Assessment, Diagnosis & Treatment
Malingering - ANSThe intentional creation of false or grossly exaggerated physical or
psychological symptoms, motivated by external incentives such as avoiding work., Patient
consciously fakes of claims to have a disorder in order to attain a specific secondary gain
(avoiding work, obtaining drugs). Avoids treatment by medical personnel. Complaints cease
after gain (vs. factitious disorder)
Presenting Problem - ANSOriginal complaint reported by the client to the therapist. The actual
treated problem may be a modification derived from the this, Consists of the perceived
symptoms and overt issues or difficulties that, according to the client, constitute the problems of
which she has sought help. May not be the actual problems or the program that needs attention
- i.e., it may be a distortion of the actual problem or a matter that the client feels safer disclosing
or the client and her family may misunderstand the problem or not understand it fully.
Nevertheless, a social work should "start where the client is" during an assessment and focus
initially on eliciting the present problem.
Achievement Test - ANSTest designed to assess the present level of skill in or knowledge of a
particular content domain. Is usually considered a measure of previous learning but may also
assess innate characteristics
Addiction - ANSA term that may be applied to any substance, activity, behavior, or object that
has become the major focus of a person's life to the exclusion of other activities or that has
begun to harm the individual of other physically, psychologically and/or socially
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) - ANSIt is a medial term used to involving
hyperactivity, attention difficulties, and impulsiveness. In children it's 4-9 times more common in
boys. Treatment is a CNS stimulant (methylphenidate) and behavioral and cognative-behavioral
techniques.
Agoraphobia - ANSAn anxiety disorder invovling anxiety about being in situations of places from
which escape might be difficult or embarrassing or in which help might not be available if a panic
attact or panic-like symptoms occur. Treatment of choice is in vivo exposure with reponse
prevention (flooding).
AIDS Demetia Complex - ANSImpairment of cognitive functioning due to infections of the
centeral nervous system related to HIV disease. The symptoms fluctuate from day to day severe
symptoms include grandiosity, poor impulse control, memory loss, aimless wandering and
disorientation.
Amphetamine or Cocaine Intoxication - ANSSymptoms include euphoria, anxiety, paranoid
ideation, tachycardia, dilated pupils, perspiration, confusion and seizures.
,Anaclitic Depression - ANSWithdrawal, depression and development delays resulting from the
loss of an attachment figure during infancy, especially when the loss occurs during the second
half of the first year of life.
Anorexia Nervosa - ANSAn eating disorder involving a refusal to maintain a minimally normal
body weight; intense fear of gaining weight; disturbed perception of one's body shape and size;
and in females amenorrhea. Over 90% are female; onset is typically in adolescence. Treatment
includes contingency management, cognitive therapy and family therapy.
Antecident - ANSSomething that proceeds a behavior e.g. a fire alarm, sign on a door.
Anterograde Amnesia - ANSA loss of memory for events and information subsequent to a
trauma or other event that precipitated the amnisia. It involves an inability to form new
memories.
Anxiety - ANSFreud; It's a factor in both normal personality functioning and pathological
behaviors. He distinguished between three types: Reality (objective) , Neurotic, and Moral. All
serve to alert the ego to the presence of external or internal threats and involves excitation of
the autonomic nervous system.
Aphasia - ANSImpairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to
Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to wernicke's area (impairing understanding).
Appropriate Affect - ANSA person is in touch with his emotions and can express them as he
feels them in response to specific emotional or situational stimuli.
Aptitude Test - ANSA test designed to predict a person's future performance.
Asperger's Disorder - ANSSevere impairments in social interactions and a restricted repertoire
of behaviors and activities. No delays in language, self help skills, cognitive development or
curiosity about the environment.
Assessment - ANSA process by which social workers explore and attempt to attain a
comprehensive understanding of a client's problems and needs including relevant personal and
situational factors. Allows for appropriate intervention goals to be established. Social Workers
believe that they should continue throughout the helping process and that an important focus
should be the problem the client considers important.
