoretical perspective Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a state of emotional and social wellbeing in which individuals realise their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and can contribute to their community?

Mental health Signup and view all the answers

What is a possible outcome for a child diagnosed with ADHD?

All of the options listed are possible Signup and view all the answers

In the correct order, what are the three broad classes of psychopathology that form a continuum of functioning?

Neuroses, personality disorders, psychoses Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the study of the causes of an individual's abnormal behaviour?

Aetiology Signup and view all the answers

What is the cause of psychopathology according to the biological approach?

Abnormal firing of brain circuitry Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the capacity of individuals to behave in ways that promote their emotional and social well-being?

Mental health Signup and view all the answers

Which approach in clinical psychology focuses on discrete processes, such as thought processes that precede an anxiety reaction or physical symptoms that accompany it?

Cognitive-behavioural Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the study of the nature of reality and existence?

Ontology Signup and view all the answers

According to the systems approach, what is a child who abuses drugs may be expressing frustration at feeling excluded from?

Parent-sibling relationship Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a positive symptom of schizophrenia?

Flat affect Signup and view all the answers

What is the neurotransmitter implicated in schizophrenia?

Dopamine Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT considered a possible environmental cause of schizophrenia?

Binge drinking Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a chronic, low-level depression lasting more than two years?

Dysthymic disorder Signup and view all the answers

What is a period of abnormally elevated or expansive mood called?

Manic episode Signup and view all the answers

According to Beck, what is the negative outlook on the world, self, and future?

The world, self, and future Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the mechanisms by which depressed individuals negatively transform neutral information?

Cognitive distortions Signup and view all the answers

According to psychodynamic theory, what is the cause of depression?

Past experience and motivation Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a disorder characterized by recurrent obsessions and compulsions?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for sudden, intense fear or terror that is not justified by the situation?

Panic disorder Signup and view all the answers

What is characterized by attacks of intense fear and feelings of doom or terror not justified by the situation?

Panic disorder Signup and view all the answers

What symptoms are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder?

Nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, and psychological numbness Signup and view all the answers

What is the correlation between IQ and PTSD when exposed to similar experiences?

Negative and significant Signup and view all the answers

What is experienced by people who complain of pain or illness without a physical explanation?

Somatoform disorder Signup and view all the answers

What is characterized by a loss or significant change in physical function without a physical explanation?

Conversion disorder Signup and view all the answers

What is characteristic of dissociative disorders?

Disruptions in consciousness, memory, sense of identity, or perception Signup and view all the answers

What is true about antisocial personality disorder?

Nearly all sufferers had conduct disorders during childhood Signup and view all the answers

What is associated with anorexia and bulimia nervosa?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is characteristic of panic disorder?

Attacks of intense fear and feelings of doom or terror not justified by the situation Signup and view all the answers

What is true about somatoform disorders?

They are characterized by physical symptoms without a clear medical explanation Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder?

It is associated with a higher incidence of alcohol dependence and personality disorders in families Signup and view all the answers

In which DSM-5 category are disorders characterized by alterations or disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity or perception classified?

Dissociative disorders Signup and view all the answers

What is the basis of the third section of the DSM-5?

Unclassified mental disorders Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following delusions is incorrectly matched?

Grandeur: Buddha is my saviour Signup and view all the answers

Research suggests that some children with conduct disorder are:

Relatively unresponsive to conditioning Signup and view all the answers

If a person is an alcoholic, it is likely that:

All of the options listed are likely Signup and view all the answers

What is the best predictor of whether a person will become an alcoholic?

A family history of alcohol dependence Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a symptom of schizophrenia?

All of the options listed Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT considered a positive symptom of schizophrenia?

Flat affect Signup and view all the answers

What increases the likelihood of an adult adoptee having problems with aggressive behaviour?

Having a biological parent with antisocial personality disorder Signup and view all the answers

According to psychodynamic theorists, what is the origin of borderline personality disorder?

Pathological attachment relationships in early childhood Signup and view all the answers

What do cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic approaches implicate in the development of antisocial personality disorder?

Physical abuse, neglect and absent or criminal male role models Signup and view all the answers

What is schizoaffective disorder characterized by?

Attributes of both schizophrenia and psychotic depression Signup and view all the answers

What increases the likelihood of an adult adoptee having problems with aggressive behaviour?

