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Abnormal Psychology
Mental Illness
66
Psychology
Undergraduate 4
02/12/2012

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Term
what are the two extremes of the spectrum in terms of defining mental illness?
Definition
1. the medical model
2. the social labeling theory
Term
what is the medical model theory of mental illness?
Definition
Mental disorders are psychological and behavioral impairments resulting from diseases of the central nervous system
Term
what is the social labeling theory of mental illness?
Definition
“Mental disorder” is a sociopolitical fiction—a label applied by the powerful majority to justify disempowering and controlling those whose behavior threatens the cultural status quo
Term
what three people/sources have made important (noteworthy) attempts at defining 'mental illness'?
Definition
1. DSM (currently DSM-IV, revised)
2. Jerome Wakefield
3. Widiger and Trull
Term
how do widiger and trull define mental illness? what does it mean to say that their definition doesnt look at mental illness as "us vs. them"?
Definition
an involuntary, organismic impairment in psychological functioning which hinders their ability to in their ability to adapt flexibly to stress, to make optimal life decisions, to fulfill desired potentials, or to sustain meaningful or satisfying relationships. We are all a little crazy, mental illness is just a matter of degree, type and time of life.
Term
_________ and _____________ are the two most salient features of wakefields definition of mental illness
Definition
dysfunction (a mental mechanism has failed to perform a function for which it evolved), harmful (depends on cultural context)
Term
in wakefields definition of mental illness (harmful/dysfunction) is a scientific term and (harful/dysfunction) is a value term
Definition
dysfunction, harmful
Term
what are some of the main controversies that stem from with the DSM-IV's definition of mental illness?
Definition
1. 'clinical significance' is determined by psychiatrists and a social construct (on the other side, serves to avoid pathologizing everything)
2. "must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to an event" again tries to avoid over-pathologizing BUT if nomal and expected cant be a pathology? (think about colds)
Term
true or false: mental disorders lack specific etiologies
Definition
true. multiple contributory factors lead to mental disorder
Term
_________ is a cause or origin on a disease or disoder
Definition
etiology
Term
true or false: persons with the same diagnosis may have different etiologies
Definition
true
Term
true or false: persons with different diagnoses always have different etiological factors
Definition
false
Term
___________ is a predisposition or vulnerability to a disorder which is typically based in genetics, pre- or peri-natal conditions, or early experiences
Definition
diathesis
Term
in the diathesis-stress model, stress is considered to be any event that...
Definition
triggers the onset of a pathology
Term
what is a polymorphism?
Definition
a relatively common (≥1% pop.) allelic variant Allelic differences range from a single DNA nucleotide (SNPs)
to many kilobases and may have 2 to dozens of different alleles
Term
_________, _________, and _________ are three sources of genetic diversity
Definition
polymorphisms, mutations, copy number variations (CNVs)
Term
what is a CNV?
Definition
a change in DNA structure resulting in an abnormal number of gene copies within the cell
Term
_______ CNVs arise after the splitting of the zygote and account for genetic differences between MZ twins
Definition
de novo
Term
what are the two major models for genetic transmission of liability / vulnerability to a disorder?
Definition
1. single major locus or medelian model
2. complex, quantitative or polygenic model
Term
____________ transmission results in discrete binary phenotypes
Definition
single major locus (or mendelian)
Term
true or false: mendelian transmission can account for the genetic component of many mental disorders
Definition
false. it can account for very few.
Term
what is the key feature of the additive model of polygentic transmission?
Definition
Liability bestowed by multiple genes, each making an equal and independent contribution to overall liability.
Term
According to additive polygenic transmission an individual whose liability exceeds a hypothetical ______________________
expresses the disorder
Definition
threshold value
Term
In the additive polygenic transmission model homozygosity is (relevant/irrelevant) to liability
Definition
irrelevant
Term
True or false: In polygenic transmission risk alleles may be common in the population even though the disorder is relatively rare
Definition
true
Term
The probability of expressing a polygenic disorder or condition is a function of _____________ and ______________
Definition
how closely one is related to an affected individual (called a proband or index case), the severity of the probands condition
Term
what are the four major ideas of the polygenic multi-factorial threshold (PMFT) model?
Definition
1. Liability bestowed by additive genes + additive environmental factors
2. Genetic and environmental liabilities in combination manifest as a
normal distribution
3. Persons whose overall liability exceeds a hypothetical threshold value express the disorder
4. Assumes gene / environment independence
Term
Define epistasis
Definition
interaction between genes produces synergistic effect
Term
what are some problems with the polygenic additivity model?
Definition
1. some genes may play bigger role (be more potent) than others (not all equal)
2. genes are not always independent in their effects
Term
True or false: Genes and environments may have synergistic effects on a geneotype
Definition
false. on a phenotype.
Term
what is meant by "gene-environment correlation" and what are the three different types?
Definition
Genotype may influence the type of environment to which one is exposed, confounding (entangling) with gene and environmental effects. Three types are passive, evocative and active.
Term
Define passive, evocative and active gene-environment correlation
Definition
1.Passive. Parent / sibling shared genotype may affect the child’s developmental environment
2.Evocative. A person’s heritable traits may shape other’s reactions to him or her
3. Active. A person’s heritable traits may lead him or her to seek out or create certain environments
Term
define epigenetics
Definition
Experience-associated changes in gene expression, not structure, which persist through cell division.
Term
True or false: Some epigenetic modifications are heritable
Definition
true
Term
what are the three major mechanisms of epigenetics?
Definition
1. DNA methylation
2. Histone modification
3. Micro RNA (miRNA) regulation
Term
what is miRNA?
Definition
(Micro RNA) Short (M = 22 nt) sequences of non-coding RNA which bind to complementary segments of mRNA and inhibit translation.
Term
___________ is any adaptive demand that taxes one’s physiological or psychological coping resources. Situations imparting these demands are called _______________
Definition
stress, stressors
Term
Stress triggers responses designed to meet the demand and maintain or restore internal equilibrium. This dynamic process is called _______________
Definition
allostasis
Term
what are two important allostatic response systems?
Definition
1. The Sympathetic-Adrenomedullary (SAM) system
2. The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical (HPA) axis
Term
What is the allostatic load?
Definition
The degree to which the SAM and HPA systems are being called upon to maintain equilibrium
Term
The _______ is equivalent to the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system
Definition
SAM system (sympathetic-adrenomedullary)
Term
where does the SAM system originate?
Definition
in the hypothalamus
Term
the target-organ nt in the SAM (with a few exceptions) is ________________
Definition
norepinepherine
Term
what happens when the adrenal medulla is activated as part of the SAM system?
Definition
it releases epinepherine (adrenaline) and some NE into the system which enhances SNS activity and stimulates glucose release
Term
the HPA axis is activated by ___________
Definition
stress
Term
when the HPA axis is activated the Paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus
releases _______________ into portal vessels
Definition
corticotropin-releasing hormone(CRH)
Term
Anterior pituitary responds to CRH release by releasing _________________ into general circulation
Definition
adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)
Term
ACTH stimulates adrenal cortex to release ____________________
Definition
cortisol (CORT)
Term
explain the cortisol feedback loop
Definition
CORT feedback on receptors in pituitary, hippocampus, and hypothalamus inhibits
further CRH release
Term
cortisol levels have a _______________ rythm
Definition
diurnal (peak in AM, late PM nadir)
Term
How does stress-related CORT release support fight-or-flight responses?
Definition
1. Enhances SAM activity
2. Increases blood glucose
3. Enhances immune responses (e.g. promotes inflammation)
4.Enhances emotional memory formation
Term
when can cortisol have a negative effect?
Definition
frequent bursts or chronic elevations of CORT impair immune system and reduce
growth and plasticity of brain cells (especially in the hippocampus)
Term
what is a taxon?
Definition
a discrete natural category
Term
Define nosology
Definition
1) the classification of disorders or diseases; 2) a
particular example of such a classification scheme (e.g., the
DSM-IV is a nosology)