Autistic Disorder - ANSA pervasive developmental disorder characterized by qualitative
impairment in social interaction; qualitative impairment in communication; and restricted,
repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors. About 4-5 times more common in males, Treatment
involves educational interventions and the use of behavioral techniques (e.g. shaping and
discrimination training for communication)
, Aversive Counterconditioning (Aversion Therapy) - ANSBehavioral therapy that reduces the
attractiveness of a stimulus of behavior by repeatedly pairing it with a stimulus that produces
and undesirable or unpleasant response. Pairing alcohol consumption with electric shock to
reduce alcohol use is an example. In this situation, the alcohol is the conditioned stimulus (CS)
and the electric shock is the unconditioned stimulus (US)
Avoidance Personality Disorder - ANSA personality disorder characterized by a pervasive
pattern of social inhabition, feelings of inadequacy and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation
Bayley Scale of Infant Development (BSID) - ANSInstrument used to test cognitive and motor
skills of infant age 2 months to 30 months. The BSID is predicitive of cognitive problems if the
scores are significantly below average.
Beck Depression Inventory-II - ANSMeasure of the depth of a person's depression or the
severity of his complaints, symptoms, and concerns related to his current level of depression.
May be used with individuals age 13 and older with at least an 8th-grade reading level. Similar
tests available to assess suicide risk include the Hopelssness Scales and the Scale for Suicidal
Ideation.
Behavioral Addiction - ANS(A.K.A. "process addiction", "non-substance-related addiction".) A
recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in a specific activity (e.g. shopping) despite
harmful consequences as identified by the person herself, to her physical health, psychological
or emotional well-being, and/or social functioning.
Behavioral Assessment - ANSA method of behavioral evaluation in which current, specific, and
observable behaviors are quantitatively and qualitatively assessed. Reflects and idiographic
(individual approach) and considers observed behaviors to be "samples" rather than signs of
underlying phenomena.
Behavioral Intentions - ANSA predisposition to act in a particular way towards an attitiude
object, consisting of a personal component (the person's attitude toward engaging in the
behavior) and social component (the person's beliefs about what other people think he should
do).
Bipolar I Disorder - ANSA mood disorder involving the presence of at least one or more manic
or mixed episodes with or without a hisotry of a major depressive episode. Lithium is the
treament-of-choice for "classic" bipolar disorder. Of the mental disorders, bipolar disorder most
clearly has a genetic compent.
Bipolar II Disorder - ANSA mood disorder involving at least one major depressive episode and
at least one hypomanic episode.
Malingering - ANSThe intentional creation of false or grossly exaggerated physical or
psychological symptoms, motivated by external incentives such as avoiding work., Patient
consciously fakes of claims to have a disorder in order to attain a specific secondary gain
(avoiding work, obtaining drugs). Avoids treatment by medical personnel. Complaints cease
after gain (vs. factitious disorder)
Presenting Problem - ANSOriginal complaint reported by the client to the therapist. The actual
treated problem may be a modification derived from the this, Consists of the perceived
symptoms and overt issues or difficulties that, according to the client, constitute the problems of
which she has sought help. May not be the actual problems or the program that needs attention
- i.e., it may be a distortion of the actual problem or a matter that the client feels safer disclosing
or the client and her family may misunderstand the problem or not understand it fully.
Nevertheless, a social work should "start where the client is" during an assessment and focus
initially on eliciting the present problem.
Achievement Test - ANSTest designed to assess the present level of skill in or knowledge of a
particular content domain. Is usually considered a measure of previous learning but may also
assess innate characteristics
Addiction - ANSA term that may be applied to any substance, activity, behavior, or object that
has become the major focus of a person's life to the exclusion of other activities or that has
begun to harm the individual of other physically, psychologically and/or socially
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) - ANSIt is a medial term used to involving
hyperactivity, attention difficulties, and impulsiveness. In children it's 4-9 times more common in
boys. Treatment is a CNS stimulant (methylphenidate) and behavioral and cognative-behavioral
techniques.
Agoraphobia - ANSAn anxiety disorder invovling anxiety about being in situations of places from
which escape might be difficult or embarrassing or in which help might not be available if a panic
attact or panic-like symptoms occur. Treatment of choice is in vivo exposure with reponse
prevention (flooding).
AIDS Demetia Complex - ANSImpairment of cognitive functioning due to infections of the
centeral nervous system related to HIV disease. The symptoms fluctuate from day to day severe
symptoms include grandiosity, poor impulse control, memory loss, aimless wandering and
disorientation.
Amphetamine or Cocaine Intoxication - ANSSymptoms include euphoria, anxiety, paranoid
ideation, tachycardia, dilated pupils, perspiration, confusion and seizures.
