Psychology Exam 5 PDF

Chapter 13 – Psychological Disorders 1. Define a psychological disorder, how it is looked at as a “continuum”, and what does/does not quality as a symptom or syndrome Psychological disorder = a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or...

Chapter 13 – Psychological Disorders 1. Define a psychological disorder, how it is looked at as a “continuum”, and what does/does not quality as a symptom or syndrome Psychological disorder = a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior o Viewed as a continuum that ranges from normal to severe disordered Syndrome = cluster of physical/mental symptoms that are typical of a particular condition or disorder that end to occur simultaneously Symptom = a physical/mental state feature that may be regarded as an indication of a particular condition or disorder 2. Describe the DSM and discuss how diagnostic labels can be both beneficial and problematic DSM = Diagnostic and statistical manual of psychological disorders o Continuously revised (DSM-5, as of 2013) Benefits: o Improves treatment by creating a standard intervention o Improves research o Reduces confusion for individuals with a puzzling set of symptoms Problems: o Can create a stigma o Researchers think of disordered as fixed and enduring diagnoses o Standard intervention reduces research and understanding the overlap between disorders o Diagnostic labels stick, despite changes in symptoms 3. Describe the diathesis-stress model of psychological disorders Diathesis-stress model = disorder occurs when individual has BOTH risk factors and high levels of stress Diathesis can form from how individuals thin about events they experience o Learned helplessness = a state of passive resignation to an aversive situation that one has come to believe is outside of one's control 4. Differentiate between the following disorders/groups of disorders: Anxiety Disorders, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Mood and Related Disorders, Schizophrenia, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and Personality Disorders o Know the common symptoms of these disorders/groups (note: you don’t have to know the symptoms for specific disorders if a group has more than one disorder, just their common symptoms) o Recognize examples of these disorders o Describe when people are typically diagnosed and their prevalence (what percentage of people have them) Anxiety = a feeling of intense worry, nervousness, or unseated o Prevalence is 29% Specific phobia = fear of something specific Social anxiety disorder = fear of being watched/judged by others Panic disorder = unexpected panic attacks Agoraphobia = fear of being unable to escape situation- stays in safe places Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) = continuous, pervasive, and difficult to control anxiety Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) = manifests itself through obsessions and compilations  o Prevalence is 2% in USA o Is not classified as an anxiety disorder in DSM-5 Post traumatic stress disorder = a trauma or stressor related disorder that lasts one month or longer o Lifetime prevalence is 7% Mood related disorders = disorders that involve prominent disturbances in a person's positive and negative feelings Major depressive disorder = characterized by feelings of sadness, emptiness, and anhedonia Bipolar disorder = characterized by both manic episodes and depressive episodes o People with BPD have highest rate of suicide Schizophrenia = characterized by a loss of contact with reality and a breakdown of the normal functions of the mind, leading to bizarre perceptions o Positive symptoms = additional behaviors that are not present in healthy people ▪ Delusions, grandiosity, persecution, hallucinations, disorganized behavior o Negative symptoms = flattening or lack of behavioral responses ▪ Catatonic behavior = “frozen” for hours on end ▪ Anhedonia = loss of interest in activities that are pleasurable ▪ Withdrawal from other people Neurodevelopmental disorders = group of conditions with onset in the developmental period, includng deficits that produce impairments of functioning ADHD/ADD, communication disorders, intellectual disability, learning disorder, motor disorders Autism spectrum disorder = characterized by a range of developmental problems o Social issues – deficits in social motivation and interaction o Restricted or repetitive patterns of interest or behavior  o Prevalence has increased 3 to 4 fold over the past four decades b/c of better diagnostics Personality disorders = a pattern of behavior and inner experience that (1) deviates from cultural norms, (2) is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations, and (3) leads to clinically significant distress or impairment o DSM-5 recognizes 10 personality disorders categorized into 3 major clusters ▪ Odd or eccentric behavior Paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal ▪ Dramatic or emotional behavior Antisocial, borderline, narcissistic ▪ Anxious or fearful behavior Avoidant, obsessive compulsive Chapter 14 - Therapies 1. Describe how people with psychological