Abnormal Flashcards
What is the purpose of diagnosis? Give 2 reasons
- To identify abnormal disorders so treatment can be applied accordingly
- To provide investigation opportunities into the aetiologies of disorders
What are 3 types of diagnosis methods?
Biological (i.e. brain scans)
Psychological (i.e. IQ, cognitive tests, observations etc.)
DSM
What does the DSM stand for?
Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Give a definition of affective symptoms
The way in which people react emotionally to a situation and their ability to feel emotions
Give a definition of behavioural symptoms
The way an individual behaves and the activities they participate in or withdraw from
Give a definition of cognitive symptoms
Ability/inability to rationalise and concentrate as normal, the thoughts that one has about themselves, others and their intentions.
What were the results of Nuermberger and Gershon’s meta-analysis on 7 studies which concluded that genetic factors could predispose people to depression?
Concordance rate for monozygotic twins (identical) was 65%, consistently higher than for dizygotic twins which gave a rate of 14%.
Note: Stats are not 100%, suggests cognitive or social factors also have influence
Who’s 1995 study supports Beck’s cognitive triad and how?
Moilanen’s study - associated depression in adolescents to negative self thoughts and negative thoughts about their future
What does Brown and Harris’ model suggest?
The Vulnerability Model suggests that certain factors can make one more vulnerable to depression (i.e. losing a parent at a young age, unemployment, more than 3 young children)
What were the results of Brown and Harris’ study which supports their vulnerability model?
- 82% of depressed women had recently experienced life changing events compared to 33% in the non-depressed group
- 23% of women in working class had become depressed in the past year compared to 3% in the non-depressed group
- Women with young children were at higher risk
Note: tenuous link to Meany
Why may Rosenhan’s study be less relevant now than in 1973 (the year the study was conducted)?
Methods of diagnosis have changed - DSM-II was used in the 70’s but diagnosis is more sophisticated now
Define statistical infrequency in terms of abnormality
“A person’s trait, thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it is statistically unusual.”
Highlight 3 issues with the statistical definition of abnormality/normality
- Who decides the extent of deviation from the norm?
- Not universally applicable
- Doesn’t distinguish what is desirable (e.g. obesity is statistically normal but not healthy or desirable and high IQ is desirable but not statistically normal)
Define social deviation in terms of abnormality
“members of a society who do not think and behave like everyone else are often considered to be abnormal.”
Highlight 3 issues with the social definition of abnormality/normality
- No universal agreement on social norms as each culture varies significantly
- Social norms differ between generations, ethic groups, socio-economic groups etc.
- Social norms change with time (e.g. homosexuality was considered a psychological disorder until the 80’s by WHO)
Rosenhan and Seligman suggest a list of characteristics which define an individual as abnormal, what are 4 of these?
- Maladaptiveness (harm to self)
- Irrationality
- Being unconventional
- Unpredictability
What are 2 issues with Rosenhan and Seligman’s list of characteristics defining one as abnormal?
- Many people engage in maladaptive behaviour but are not considered abnormal (e.g. smoking)
- Being unconventional is considered not as abnormal but may have been at the time (changes with time)
In the Cooper et al study, an identical video clip was shown to psychiatrists (from NY and from London). What were the findings?
Psychiatrists from New York were more likely to diagnose schizophrenia and psychiatrists from London were more likely to diagnose mania or depression
What were the results and explanation of results of Beck’s study on the reliability of diagnosis?
Agreement between 2 psychiatrists on diagnosis for 153 patients was 54% which may be due to vagueness in criteria for diagnosis and different methods of diagnosis
What specific idea is CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) based on?
Idea that cognition, emotion and behaviour all interact and specifically, thoughts determine feelings and behaviour
What does the therapy aim to do?
Aims to help people become aware of their negative thoughts and of behavioural patterns which reinforce this thinking
Helps people develop alternative ways of thinking/behaving
Give an example of a biomedical treatment
Drug treatments e.g. SSRI’s (such as Prozac)
Note: SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)
What do SSRI’s do?
They block the reuptake of serotonin by terminal buttons; leaving more in the synapses