Term
describes nosological organizing principles,
in order of value (etiology, pathophysiology, description)
Definition
Scadding's ladder
Term
What do psychiatric nosologies rest on?
Definition
descriptions of the objective
behavior (signs) and subjective experience (symptoms) of
patients
Term
the score at which someone is considered to have a mental illness is called a ____________
Definition
cut point, cutting score or threshold score
Term
a _______________ is the percentage of truly ill persons in the sample
Definition
base-rate
Term
what does the sensitivity of a test tell you?
Definition
the percent of ill persons diagnosed as ill (% of true positives)
Term
what does the specificity of a test tell you?
Definition
the percent of well persons diagnosed as well (% true negatives)
Term
the ______________ tells you the percent of true positives among test positives
Definition
positive predictive value
Term
the _______________ tells you the percent of true negatives among test negatives
Definition
negative predictive value
Term
what does the overall accuracy of a test tell you?
Definition
the percent of correct test results, but taken alone this tells you NOTHING about the efficacy of the test
Term
Optimal placement of a cutting score is a joint function of what two things?
Definition
1. the probability of each possible diagnostic outcome: PTP, PTN, PFP, PFN; and . . .
2. the utility (i.e., cost or benefit) associated with each of those
outcomes: UTP, UTN, UFP, UFN (where UFP and FN are negative)
Term
How do you determine the expected utility of a diagnostic procedure?
Definition
(∑UiPi) - Uadm

EU = (UTP × PTP) + (UTN × PTN) + (UFP × PFP) + (UFN × PFN) – Uadm
Term
what is a fixed-rule diagnostic system?
Definition
one in which cutting scores are identical for all situations and settings.
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