,Anaclitic Depression - ANSWithdrawal, depression and development delays resulting from the
loss of an attachment figure during infancy, especially when the loss occurs during the second
half of the first year of life.
Anorexia Nervosa - ANSAn eating disorder involving a refusal to maintain a minimally normal
body weight; intense fear of gaining weight; disturbed perception of one's body shape and size;
and in females amenorrhea. Over 90% are female; onset is typically in adolescence. Treatment
includes contingency management, cognitive therapy and family therapy.
Antecident - ANSSomething that proceeds a behavior e.g. a fire alarm, sign on a door.
Anterograde Amnesia - ANSA loss of memory for events and information subsequent to a
trauma or other event that precipitated the amnisia. It involves an inability to form new
memories.
Anxiety - ANSFreud; It's a factor in both normal personality functioning and pathological
behaviors. He distinguished between three types: Reality (objective) , Neurotic, and Moral. All
serve to alert the ego to the presence of external or internal threats and involves excitation of
the autonomic nervous system.
Aphasia - ANSImpairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to
Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to wernicke's area (impairing understanding).
Appropriate Affect - ANSA person is in touch with his emotions and can express them as he
feels them in response to specific emotional or situational stimuli.
Aptitude Test - ANSA test designed to predict a person's future performance.
Asperger's Disorder - ANSSevere impairments in social interactions and a restricted repertoire
of behaviors and activities. No delays in language, self help skills, cognitive development or
curiosity about the environment.
Assessment - ANSA process by which social workers explore and attempt to attain a
comprehensive understanding of a client's problems and needs including relevant personal and
situational factors. Allows for appropriate intervention goals to be established. Social Workers
believe that they should continue throughout the helping process and that an important focus
should be the problem the client considers important.
Autistic Disorder - ANSA pervasive developmental disorder characterized by qualitative
impairment in social interaction; qualitative impairment in communication; and restricted,
repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors. About 4-5 times more common in males, Treatment
involves educational interventions and the use of behavioral techniques (e.g. shaping and
discrimination training for communication)
, Aversive Counterconditioning (Aversion Therapy) - ANSBehavioral therapy that reduces the
attractiveness of a stimulus of behavior by repeatedly pairing it with a stimulus that produces
and undesirable or unpleasant response. Pairing alcohol consumption with electric shock to
reduce alcohol use is an example. In this situation, the alcohol is the conditioned stimulus (CS)
and the electric shock is the unconditioned stimulus (US)
Avoidance Personality Disorder - ANSA personality disorder characterized by a pervasive
pattern of social inhabition, feelings of inadequacy and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation
Bayley Scale of Infant Development (BSID) - ANSInstrument used to test cognitive and motor
skills of infant age 2 months to 30 months. The BSID is predicitive of cognitive problems if the
scores are significantly below average.
Beck Depression Inventory-II - ANSMeasure of the depth of a person's depression or the
severity of his complaints, symptoms, and concerns related to his current level of depression.
May be used with individuals age 13 and older with at least an 8th-grade reading level. Similar
tests available to assess suicide risk include the Hopelssness Scales and the Scale for Suicidal
Ideation.
Behavioral Addiction - ANS(A.K.A. "process addiction", "non-substance-related addiction".) A
recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in a specific activity (e.g. shopping) despite
harmful consequences as identified by the person herself, to her physical health, psychological
or emotional well-being, and/or social functioning.
Behavioral Assessment - ANSA method of behavioral evaluation in which current, specific, and
observable behaviors are quantitatively and qualitatively assessed. Reflects and idiographic
(individual approach) and considers observed behaviors to be "samples" rather than signs of
underlying phenomena.
Behavioral Intentions - ANSA predisposition to act in a particular way towards an attitiude
object, consisting of a personal component (the person's attitude toward engaging in the
behavior) and social component (the person's beliefs about what other people think he should
do).
Bipolar I Disorder - ANSA mood disorder involving the presence of at least one or more manic
or mixed episodes with or without a hisotry of a major depressive episode. Lithium is the
treament-of-choice for "classic" bipolar disorder. Of the mental disorders, bipolar disorder most
clearly has a genetic compent.
Bipolar II Disorder - ANSA mood disorder involving at least one major depressive episode and
at least one hypomanic episode.