disorders used to be treated and how Philippe Pinel and Dorothea Dix improved treatment Early therapies were based on the idea that disorders were caused by evil spirits o Trephination = involved cutting a hole in the skull to allow demons to exit In past there were barbaric “hospitals for the insane” o Chained people up o Patients sometimes put on public display Philippe Pinel o Sought to treat patients’ humanely o Removed patients from shackles and chains and give them exercise and fresh air Dorothea Dix  o Advocated for improved treatment of disorders in the US o Challenged idea that people with mental disturbances could not be cured or helped 2. Describe the difference in licensure requirements between those who provide psychological versus biological therapies Psychological Therapies Title of “counselor” or “therapist” can be claimed without any special license o Neither professional credential nor years of experience predict a person’s success in providing psychological therapies o Meeting a client’s needs is more important than level of experience o Advantages to receiving therapy from a trained professional ▪ Knowledge about specific treatments, relationship to other healthcare professionals, ability to detect/response to emergencies, sensitivity to legal and ethical issues (must adhere to ethical principles) Biological Therapies Always require a license 3. Identify the barriers to treatment and those elements that are most likely to make therapy beneficial Barriers include lack of physical or financial access to treatment and failure to recognize a psychological disorder as a treatable condition Therapy is most beneficial when: o Strong sense of rapport o Client is motivated to participate o The type of therapy is well matched to the disorder 4. Describe the primary features and recognize examples for the psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral, cognitive, and cognitive-behavioral approaches Psychoanalytic Places emphasis on the unconscious and past a cause of psychological disorders Free association = patient is encouraged to speak freely about anything that comes to mind without filtering themselves Interpretations = explanation of how thoughts and feelings are linked to prior experiences Transference = the tendency of patients to respond to an analyst/therapist in ways that recreate patient’s responses to major figures in their own lives (role play situations) Psychodynamic Focuses on the role of unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, and interpersonal relationships in shaping behavior and mental processes o Less frequent and intense than Freud’s o Meet face to face, rather than Freud’s method of treating out of sight while patient reclined on a couch o Focused on relieving symptoms Humanistic Humanistic approach = centered around the idea that people must take responsibility for their lives and actions o Focused on the search for meaning, self-actualization, and present and future Client center therapy (person centered therapy) = therapist is unconditionally positive, genuine, and empathetic Motivational interviewing = designed to change problematic behaviors such as substance abuse Gestalt therapy = focuses on increasing a person’s awareness, freedom, and self-direction o Focusing, hot seat, empty chair Experiential therapy = involves activites like role-play to process negative emotions Behavior  Based on principles of learning: classical, operant, modeling o Classical = exposure techniques o Operant = contingency management o Modeling = observational learning Cognitive Focuses on how thoughts influence emotions and behavior Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Integrates cognitive and behavioral approaches, emphasizing the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors 5. Identify what each of the major medication classes treats, common examples of each and overall, what are the benefits and major limitations of using medication to treat psychological disorders Antipsychotics Treats psychotic disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) Blocks the neurotransmission of dopamine Common examples: haldol and thorzine Typical antipsychotic = effective but have major side effects Atypical antipsychotic = newer medications that have fewer motor side effects and help with mood swings Antidepressants Medications used to treat depression and certain mood disorders Works by balancing chemicals in the brain (serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) = increases serotonin turnover in brain o E.g., Prozac and zoloft Limits of antidepressants: o Takes time to work, uncertainty about how much benefit can be due to placebo effect, and they affect everyone differently Mood Stabilizers Treats by helping balance mood swings from manic to depressive episodes  Lithium carbonate o More effective for reducing manic than depressive symptoms o Toxic at higher doses Anti-anxiety Anxiolytic = type of drug that alleviates symptoms of anxiety also called a tranquilizer Benzodiazepines = common type of drug used to treat anxiety. Increases the effects of GABA o E.g., Xanas and