Having an adoptive parent with antisocial personality disorder Signup and view all the answers

What do psychodynamic theorists argue is the origin of borderline personality disorder?

Pathological attachment relationships in early childhood Signup and view all the answers

What is a risk factor for the development of antisocial personality disorder?

Having a parent with antisocial personality disorder Signup and view all the answers

What is characterized by attributes of both schizophrenia and psychotic depression?

Schizoaffective disorder Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety typically functions as an internal alarm bell that warns of potential danger.
Individuals who experience frequent false alarms may engage in dysfunctional avoidance, such as refusing to leave the house for fear of a panic attack.

Classification of Insanity

In Aboriginal culture, erratic behaviour was thought to be caused by external factors (e.g., magic) rather than by a deficiency within the individual.
There was no recognition of insanity equivalent to that in European culture.

Rosenhan's Study

Rosenhan's study demonstrated that psychiatric illness is in the eye of the beholder, and even trained eyes are not very acute.
The study showed that labelling a person with a mental illness can lead to discrimination and the interpretation of their behaviour as 'crazy'.

Labelling

Labelling can be dangerous because it turns people into 'patients', whose subsequent actions are interpreted as part of their 'craziness'.
Labelling can lead to discrimination based on the diagnosis.

Aetiology

Aetiology refers to the origins of psychological disorders and/or physiological disturbances.

Mental Health

Mental health can be thought of as a state of emotional and social wellbeing in which individuals realise their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and can contribute to their community.

Psychopathology

Psychodynamic theorists distinguish among three broad classes of psychopathology: neuroses, personality disorders, and psychoses.
Neuroses are problems in living (e.g., phobias); personality disorders are characterised by enduring maladaptive patterns of thought, feeling, and behaviour that lead to chronic disturbances in interpersonal functioning; and psychoses are gross disturbances involving a loss of touch with reality.

Cognitive-Behavioural Perspective

Cognitive-behavioural practitioners integrate an understanding of classical and operant conditioning with a cognitive-social perspective.

Family Systems Perspective

From a family systems perspective, psychological symptoms are viewed as dysfunctional efforts to cope with a disturbance in the family.

Evolutionary Perspective

From an evolutionary perspective, psychopathology can be adaptive in certain situations (e.g., anxiety keeping people from danger).

Diagnostic Approach

The descriptive approach is tied to no one theoretical perspective.
Descriptive diagnosis allows researchers and clinicians in many different settings to diagnose patients in a similar manner regardless of theoretical orientation.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Children with ADHD may 'grow out' of some symptoms (e.g., hyperactivity) while others remain (e.g., inattention).
They are also at a greater risk for antisocial behaviour and substance abuse.

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders include disorders characterised by alterations or disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is characterised by delusions, hallucinations, and loosening of associations.
Positive symptoms of schizophrenia include delusions, hallucinations, and loose associations.
Negative symptoms include flat affect, lack of motivation, and socially inappropriate behaviour.

Depression

Dysthymic disorder refers to a chronic low-level depression lasting more than two years, with intervals of normal moods that never last more than a few weeks or months.
Cognitive distortions refer to the mechanisms by which a depressed person transforms neutral or positive information in a depressive direction.
Psychodynamic theorists argue that depression is caused by past experiences and motivation.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is characterised by nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle responses, and psychological numbness.
Greater intelligence allows more flexibility in coping and better verbal ability.### Conversion Disorder
A loss or significant change in a physical function (e.g., sight, feeling, or ability to walk) without any physical explanation is characteristic of conversion disorder.

Dissociative Disorders

Disruptions in consciousness, memory, sense of identity, or perception are characteristic of dissociative disorders.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Nearly all adults with antisocial personality disorders were conduct disordered as children.
An adult is three times more likely to develop antisocial behavior if they have a biological parent or adoptive parent with antisocial personality disorder.

Personality Disorders

Borderline personality disorder originates in pathological attachment relationships in early childhood, which lead to attachment problems later in life.
Physical abuse, neglect, and absent or criminal male role models are implicated in the development of antisocial personality disorder.

Schizoaffective Disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is a disorder that involves attributes of both schizophrenia and psychotic depression.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

This quiz assesses your understanding of anxiety disorders, including symptoms, behaviors, and avoidance mechanisms. Learn about internal alarm bells and false alarms in anxiety disorders.