Clinical & Abnormal - AP Psychology

Prosopagnosia is a condition distinguished by a loss in the ability to recognize faces. The condition is also known as "face blindness," and is typically the result of brain damage. This damage usually occurs in the fusiform gyrus, a region of the brain which is associated with facial recognition.

A lack of color vision is more often genetic in origin. Achromatopsia is a condition involving a lack of color vision. Other conditions may describe an inability to describe emotion or to distinguish between voice or produce speech, but none of these are classified under prosopagnosia.

Prosopagnosia is also known as face blindness. It results from head trauma or degenerative diseases. One symptom indicative of this disorder is the patient’s reliance on non-facial cues, such as hair, clothing, or accessories, to distinguish between individuals' faces.

All of the listed answer choices are Adlerian counseling pillars except psychosexual development. Adler developed the technique of "spitting in a client's soup" in order to provide a prospective of reality to the client. Adler focused strongly on birth order as well as early medical trauma that may cause difficulty with self-actualization later in life. This led to Adler’s understanding of an inferiority complex.

Erika is displaying several of the classic signs of borderline personality disorder. She is experiencing mood swings, paranoia, and a lack of self identity. She is also displaying pleading and impulsive behaviors. While elements of her feelings and actions could be symptoms of the other disorders listed, no alternate answer encompasses all these symptoms like borderline personality disorder.

Concealment or lying is not a part of the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5 for drug addiction, only gambling addiction. The rest of these options apply to both drug and gambling addicts.

Many women with depression possess an underdeveloped hippocampus—a key component in mood stabilization. Early stress can cause the development of the hippocampus to halt; therefore, the hippocampus is unable to do its job proficiently. Over time, antidepressants may assist with neurogenesis and improve Jeanie's depression but the effects will not be felt as quickly as they might be in someone with an average sized hippocampus.

Medical researchers have long such proposed that excessive dopamine in the limbic system--leading to hyperactive, damaged connections between speech and language comprehension as well as hyperactive abnormalities of prefrontal attention--can contribute to positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

The goal of cognitive behavior therapy is to modify maladaptive cognitions (thoughts). The goal of traditional psychoanalysis is to "increase insight" into the unconscious. Psychoanalysis may also work to reduce resistance to treatment, and sees resistance as an inevitable part of the process. Psychoanalysis attempts to decrease, rather than increase, the use of defense mechanisms like repression. Psychoanalysis does not directly modify behavior. Crisis intervention focuses on resolving a crisis and restoring previous functioning.

Lithium is a salt that is 60% effective in the treatment of the manic episode of bipolar disorder. It acts as a mood stabilizer. Tegretol, Lamictal, Luvrox, and Paxil are all used to treat depression.

Schizophrenia is a form of psychosis, and as such is treated with antipsychotic medications such as olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone either singularly or in combination if necessary.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) such as Zoloft, Paxil or Luvox are used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. Posttraumatic stress disorder is also treated with SSRIs. Both the manic and depressive stages of bipolar disorder can be treated with the mood stabilizer lithium, while SSRIs can be used to treat the depressive state. Treatment for personality disorders is not successful.

Blood levels of lithium have to be monitored, and signs of overdose include diarrhea, drowsiness, loss of appetite, muscle weakness and trembling, and slurred speech. Lithium is a mood stabilizer used in the treatment of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Paxil, Luvox, and Zoloft are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used to treat depression. Inderal is a antiadrenergic agent used to treat posttraumatic stress disorder.

Cognitive therapy, pioneered by psychologists like Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck, emphasizes the power of our thoughts in determining how we feel and behave. According to Beck's negative triad theory, depression is the result of negative thoughts about oneself, one's experiences, and one's future. A depressed person's thinking is often shaped by distortions like overgeneralization (e.g. “I always mess up in interviews”) and selective abstraction, in which one detail of an incident is emphasized and interpreted in the wrong context (e.g. a person focuses on the single negative aspect of a date).

While some of these terms may sound medical, they belong to the techniques and concepts of psychoanalytic therapy. The founder of psychoanalytic therapy, Sigmund Freud, was a physician. These terms express an unawareness of mental processes. Since cognitive approaches focus on what is immediately conscious and behavioral approaches avoid focusing on thoughts, they can be eliminated as possible answers.

Carl Rogers who is the founder of Person-Centered (sometimes called Client-Centered) therapy took a humanistic approach. Humanism stresses the importance of freedom, autonomy, and the potential to grow healthily. Rogers believed only three ingredients were needed for these goals of self-actualization to be achieved. Namely, they are unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathy.

CBT is a form of therapy that combines Aaron Beck's cognitive therapy and techniques taken from traditional behavioral approaches, like classical and operant conditioning. On the other hand, “rational emotive behavior therapy” (REBT) was developed by Albert Ellis and focuses on changing cognitions and behaviors by focusing on irrational thoughts. “Dialectical behavior therapy” (DBT) is a behavioral approach that was developed by Linehan to treat borderline personality disorder. “Relapse prevention” is an approach to addiction developed by Marlatt that views addiction as an overlearned habit. “Stress inoculation training” is an effective behavioral treatment for PTSD that focuses on cognitions, coping skills, and practice. Of all the treatments listed, “psychoanalysis” is the most unrelated. It focuses on the interactions between the id, ego, and superego, with the goal being to increase insight into the unconscious.

“Dialectical behavior therapy” is the most widely researched treatment for borderline personality disorder. It was developed by Marsha Linehan and includes 4 core components: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. On the other hand, “logotherapy” is an existential therapy developed by Viktor Frankl and focuses on finding meaning in life. “Cognitive behavioral therapy” is an effective treatment for depression and anxiety, and looks at the impact of one's thoughts on emotions and behaviors. “Rational emotive behavior therapy” was developed by Albert Ellis and focuses on modifying irrational thoughts. “Feminist therapy” emphasizes the impact of women's social roles and includes an equal relationship between therapist and client, therapist self-disclosure, and advocating for socio-political change.

Lithium helps treat manic episodes, which the question mentioned Tom is struggling with. It is the most common medication for mania. Antabuse is medication for alcoholism, Focalin treats ADHD, Seroquel addresses psychosis, and Lexapro deals with anxiety.

DBT was created initially to treat BPD. This theory works best when the therapist works as part of a team so he/she can get his/her own therapy as time goes on. DBT focuses on ares where someone with BPD would struggle- building an emotional skin, regulating emotional responses, and learning good interpersonal relationship strategies.

All of these therapies can be used to treat depression and many have research to support the effectiveness of the use; however, only one of these therapies was created intentionally to treat depression. Beck's cognitive therapy was created specifically to work with depression.

Rogers believed therapists needed to be congruent, empathic, and should show unconditional positive regard towards clients in order for therapeutic change to occur. Rogers did not believe in confrontation. He thought this was too abrasive and would negatively impact the relationship with the client, which could drastically decrease the effectiveness of therapy.