Mental Health Disorders: Understanding Different Types and Their Impact, Schemes and Mind Maps of Psychology

Download Mental Health Disorders: Understanding Different Types and Their Impact and more Schemes and Mind Maps Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! Glossary Access to care: The ability of someone who needs medical, psychiatric, or psychological treatment to receive that treatment. Access includes both the ability to get to treatment (a particular problem for people living in rural areas) and the ability to pay for the services or have someone else, such as an insurance company, pay for them. Access to care for mental health services has been a much- contested issue in the United States, as some insurance plans provide less coverage for mental health services than for medical services. Acculturation: The process of becoming familiar with a new culture or environment and becoming able to function effectively in it. Acculturation is often discussed in relation to people emigrating from one country to another or to people in a minority culture within a country (for instance, Mexican Americans in the United States). ACT: Assertive community treatment, an integrated approach to community mental health care, including treatment, rehabilitation, and continuing support. ACT is typically provided by a multidisciplinary team of professionals and is particularly recommended for individuals with persistent, severe mental illness. Acute somatoform illnesses: The technical name for what are sometimes called “hysterical illnesses” or “mass psychogenic illnesses,” in which individuals complain of physical symptoms and/or display behaviors associated with age discrimination in employment is against the law in the United States and some other countries, many believe it still takes place because it is difficult to prove age discrimination in a court of law. Agoraphobia: The fear of being in open, public places. Agoraphobia is often linked with panic disorder, in which a person may experience attacks of overwhelming anxiety. The inability to control these attacks may contribute to an agoraphobic’s fear of being in a public place. Alcoholism: A condition characterized by alcohol consumption at a level such that it causes problems for the individual. The designation of alcoholism as a mental disorder or disease is controversial because some consider alcohol consumption a voluntary behavior, and the definition of when the consumption of alcohol becomes a problem depends in part on social and cultural factors. Amok: A culturally specific behavior observed in some Asian and south Pacific countries, including Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Laos. Episodes of amok are characterized by aggressive behavior and dissociation, and these episodes are more common in men than women. Anhedonia: The inability to feel enjoyment or the diminished ability to feel enjoyment. Anhedonia has been identified in people suffering from several types of mental illness, including depression, schizophrenia, and neurosis. Anorexia nervosa: An eating disorder characterized by disordered body image (the belief that one is fat when one is in fact quite thin) and severely restricted food consumption. Antabuse: The proprietary name for disulfiram, a drug used to treat alcoholics by creating an aversion to alcohol. Because Antabuse interferes with the body’s ability to metabolize alcohol, when a person taking Antabuse consumes alcohol, they suffer unpleasant symptoms such as vomiting, headache, and breathing difficulties. Antipsychiatry movement: A movement led by American psychiatrist Thomas Szasz that posited that mental illness was a “myth,” that is, not descriptions of real illnesses but rather labels applied to deviant, disapproved behaviors. Antisocial personality disorder: A disorder characterized by a refusal or inability to acknowledge the rights and feelings of others and behave in a socially acceptable manner. While some people with antisocial personality disorder engage in criminal behavior, certain characteristics of the disorder may also promote success in business, finance, or other fields. Brain imaging: Computer techniques to visualize images of the brain without performing surgery. Examples of brain imaging techniques include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized axial tomography (CAT), and positron emission tomography (PET). Brainwashing: A set of psychological techniques used to control or indoctrinate individuals so that they seem to have no ability to think for themselves. Brainwashing first came to worldwide attention during the Korean War but has also been cited in the methods used by religious or other cults to indoctrinate their followers. Bulimia nervosa: An eating disorder characterized by a distorted body image and a pattern of bingeing (eating large quantities of food in a short amount of time) followed by purging (vomiting or using laxatives) so that the food does not remain in the body long enough to cause weight gain. Case management: Coordination of care and services for mental and/or physical care. A case manager is often placed in charge of coordinating services for an individual, which are provided by a number of specialists such as physicians, counselors, and social workers. CIT: Crisis Intervention Team, an approach developed in Memphis, Tennessee, in which a team of law enforcement officers trained in de- escalation techniques respond to mental disturbance calls such as suicide