Psychology - Chapter 15 - Psychological Disorders - Important Terms

view of mental illness in which odd behaviour, hearing voices, or talking to oneself was attributed to evil spirits infesting the body

View of mental illness as due to a physical disorder requiring medical treatment

Institution for people with mental illnesses created in the fifteenth century

approach to mental illness calling for dignity, kindness, and respect for those with mental illness

governmental policy in the 1960s and 1970s that focused on releasing hospitalized psychiatric patients into the community and closing mental hospitals

Scholars who argue that psychiatric diagnoses exert powerful negative effects on people’s perceptions and behaviours

diagnostic system containing the APA criteria for mental disorders

percentage of people within a population who have a specific mental disorder

co-occurrence of two or more diagnoses within the same person

model in which a mental disorder differs from normal functioning in kind rather than degree

Model in which a mental disorder differs from normal functioning in degree rather than kind

legal defence proposing that people shouldn’t be held legally responsible for their actions if they weren’t of “sound mind” when committing them

procedure of placing some people with mental illnesses in a psychiatric hospital or other facility based on their potential danger to themselves or others, or their inability to care for themselves

condition marked by physical symptoms that suggest an underlying medical illness, but that are actually psychological in origin

an individual’s continual preoccupation with the notion that he or she has a serious physical disease

continual feelings of worry, anxiety, physical tension, and irritability across many ares of life functioning

Brief, intense episode of extreme fear characterized by sweating, dizziness, light-headedness, racing heartbeat, and feelings of impeding death or going crazy

repeated and unexpected panic attacks, along with either persistent concerns about future attacks or a change in personal behaviour in an attempt to avoid them

intense fear of an object or situation that’s greatly out of proportion to its actual threat

fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or embarrassing, or in which help is unavailable in the event of a panic attack

intense fear of objects, places, or situations that is greatly out of proportion to their actual threat

intense fear of negative evaluation in social situations

marked emotional disturbance after experiencing or witnessing a severely stressful event

condition marked by repeated and lengthy (At least one hour per day) immersion in obsessions, compulsions, or both

persistent idea, thought, or impulse that is unwanted and inappropriate, causing marked distress

repetitive behaviour or mental act performed to reduce or prevent stress

fear of anxiety-related situations

state in which a person experiences a lingering depressed mood or diminished interest in pleasurable activities, along with symptoms that include weight loss and sleep difficulties

theory that depression is caused by negative beliefs and expectations

tendency to feel helpless in the face of events we can't control

experience marked by dramatically elevated mood, decreased need for sleep, increased energy, inflated self-esteem, increased talkativeness, and irresponsible behaviour

condition marked by a history of at least one manic episode

condition in which personality traits, appearing first in adolescence, are inflexible, stable, expressed in a wide variety of situations, and lead to distress or impairment

condition marked by extreme instability in mood, identity, and impulse control

condition marked by superficial charm, dishonesty, manipulativeness, self-centredness, and risk taking

condition marked by a lengthy history of irresponsible and/or illegal actions

condition involving disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception

condition marked by multiple episodes of depersonalization

inability to recall important personal information - most often related to a stressful experience - that can't be explained by ordinary forgetfulness

sudden, unexpected travel away from home or the workplace, accompanied by amnesia for significant life events

condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states that recurrently take control of the person's behaviour

severe disorder of thought and emotion associated with a loss of contact with reality

strongly held, fixed belief that has no basis in reality

psychological problem reflecting serious distortions in reality

sensory perception that occurs in the absence of an external stimulus

motor problem, including extreme resistance to complying with simple suggestions, holding the body in bizarre or rigid postures, or curling up in the fetal position

perspective proposing that mental disorders are a joint product of genetic vulnerability, called a diathesis, and stressors that trigger this vulnerability

DSM-5 category that includes autistic disorder and Asperger's disorder

childhood condition marked by excessive inattention, impulsivity, and activity