PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Panic Attack, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Impulsivity

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Ingrid Johnsrude

Document Summary

Clinically significant/affecting everyday life for an extended period of time. Must be driven by internal factors, not external (which are more tangible and from others) Impairs everyday normality: normal, based on the person. Outlines recognized mental disorders and specific criteria required for diagnosis. Reliable: various professionals should be able to diagnose the same disorder, using the guidelines. Valid: criteria listed accurately represents symptoms of the disorder, and is a relevant means of recognizing the disorder. Categorical system is too broad (mild and severe cases lumped together) Usually have agoraphobia (having a panic attack in public) Hypersensitivity to physiological changes from stressors, triggers sympathetic system, panic cycle. Intense fear of public situations that could lead to embarrassment or humiliation. Obsessions (recurrent, unwanted thoughts that you recognize as irrational) Compulsions (repetitive behaviors or specific rituals to counteract anxiety from obsessions) Avoids people, places, and things that remind them of the event. Genetically predispositioned, catalyst is a traumatic life event.