Barron's: Chapter 12 - Abnormal Psychology

Question 1

Insane

Answer 1

• mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior

Question 2

DSM

Answer 2

• it offers a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders

Question 3

Anxiety disorders

Answer 3

• a group of mental disorders characterized by feelings of anxiety and fear

Question 4

Specific phobia

Answer 4

• any kind of anxiety disorder that amounts to an unreasonable or irrational fear related to exposure to specific objects or situations

Question 5

Agoraphobia

Answer 5

• extreme or irrational fear of crowded spaces or enclosed public places

Question 6

Social anxiety disorder

Answer 6

• an anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations

Question 7

Panic disorder

Answer 7

• a psychiatric disorder in which debilitating anxiety and fear arise frequently and without reasonable cause

Question 8

Somatic symptom disorders

Answer 8

• a psychiatric disorder in which debilitating anxiety and fear arise frequently and without reasonable cause

Question 9

Conversion disorder

Answer 9

• a mental condition in which a person has blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation

Question 10

Dissociative disoers

Answer 10

• conditions that involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity, or perception

Question 11

Psychogenic amnesia

Answer 11

• a memory disorder characterized by sudden retrograde autobiographical memory loss, said to occur for a period of time ranging from hours to years

Question 12

Dissociative identity disorder

Answer 12

• a condition wherein a person’s identity is fragmented into two or more distinct personalities

Question 13

Depressive disorders

Answer 13

• a condition wherein a person’s identity is fragmented into two or more distinct personalities

Question 14

Major depressive disorder

Answer 14

• a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of low mood that is present across most situations. It is often accompanied by low self-esteem, loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities, low energy, and pain without a clear cause

Question 15

Seasonal affective disorder

Answer 15

• depression associated with late autumn and winter and thought to be caused by a lack of light

Question 16

Bipolar disorder

Answer 16

• a mental disorder marked by alternating periods of elation and depression

Question 17

Cognitive triad

Answer 17

• an irrational and pessimistic view of the three key elements of a person’s belief system present in depression

Question 18

Learned helplessness

Answer 18

• a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed. It is thought to be one of the underlying causes of depression

Question 19

Schizophrenic disorders

Answer 19

• a mental disorder characterized by abnormal social behavior and failure to understand what is real

Question 20

Delusions of persecution

Answer 20

• a set of delusional conditions in which the affected person believes they are being persecuted

Question 21

Delusions of grandeur

Answer 21

• a false impression of one’s own importance

Question 22

Hallucinations

Answer 22

• sensations that appear to be real but are created within the mind

Question 23

Inappropriate or flat affect

Answer 23

• lack of emotional expression

Question 24

Catatonia

Answer 24

• abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental state (typically schizophrenia). It may involve repetitive or purposeless overactivity, or catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism

Question 25

Waxy flexibility

Answer 25

• a psychomotor symptom of catatonic schizophrenia which leads to a decreased response to stimuli and a tendency to remain in an immobile posture.

Question 26

Dopamine hypothesis

Answer 26

• it is attributing symptoms of schizophrenia (like psychoses) to a disturbed and hyperactive dopaminergic signal transduction.

Question 27

Tardive dyskinesia

Answer 27

• a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements of the face and jaw.

Question 28

Double bind

Answer 28

• a situation in which a person is confronted with two irreconcilable demands or a choice between two undesirable courses of action.

Question 29

Diathesis-stress model

Answer 29

• a psychological theory that attempts to explain behavior as a predispositional vulnerability together with stress from life experiences.

Question 30

Personality disorders

Answer 30

• a deeply ingrained and maladaptive pattern of behavior of a specified kind, typically manifest by the time one reaches adolescence and causing long-term difficulties in personal relationships or in functioning in society.

Question 31

Antisocial personality disorder

Answer 31

• a mental condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others. This behavior is often criminal.

Question 32

Dependent personality disorder

Answer 32

• characterized by a pervasive fear that leads to “clinging behavior” and usually manifests itself by early adulthood

Question 33

Paranoid personality disorder

Answer 33

• a mental disorder characterized by paranoia and a pervasive, long-standing suspiciousness and generalized mistrust of others

Question 34

Narcissistic personality disorder

Answer 34

• a disorder in which a person has an inflated sense of self-importance

Question 35

Histrionic personality disorder

Answer 35

• a mental health condition that affects the way a person thinks, perceives, and relates to others

Question 36

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Answer 36

• a personality disorder characterized by a general pattern of concern with orderliness, perfectionism, excessive attention to details, mental and interpersonal control, and a need for control over one’s environment

Question 37

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Answer 37

• a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world

Question 38

Paraphilia or psychosexual disorder

Answer 38

• when an atypical sexual interest causes distress or impairment to the individual or harm to others

Question 39

Anorexia nervosa

Answer 39

• a lack or loss of appetite for food (as a medical condition)

Question 40

Bulimia

Answer 40

• an emotional disorder involving distortion of body image and an obsessive desire to lose weight, in which bouts of extreme overeating are followed by depression and self-induced vomiting, purging, or fasting

Question 41

Autism spectrum disorder

Answer 41

• a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others

Question 42

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Answer 42

• a chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness

Question 43

Dementia

Answer 43

• a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning

Question 44

Aaron Bek

Answer 44

• he is regarded as the father of cognitive therapy, and his pioneering theories are widely used in the treatment of clinical depression.

Question 45

Martin Seligman

Answer 45

• he has been an avid promoter within the scientific community for the field of positive psychology.

Question 46

David Rosenham

Answer 46

• he is known for the Rosenham experiment, a study challenging the validity of psychiatry diagnoses.