attempts. CIT has been successfully replicated in other U.S. cities, including Durham, North Carolina; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Seattle, Washington; and San Jose, California. Club drugs: A number of drugs whose use is associated with young people, night clubs, and dance parties, although they may also have legitimate medical uses. Examples of club drugs include MDMA (Ecstasy), ketamine, GHB, and flunitrazepan (Rohypnol). Community mental health: The practice of providing mental health services within a community setting, with patients living independently or in supported circumstances (such as halfway houses) and receiving treatment on an outpatient basis rather than being confined to a mental hospital. Co-occurring disorders: Also known as dual diagnosis disorders or comorbidities, two or more disorders occurring simultaneously in a patient. The term is most often applied to the co- occurrence of mental health and substance abuse disorders but can apply to any co- occurring disorders. processes; and dissociative amnesia, in which a person is unable to recall personal information. Diversion program: A law enforcement program that allows some individuals to avoid criminal justice penalties if they agree to treatment. Diversion programs are often used in the United States to offer options to minor drug offenders and the mentally ill. Down syndrome: A type of mental retardation in which an individual is born with an extra copy of the 21st chromosome (Trisomy 21). People with Down syndrome have a distinctive physical appearance and often suffer from physical difficulties such as heart defects, cataracts, and digestive problems. Prenatal screening tests can indicate the probability of a baby being born with Down syndrome, and diagnostic tests such as amniocentesis can be used to follow up if the screening test indicates a high probability of Down syndrome. DTs: Delirium tremens, symptoms often seen in severe alcoholics or after withdrawal from alcohol. Symptoms of the DTs include rapid pulse, excessive perspiration, high temperature, delusions, and hallucinations. ECT: Electroconvulsive therapy, a treatment for depression involving passing a low-voltage current through a person’s brain while they are sedated. ECT is also known as electroshock therapy and was introduced into psychiatric treatment in 1938. EMDR: Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing, a therapeutic technique developed in the 1990s to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and other conditions. EMDR involves the patient moving their eyes in response to movement of a light manipulated by the therapist and may also involve tapping on the hands or face. Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) Survey of Mental Disorders: A series of surveys initiated in the United States in 1977 as part of a program to collect research data on the prevalence of mental disorders and the need for mental health services. The first ECA survey was conducted from 1980 to 1985 and at the time was the largest survey relating to mental health conducted in the country. Epidemiology: The study of disease occurrence in populations (descriptive epidemiology), the correlates of the occurrence of disease (analytic epidemiology), and the results of interventions intended to change population health (experimental epidemiology). Family therapy: Psychotherapy focused on the family as a unit rather than on members of the family as individuals. Family therapy is particularly popular when dealing with the psychological issues of children and adolescents identity and tends to act in accordance with the label. Learned helplessness: A term coined by Martin Seligman to describe a response adopted by some individuals who feel they have no control over a situation. These individuals, who typically have been hindered in their ability to initiate behavior, often lose motivation, become passive, and may become depressed. Lithium: An element used since the 1940s to treat manic and manic-depressive patients. Adoption of lithium as a treatment was slowed by the fact that it is a toxic substance and could produce side effects, including death. However, the availability of methods to monitor the blood levels of lithium in patients, particularly since the 1970s, has facilitated its increased use to treat bipolar disorder. Medical model: A model for mental disorders based on the assumption that they have a chemical, genetic, or physiological basis like any physical disease and can be treated in a similar manner to physical diseases. MMPI: The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a commonly used self-rating assessment of personality. Originally developed in 1942, the MMPI is used in psychiatric settings but also for other purposes, including screening individuals for high-risk employment and in counseling. MMSE: The Mini-Mental State Examination, a brief method of evaluating a person’s cognitive functioning. The MMSE is often used with elderly patients to assess their orientation, recall, language, and ability to follow commands based on simple questions such as, “What is the day of the week?” and tasks such as counting backward by fives. Mood disorders: Disorders characterized by a change in mood sufficient to require clinical attention. Mood disorders are differentiated by thought disorders such as schizophrenia because mood disorders do not typically involve disordered thought processes but instead are characterized by extremes of