Abnormal Psychology Overview Flashcards

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Four D's

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**Four D's** refer to deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger, which are commonly used to define abnormal behavior in psychopathology. These criteria help distinguish between normal eccentricity and clinically significant issues, guiding when intervention may be needed.

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Eccentricity vs Disorder

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Distinguish between unusual or quirky behavior (eccentricity) and a mental disorder requiring intervention. Eccentricity is not necessarily pathological and often does not impair functioning, whereas a disorder implies clinically meaningful distress or impairment.

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Trephination

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Trephination is an ancient surgical method intended to release evil spirits by drilling into the skull. It reflects early attempts to treat abnormal behavior, though it often lacked therapeutic success and carried substantial risk.

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Humoral theory

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Hippocrates linked mental illness to imbalances in bodily fluids (humors). Treatments aimed to rebalance these fluids, illustrating an early biologically oriented view of psychopathology.

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Asylum movement

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Asylums emerged to house the mentally ill but often became overcrowded and inhumane. Reform movements and critiques followed as awareness grew about patient rights and humane care.

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Hysteria

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Historically viewed as a physical illness in women that later gained recognition as a mental disorder. In the 20th century, hypnosis and other psychological treatments were used for its management.

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Moral treatment

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Moral treatment promoted humane care and the removal of restraints, led by reformers like Pinel and Rush. Despite gains, funding shortages and prejudice eventually limited these practices.

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Deinstitutionalization

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A 1960s movement that introduced antipsychotic medications, leading to discharge from asylums. Many individuals lacked adequate community support, contributing to homelessness and gaps in care.

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Thorazine

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Thorazine is an early antipsychotic that helped shift care away from long-term confinement. While it improved management of psychosis, it also facilitated broader deinstitutionalization with varying community outcomes.

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Multicultural psychology

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Multicultural psychology examines how culture shapes mental health and treatment. It emphasizes culturally informed assessment and the collaboration of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers to provide appropriate care.

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DSM-5

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The DSM-5 is a diagnostic manual that integrates biological and psychological perspectives and requires both categorical and dimensional information for diagnosis, reflecting a nuanced approach to mental disorders.

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MMSE

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The Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) is a brief cognitive screening tool used to assess global cognitive function. It has limitations in validity and reliability across diverse populations.

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MoCA

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The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a cognitive screen that is more sensitive than the MMSE for detecting mild cognitive impairment. It evaluates multiple cognitive domains.

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Projective tests

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Projective tests, such as the Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), rely on ambiguous stimuli to elicit responses. They can provide clinical impressions but have contested reliability and validity.

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Rorschach

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Rorschach is a projective inkblot test used to infer personality and emotional functioning. It faces methodological criticisms but remains a historical tool in clinical assessments.

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ECT

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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective treatment for severe depression, often with rapid benefits. Memory loss can be a side effect, though modern approaches seek to minimize risks.

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Ketamine

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Ketamine infusions can produce rapid antidepressant effects for treatment-resistant depression, with often rapid reduction of suicidal ideation. Long-term outcomes are still being studied.

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BIID

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Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) involves a persistent desire to amputate or disable a healthy limb. The etiology is debated, with theories pointing to right parietal lobe involvement and substantial ethical concerns around treatment.

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PANDAS

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PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal infection) describes abrupt OCD symptom onset in children after a strep infection, often resolving with antibiotics.

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BDV

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Borna Disease Virus (BDV) is discussed in some literature as a neurotropic marker linked to mood and affective disorders, though human findings remain complex and debated.

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TMS and VNS

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Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) are noninvasive and invasive brain stimulation therapies used for treatment-resistant mood disorders, offering alternatives when medications and psychotherapy alone are insufficient.