4.2 Mental disorders Flashcards
define depression
a mood disorder where an individual feels sad and/or lacks interest in their usual activities
further characteristics include irrational negative thoughts, raised or lowered activity levels and difficulties with concentration, sleeping and eating
characterised by extreme low mood
define obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
an anxiety disorder where anxiety arises from both obsessions (persistent thoughts) and compulsions (behaviours that are repeated over and over again)
compulsions are a response to obsessions and the person believes the compulsions will reduce anxiety
define phobias
a group of mental disorders characterised by high levels of anxiety in response to a particular stimulus or group of stimuli.
the anxiety interferes with normal living
fear response is out of proportion to actual danger posed by phobia
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?
source of considerable anxiety and distress
embarrassment and shame surrounding behaviours
what are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?
obsessions are recurrent, intrusive thoughts or impulses.
they are perceived as inappropriate, forbidden, frightening and or embarrassing
recognises that the obsessional thoughts/impulses are a product of their own mind.
recognises obsessions and compulsions are excessive/unreasonable
what are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?
compulsive behaviours performed to reduce anxiety
patients feel something dreadful will happen if behaviours are not repeated
what are the emotional characteristics of depression?
always includes sadness or loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities
loss of interest and pleasure in usual hobbies
feelings of despair and lack of control
sadness/feeling empty
feelings of worthlessness/hopelessness and or an experience of low self esteem
anger directed towards others or the self
what are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
negative emotions = negative thoughts
negative view of the world, expect things to turn out badly
self-fulfilling negative expectations reinforce negative beliefs
negative thoughts are usually irrational
what are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
shift in activity level, high or low
symptoms associated with oversleeping and or undersleeping can be observed
shift in appetite levels, high or low
what are the emotional characteristics of phobias?
fear that is marked and persistent, likely to be excessive and unreasonable
coupled with feelings of anxiety
emotions cued by presence and or anticipation of fear
what are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
irrational nature of the person’s thinking and the resistance to rational arguments
adults recognise that fear is excessive, this helps us to distinguish between phobia and delusional illness
what are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?
immediate response to avoid phobic stimuli
stress response, ‘fight or flight’ , fainting or freezing is an adaptive response to distress
panic attacks are often observed
summarise phobias
emotional: excessive fear and/or panic cued by a specific object or situation
behavioural: avoidance, faint or freeze, interferes with everyday life
cognitive: not helped by rational argument, unreasonableness of the behaviour recognised
summarise depression
emotional: negative symptoms - sadness, loss of interest and sometimes anger
behavioural: reduced or increased activity related to energy levels, sleep and/or eating
cognitive: irrational, negative thoughts and beliefs that are self-fulfilling
summarise OCD
emotional: anxiety and distress, and awareness that this is excessive, leading to shame
behavioural: compulsive behaviours to reduce obsessive thoughts, not connected in a realistic way
cognitive: recurant, intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts (obsessions), more than everyday worries
