Chapter 10: Nervous System; Psychiatric Terms: Diagnostic Terms

disorder causing periodic disturbances in mood that affect concentration, sleep, activity, appetite, and social behavior; characterized by feelings of worthlessness, fatigue, and loss of interest

milder affective disorder characterized by a chronic depression persisting for at least 2 years

affective disorder characterized by mood swings of mania and depression (extreme up and down states)

affective disorder marked by episodes of depression that most often occur during the fall and winter and remit in the spring

most common anxiety disorder, characterized by chronic, excessive, and uncontrollable worry about everyday problems that affects the ability to relax or concentrate but does not usually interfere with social interactions or employment; physical symptoms include muscle tension, tembling, twitching, fatigue, headaches, nausea, and incomnia - symptoms must exist for at least 6 months before a diagnosis can be made

disorder of sudden, recurrent attacks of intense feelings including physical symptoms that mimic a heart attack such as rapid heart rate, chest pain, shortness of breath, chills, sweating, and dizziness, with a general sense of loss of control or feeling that death if imminent; often progresses to agoraphobia

exaggerated fear of a specific object or circumstance that causes anxiety and panic

condition resulting from an extremely traumatic experience, injury, or illness that leaves the sufferer with persistent thoughts and memories of the ordeal; symptoms include feelings of fear, detachment, exaggerated startle response, restlessness, nightmares, and avoidance of anything or anyone who triggers the painful recollections

anxiety disorder featuring unwanted, senseless obsessions accompanied by repeated compulsions, which can interfere with all aspects of a person's daily life

preoccupation with thoughts of disease and concern that one is suffering from a serious condition that persists despite medical reassurance to the contrary

developmental disability commonly appearing during the first 3 years of life, resulting from a neurological disorder affecting brain function, evidenced by difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication, and an inability to relate to anything beyond oneself in social interactions; individuals with autism often exhibit body movements such as rocking, repetitive hand movements, and commonly become preoccupied with observing parts of small objects or moving parts or performing meaningless rituals

developmental disability characterized by a difficulty understanding written or spoken words, sentences, or paragraphs, affecting reading, spelling and self-expression

dysfunction characterized by consistent hyperactivity, distractability, and lack of control over impulses, which interferes with the ability to function normally at school, home, or work

condition of subaverage intelligence characterized by an IQ or 70 or below, resulting in the inability to adapt to normal social activities

severe disturbance in eating behavior caused by abnormal perceptions about one's body weight, evidenced by an overwhelming fear of becoming fat that results in a refusal to eat and body weight well below normal

eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by efforts to limit digestion through induced vomitting, use of laxatives, or excessive exercise

mental disorders resulting from abuse of substances such as drugs, alcohol, or other toxins causing personal and social dysfunction; identified by the abused substance

disease of brain chemistry causing a distorted cognitive and emotional perception of one's environment characterized by a broad range of "positive" and "negative" symptoms

positive symptoms include distortions of normal function

negative symptoms including flat affect, apathy, and withdrawal from reality

featuring disorganized speech, behavior, and flat or inappropriate affect

featuring catatonia

featuring delusions, most often persecutory or grandiose types

concurrent with major depression or manic depression