sadness or elation. Examples of mood disorders include bipolar disease (manic-depressive disease), major depression, cyclothymia, and dysthymia. Munchausen syndrome: A disorder in which a person complains of physical symptoms that do not in fact exist or that are self-inflicted. Also known as factitious disorder, Munchausen syndrome is generally attributed to a need for attention and may result in a person receiving medical tests and even treatments that they do not need. Munchausen syndrome by proxy: Presenting a child for medical treatment and describing attack or other anxiety responses if exposed to it. Pibloktoq: A culture-related syndrome seen primarily in arctic and subarctic Inuit communities. Pibloktoq is characterized by an abrupt and brief dissociative episode followed by convulsions or a coma. During the dissociative episode, the individual may tear their clothing, destroy property, or perform other violent acts but will have no memory of these behaviors after the attack. Postpartum depression: Depression in a woman following the birth of her child. Many factors are thought to contribute to postpartum depression, including hormonal changes following pregnancy, sleep deprivation caused by the need to attend to the baby, fear of the responsibilities of motherhood, and confusion from the changes in routine and loss of status based on employment. Psychoanalysis: A method of treating mental illness developed by Sigmund Freud and practiced by individuals who have undergone specialized training. Psychoanalysis is a talk- based therapy intended to increase self- understanding, and psychoanalysts use techniques such as free association and dream analysis in their work. PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder caused by a stressful event such as military combat or physical assault. PTSD may also be caused by witnessing a stressful event such as a crime. Symptoms of PTSD, which may occur long after the precipitating event, include re-experiencing the trauma, insomnia, emotional numbness, and avoidance of activities associated with the trauma. Refrigerator mother: A term popularized in the 1950s by Bruno Bettelheim to characterize mothers of autistic children. The implication was that the mothers acted in a “frigid” manner toward their children and thus were responsible for the children’s disorders; this term has been largely discarded. Respite care: Short-term care provided to someone with a serious mental disorder or an elderly person in order to allow the usual caretakers (often relatives of the person requiring care) to take a break from providing the care. Respite care is considered an important factor in relieving the stress of taking care of a difficult or demanding individual and preventing burnout of caretakers. Ritalin: Methylphenidate hydrochloride, a stimulant used to treat some children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and increase their ability to perform well in school. The use of Ritalin and other stimulants for this purpose is controversial and has been banned in some countries. suggesting that mental illness causes people to occupy lower rungs on the socioeconomic ladder, as they are less able to compete for good jobs or finish their education because of their illness. Self-efficacy: A term popularized in the 1970s by the Canadian American psychologist Albert Bandura, referring to beliefs or expectations an individual may hold about their ability to perform some task or behavior. Bandura believed that one goal of counseling should be to increase an individual’s self-efficacy in targeted areas through vicarious learning and experience with the behavior. Self-injury: Deliberately causing harm to oneself, but without the intention to commit suicide, by means such as cutting or burning one’s skin, pulling one’s hair out, or ingesting toxic substances. SES: Socioeconomic status, a method of identifying a person’s social position on the basis of factors such as income, type of occupation, and educational level. Many studies have found relationships between SES and mental health, with the typical finding that persons in lower SES categories are more likely to suffer from mental illness. Sick role: A concept developed by the American sociologist Talcott Parsons, which defines the obligations (trying to get well, seeking competent medical help, and following medical advice) and the rights (exemption from blame for sickness, exemption from normal social roles) of a sick person. Social causation hypothesis: A hypothesis explaining the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and mental illness as being due to the greater stress, vulnerability to threats, and lack of resources common among people in lower SES categories as compared to those in higher SES categories. SSRI: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a class of drugs used since the 1980s to treat depression. Examples of SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), sertraline (Zoloft), and paroxetine (Paxil). Substance abuse: Use of a drug, alcohol, or other substance to the point that it causes difficulties for a person. Substance abuse is at least partially culturally defined because the same substance may be outlawed, and thus problematic for that reason alone, in one country and yet may be used freely in another country. In addition, different cultures place different values on states such as intoxication, and what is accepted in one culture may be considered problematic in another.