Unit 8 Clinical Psychology Vocabulary
UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
psychological disorder - CORRECT ANSWER a syndrome marked by a clinically significant
disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
medical model - CORRECT ANSWER the concept that diseases, in this case psychological
disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often through
treatment in a hospital.
epigenetics - CORRECT ANSWER the study of environmental influences on gene expression that
occur without a DNA change
DSM-5 - CORRECT ANSWER the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.
*Does NOT describe causes of disorders
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - CORRECT ANSWER a psychological disorder
marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity
Category: Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Treatment: Biological (Adderall/Ritalin)
Anxiety Disorders - CORRECT ANSWER psychological disorders characterized by distressing,
persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
Includes: Phobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
,Social Anxiety Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER intense fear and avoidance of social situations;
extremely anxious in social situations where people might judge them - parties, class presentations, eating
in public.
Category: Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - CORRECT ANSWER an anxiety disorder in which a
person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal
Category: Anxiety Disorders
panic disorder - CORRECT ANSWER An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable minutes-long
episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or
other frightening sensations; often followed by worry over a possible next attack
Category: Anxiety Disorders
agoraphobia - CORRECT ANSWER fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open
places, where one has felt loss of control and panic
Category: Anxiety Disorders
Phobia - CORRECT ANSWER anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and
avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation
Category: Anxiety Disorders
Treatment: Systematic Desensitization (Behavioral Perspective)
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder characterized by
unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)
, Category: Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder characterized by haunting
memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that
lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience
Category: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
Major Depressive Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder in which a person experiences, in the
absence of drugs or another medical condition, two or more weeks with five or more symptoms, at least
one of which must be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure
Category: Depressive Disorders
bipolar disorder - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder in which a person alternates between the
hopelessness and lethargy is depression and the overexcited state of mania.
Category: Biplolar and Related Disorders
3 Types: Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder and Cyclothymic Disorder
Treatment: Lithium (Biological)
mania - CORRECT ANSWER a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor
judgement is common
Schizophrenia - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations,
disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression
Category: Schizophrenia Spectrum and other Psychotic Disorders
Causes:
- Dopamine Hypothesis: Oversupply of Dopamine
- Diathesis-Stress Model: Predisposition + Major life stressor
UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
psychological disorder - CORRECT ANSWER a syndrome marked by a clinically significant
disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
medical model - CORRECT ANSWER the concept that diseases, in this case psychological
disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often through
treatment in a hospital.
epigenetics - CORRECT ANSWER the study of environmental influences on gene expression that
occur without a DNA change
DSM-5 - CORRECT ANSWER the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.
*Does NOT describe causes of disorders
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - CORRECT ANSWER a psychological disorder
marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity
Category: Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Treatment: Biological (Adderall/Ritalin)
Anxiety Disorders - CORRECT ANSWER psychological disorders characterized by distressing,
persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
Includes: Phobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
,Social Anxiety Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER intense fear and avoidance of social situations;
extremely anxious in social situations where people might judge them - parties, class presentations, eating
in public.
Category: Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - CORRECT ANSWER an anxiety disorder in which a
person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal
Category: Anxiety Disorders
panic disorder - CORRECT ANSWER An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable minutes-long
episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or
other frightening sensations; often followed by worry over a possible next attack
Category: Anxiety Disorders
agoraphobia - CORRECT ANSWER fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open
places, where one has felt loss of control and panic
Category: Anxiety Disorders
Phobia - CORRECT ANSWER anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and
avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation
Category: Anxiety Disorders
Treatment: Systematic Desensitization (Behavioral Perspective)
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder characterized by
unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)
, Category: Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder characterized by haunting
memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that
lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience
Category: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
Major Depressive Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder in which a person experiences, in the
absence of drugs or another medical condition, two or more weeks with five or more symptoms, at least
one of which must be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure
Category: Depressive Disorders
bipolar disorder - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder in which a person alternates between the
hopelessness and lethargy is depression and the overexcited state of mania.
Category: Biplolar and Related Disorders
3 Types: Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder and Cyclothymic Disorder
Treatment: Lithium (Biological)
mania - CORRECT ANSWER a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor
judgement is common
Schizophrenia - CORRECT ANSWER a disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations,
disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression
Category: Schizophrenia Spectrum and other Psychotic Disorders
Causes:
- Dopamine Hypothesis: Oversupply of Dopamine
- Diathesis-Stress Model: Predisposition + Major life stressor
