Chapter Ten: Psychological Disorders

Chapter Ten Glossary

INTRODUCTION

This interactive glossary contains definitions to the key terms in each chapter. The "text" link will take you to the section of the interactive chapter guide that explores that concept.

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agoraphobia
"Fear of fear"; a set of phobias, often set off by a panic attack, involving the basic fear of being away from a safe place or person. text

amnesia (dissociative)
When no organic causes are present, a dissociative disorder involving partial or complete loss of memory for threatening information or traumatic experiences.

antisocial personality disorder
A disorder characterized by antisocial behavior such as lying, stealing, manipulating others, and sometimes violence; a lack of social emotions (guilt, shame, and empathy); and impulsivity. (Sometimes called psychopathy or sociopathy.)

bipolar disorder
A mood disorder in which depression alternates with mania (excessive euphoria).

dissociative disorders
Conditions in which normally integrated consciousness or identity is split or altered, as in psychogenic amnesia.

dissociative identity disorder (also called multiple personality disorder)
A rare dissociative disorder marked by the appearance within one person of two or more distinct personalities, each with its own name and traits.

generalized anxiety disorder
A continuous state of anxiety marked by feelings of worry and dread, apprehension, difficulties in concentration, and signs of motor tension.

inventories
Standardized objective questionnaires requiring written responses; they typically include scales on which people are asked to rate themselves.

major depression
A mood disorder involving disturbances in emotion (excessive sadness), behavior (loss of interest in one's usual activities), cognition (distorted thoughts of hopelessness and low self-esteem), and body function (fatigue, loss of appetite).

mental disorder
Any behavior or emotional state that causes an individual great suffering or worry, is self-defeating or self-destructive, or is maladaptive and disrupts the person's relationships or the larger community.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
A widely used objective personality test.

multiple personality disorder (now called dissociative identity disorder)
A rare dissociative disorder marked by the appearance within one person of two or more distinct personalities, each with its own name and traits.

narcissism
An exaggerated sense of self-importance and self-absorption.

obsessive-compulsive disorder
An anxiety disorder in which a person feels trapped in repetitive, persistent thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive, ritualized behaviors (compulsions) designed to reduce anxiety.

panic attack
A brief feeling of intense fear and impending doom or death, accompanied by intense physiological symptoms such as rapid breathing and pulse, and dizziness.

panic disorder
An anxiety disorder in which a person experiences intense periods of fear and feeling of impending doom, accompanied by physiological symptoms such as rapid breathing and pulse, and dizziness..

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
An anxiety disorder in which a person experiences intense periods of fear and feeling of impending doom, accompanied by physiological symptoms such as rapid breathing and pulse, and dizziness..

paranoia
Unreasonable and excessive suspiciousness, jealousy, or mistrust. It may occur as a type of personality disorder or, with more severe symptoms of psychosis, as a type of schizophrenic disorder.

personality disorders
Rigid, maladaptive personality patterns that cause personal distress or an inability to get along with others.

phobia
An unrealistic fear of a specific situation, activity, or object.

psychosis
An extreme mental disturbance involving distorted perceptions and irrational behavior; it may have psychological or organic causes.

schizophrenia
A psychotic disorder or group of disorders marked by some or all of these symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized and incoherent speech, severe emotional abnormalities, inappropriate behavior, and withdrawal into an inner world.