Exam 15: Psychological Disorders

Describe the research findings that emphasize the role of genetics and brain chemistry in the development of depression.

Briefly describe the hallmarks of borderline personality disorder.

People all over the world paint their bodies, but what defines whether a particular type of body art is normal or abnormal in a particular culture? If residents of the United States have visible tattoos over half of their bodies, is that normal? Is it abnormal? Explain your reasoning.

Alcoholism might be less likely to occur:

Some individuals continue to have posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms for many years. How could the hippocampus be involved in this persistent posttraumatic stress disorder?

Some psychologists argue that the whole enterprise of the DSM is an inherently subjective process because clinicians vote on which diagnoses should be included or rejected. For example, new disorders have been voted in that reflect today's prejudice and values. Describe one of these changes in the DSM that reflects contemporary values.

Throughout history, societies have recognized and feared the few members in their midst who lack all human connection to anyone else. What diagnostic category is used to refer to these types of individuals? Describe some of the physiological contributions to this disorder.

Although panic attacks seem to come out of nowhere, they usually occur in the aftermath of stress, prolonged emotion, exercise, specific worries, or frightening experiences. Delayed attacks after life-threatening scares are common. What is the essential difference between people who have panic attacks and develop panic disorder and those that do not?

Which of the following statements is a characteristic of psychopaths?

The two dominant approaches to understanding addiction and drug abuse are:

Alcoholism is most likely to occur in:

The authors of the textbook point out several reasons for the low validity of projective tests. List some of the reasons for their low validity.

Which of the following statements is true of schizophrenia with regard to adolescence?

The assessment method that would have the most validity and reliability would be:

Mary went to the emergency room for the second time in a month complaining of difficulty in breathing and chest pain that had come on suddenly. She thought she was having a heart attack and was afraid she was dying, but the doctor could not find anything wrong. She may be suffering from:

Research on the genetic predisposition toward schizophrenia has indicated that:

Anthony is a charming and manipulative man with an ambition to become rich and powerful. He uses his charm and manipulates rich women to marry him. He emotionally exploits them and gets all their assets transferred to his name. Then, he kills them in cold blood without any regret. Anthony is showing the characteristics of a:

Research on the prognosis for recovering from schizophrenia suggests that:

________ refers to a fear of being trapped in a crowded, public place.

According to psychological scientists, "dissociative amnesia":