Ativan Beta-blockers = controls autonomic arousal and decreases the negative spiral that occurs when an anxious person feels even more anxiety when sensing a bodily response to an anxious situation Pros of medication Allows for more normal lives Allows people to remain with families, avoids being placed as in hospital for treatment Cons/limits of medication Unpleasant side effects Doesn’t cure the disorder, just controls symptoms 6. Describe other therapies, including the modern-day approach to ECT, deep brain stimulation, and physical activity/green space Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) = small electric current pass thru brain to induce a controlled seizure while patient is under anesthesia o Only used after meds fall and high risk of suicide Deep brain stimulation = surgical process where electrodes are implanted in specific areas of brain o Helps regulate abnormal brain activity Physical activity reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress Green space therapy involves the use of nature and outdoor environments  7. Discuss the benefits, but also the limitations, of combining talk therapies and combining psychological and biological interventions Limitations of talk therapy Must stay up to date on developments in chosen treatments Can be costly Requires long-term commitment Benefits of talk therapy Provides safe space Patient feels supported and hopeful Limits of combining psychological/biological interventions Side effects from meds More resources needed --> costly Patients may depend on meds instead of being engaged with therapy itself Benefits of combining psychological/biological interventions Can increase effectiveness (meds + therapy) Help build coping skills and prevent relapse Chapter 10 – Stress and Health 1. Define and identify examples of primary and secondary appraisals of stress. Primary appraisal = initial evaluation of a situation Secondary appraisal = evaluating our ability to cope with situation E.g., Is losing my job a challenge or threat? --> Primary appraisal o What options do I have? How will those options help the situation? --> Secondary appraisal 2. Define and identify examples of eustress and distress. Eustress = positive stress that motivates you to take action or grow o E.g., Buying a new home Distress = negative stress o E.g., Breaking up with partner 3. Describe the fight-or-flight response and the general adaptation syndrome Fight response cranks up sympathetic nervous system General adaptation syndrome (GAS) = psychological response to threat that unfolds in 3 stages o Alarm = prepping for flight to fight o Resistance = body defense systems gear up o Exhaustion = inability to physically adapt to ongoing stressor or if stress persists for too long, leads to exhaustion 4. Describe the different types of stress (hassles, traumatic events, life changes), what the SRRS is, and what the most and least stressful events tend to be. Traumatic events = experiencing/witnessing a shocking/dangerous event that causes stress (e.g., earthquakes or war) Life changes = death of loved one, divorce, loss of job, promotion Daily hassles = happens in daily activities (e.g., rush hour, job stress, flat tire) Social readjustment rating scale = a self-assessment for measuring the total stress an individual is experiencing 5. Describe the role of perceived control in stress management and describe the study conducted on learned helplessness and what the results mean Perceived control = individual’s belief in their ability to influence/manage the outcomes of events in their life Learned helplessness = condition where individuals, after experiencing repeated failure or uncontrollable situations, come to believe that they no control over their circumstance, even when they do  o Martin Seligman conducted experiments on dogs ▪ Compared dogs who had a history of being unable to avoid shocks to those that had been able to avoid shocks ▪ Found that dogs who previously couldn't escape, didn’t try 6. Identify the different steps in eating and explain how delay, effort, and financial cost impact our healthy choices. 3 main steps o Selection = picking what to eat o Preparation = making the food o Consumption = eating the food Delay, effort, and financial costs examples: o If hungry, selecting something with faster preparation (frozen or fast food) o Having to go to the grocery store vs ordering door dash Ways to encourage healthier eating: o Grocery stores put healthier items at front of store o Make changes to menus to indicate healthy items o Advertising healthy food in fun way 7. Identify examples of interventions that are likely to be successful at improving physical activity and exercise Set goals and track progress Decrease effort Set reminders/prompts Reinforcement 8. Describe the strategies for how to improve sleep No stimulants at least 5 hours before bed No large meals at least 4 hours before bed Physical activity is good for sleep, but not right before bed If having trouble sleeping, do quiet activity Keep lights dim  Cool temperature Reduce noise pollution Have a schedule (go to bed/wake up at same time) Limit naps