Psy 350 - final exam review notes/ guide

PSYCH Final Exam
 What is a psychological disorder?
o Psychological dysfunction
o Personal distress/impairment
o Atypical
 SSRI’s: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, affect brain messengers
Historical Figure in Psychology
 Rosenhaun
o Conducted study where doctors pretended to have symptoms of
schizophrenia so they’d be admitted to the hospital.
o Once admitted, acted like all psychotic symptoms were gone and
they were still treated as if they had them.
o Contributed to the field because it showed a need for more
integrative and therapy like assessments
o The study changed the way those in the field diagnosed
disorders
Psychological Assessments
 Mental Status Exam
o Focuses on mental status of patient
o Key question on patient’s mental health history/what bothers
them
o Where they believe they’re mentally, more of an introspective
approach
o Focus on how they perceive situations
 Behavioral Assessment
o Overall assessment on daily behavior
o Key question of how they handle emotional situations
o What types of behavior (manic, depressive)
o What triggers the specific behavior to become present
 Objective Tests
o Tests that are testing for a specific thing
o Example of these: IQ tests, personality test
o Tests that supply results
o Focuses on personal answers
o Gives the test taker more of an ‘outside view’ of their self
o Has answers to choose from, not your interpretive answers
Anxiety Disorders
 Anxiety: marked by negative affect and bodily tensions where people
ANTICIPATE danger/misfortune

, Fear: immediate emotion rxn to CURRENT danger
 Epidemiology
o One of most common disorders
o Gender
 Women > men
o Comorbidity
 Most have 2+ anxiety disorders
 50% major depression
 Common themes
o Phobic objects
 Treatment
o Exposure therapy
 Generalized Anxiety Disorder
o Intense, uncontrollable, chronic & continuous worry, distressing
and unproductive with physical symptoms
o Gender
 2/3 people w/ GAD are female
o Earlier and gradual onset
o Prevalent among older adults
o Causes
 Genetics
 Muscle tension
 High sensitivity to threat
o Treatment
 CBT: confront unpleasant feelings as a whole
 ACT: accept unpleasant emotions
 Meds: Benzos, Antidepressants (SSRI’S)
 Combined tx: meds & therapy (long-term)
 Panic Disorder & Agoraphobia
o Panic attack: overwhelming fear over period of discomfort
o Recurrent, unexpected panic attacks w/ future ones
o Agoraphobia: anxiety of being in places/situations w/ out easy
escape
o Panic disorder & agoraphobia = avoidance of internal sensations
o Statistics
 Panic disorder
 2.7% population meet criteria
 Onset: midteens – 40 yo
 Panic attacks around puberty

,  Agoraphobia
 Women > men
 Cultural, less accepted for men to share feelings
o Nocturnal panics
 Change in stages of sleep to slow wave sleep, produces
sensations of ‘letting go’
o Causes
 Panic disorder
 Biological and physiological
 Some more sensitive to stress
 Stimulus can cause attacks
 Agoraphobia
 Social and culture
o Treatment
 Psychoeducation: panic isn’t dangerous
 Exposure therapy
 Medication: GABA
Trauma Disorders
 Specific Phobias (SAD)
o Types
 Blood-injection-injury
 Natural environment
 Situational
 Animal
o Epidemiology
 12% lifetime prevalence
 Roughly equal gender ratio
 Onset in adolescence
 Can be chronic
o Comorbidity
 Depression & substance use

o Treatment
 CBT (highly effective)
 Meds: antidepressants, beta-blockers
 PTSD
o Enduring, distressing emotional disorder that follows exposure
from a traumatic event. Re-experiencing avoidance, negative
mood changes
 Linked to acute stress disorder