Schizophrenia

a collection of diseases characterized by illnesses.

Thought disorders

a break in reality or splitting of the cognitive from the emotional side of one's personality.

gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

the most widespread inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLFPFC)

is involved in the initiation and maintenance of goal-directed activities and is actively involved in solving cognitive kproblems related to working memory. 

During cognitive problem solving, blood flow and metabolism normally increase.

Working memory

the brief storage and use of information and may be important in simple number calculations as well as complex tasks such as winning a chess match.  Essential in verbal comprehension and reasoning.

Dopamine hypothesis

suggested that abnormal elevation in dopaminergic transmission contributes to the onset of schizophrenia.

psychotic episode

when an individual loses touch with reality and experiences somthing that should be absent. 

 Ex. hallucinations

hallucination

is a perception experienced without external stimulation of the sense organs.

delusions

a persistent belief contrary to the educational and cultural background of the individual.

May involve grandiose, nihilistic, persecutory, somatic, sexual, and religious themes.

formal thought disorder

involves fluent speech that is difficult to comprehend.

poverty of content

the use of vocabularies to convey information is severly retarded despite a fair amount of spoken words.

disorganized behavior

individual has difficulty engaging in goal-directed activities.

Affective flattening

the near absence of emotional or facial expression.

anhedonia

individuals are unable to experience emotions such as pleasure or pain and report a sense of detachment from the environment.

neuroleptics

drugs that led to a marked reduction in the number of patients requiring hospitalization.

Is Greek for "clasp the neuron".

mood

a sustained emotional state

bipolar disorder

psychiatric disorder characterized by alternating mania or hypomania and depression, ofter with periods of normal mood in between, and changes in energy and behavior according to mood.

major (unipolar) depression

severly depressed mood and loss of pleasure that may begin suddenly or slowly, persists at least 2 weeks, and may recur throughout life.

leading cause of disability in the US

monoamine hypothesis of depression

studies show that drugs deplete monoamines produce depression

depression

unremitting feelings of sadness and despair

dysphoric mood

intensely painful mood is accompanied by insomnia, loos of appetite and body weight, and reduced interest in leasureable activities and interpersonal relationships.

Manic individual

has elevated levels of euphora, but shows poor judgment.

hallmarks are excessive, rapid, loud, and pressured speech.

anxiety disorder

when fear and anxiety become too intense and undermine the ability to functioln on a daily basis

panic disorder

characterized by intense autonomic arousal involving  a wide variety of symptoms, including lighheadedness, a racing heart, difficulty breathing, chest discomfort, generalized sweating, general weakness, trembling, abdominal distress, and chills or hot flashes.

experiences a fear of losing control and dying.

agrophobia

phobic avoidance of places or situations where ecape or help is not readily available

general anxiety disorder (GAD)

individual worries about life events such as marital relationship, health, money, social status, etc.

posttraumatic stress disorder

exposure to a terrifying or life threatening trauma results in the individual reexperiencing the traumatic event as intrusive recollections or flashbacks during the day and persistent nightmares.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessive thoughts and repetitive compulsive actions, such as cleaning, checking, or counting.