Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
What are the steps in the method of studying psychology?
Description
Causation
Treatment
What are the 3ds to describe ‘abnormal’?
Deviant - fetishism
Distressing - depression
Dysfunctional - ADHD
What is the DSM?
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
What are the models of ‘mental illness’?
Supernatural eg spirits and exorcism
Biological eg internal physical problems and bleeding:exercise
Psychological eg beliefs,
Sociocultural eg poverty and fix social norms.
When did the biological model start to become the norm?
Europe 19-20th century - some mental illnesses found to have physical causes - psychiatry legitimate field of medicine
What are the limitations of the biological/medical model?
- need to avoid extreme reductionism
- need to avoid over- extrapolation from animal research
- need to avoid assuming causation fromtreament
- may not be applicable to conceptualising and diagnosing mental illness
What are the three parts of the psychoanalytic model?
Id
- born, instinct drives
Ego
- begins to develop at age 2
- conscious self - thinking, language
Superego
- develops at about age 5-6
- moral self
UNRESOLVED
How does the ego avoid pain and unsolved conflict?
Develops defence mechanisms
Repress Id impulses into acceptable forms.
What are the effects of the psychoanalytic model?
Resolutionalised the concept of mental illness
Popularised the concept of neurosis
What are the critiques of the psychoanalytic model?
Made no clear divide between normal and abnormal conditions
Limited empirical evidence
Lack of falsibility
What does the humanistic model think maladjustment results from? And what are the treatments?
Environmental impases conditions of worth
Own experience, emotions needs are blocked
Self-actualised thwarted
Empathy unconditional positive regard
What types of conditioning does the behavioural model suggest?
Classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
What are the maladjustment results and the critiques of behavioural model?
Results from learning history
Critiques - cognition important
What is the current dominant model in psych and what is it?
Cognitive-behavioural model
What we think influences what we feel and do
What does maladaptive behaviour result from in the cognitive-behavioural model?
Interpretation of experiences - consistent with core negative beliefs
Cognitive bias eg overgeneralisation mistaking feelings for facts
Negative automatic thoughts.
What are the treatments for all models?
Psychoanalytic- insight
Behavioural - new learning
Humanistic - empathy, unconditioned positive regard
Cognitive - cognitive restructuring
Why classify and why diagnose?
Improve communication between researchers
Improve comm between health professionals
Improve comm and understanding within community
May reduce social stigma
What is the ICD?
International statistical classification of diseases and r later health problems - published by WHO
What are some changes to the DSM?
Homosexuality removed 1973
Binge eating included 2013
Aspergers deleted 2013
What are the symptoms of major depressive disorder?
Depressed mood most of the day nearly every day Diminished pleasure in activities Significant weight loss or gain Insomnia or hypersomnia Fatigue/loss of energy Diminished ability to concentrate Recurrent thoughts of death
What is anxiety and what are the three interrelated anxiety systems?
Activated in respond to perceived threat
Physical - flight/flight, mobilise resources to deal with threat, symptoms - sweating, trembling
Cognitive - perception of threat, attentional shift, hypervigilance
Behavioural - escape/avoidance, aggression
What are anxiety disorders characterised by?
Overestimation of threat
What are the DSM-5 2013 anxiety disorders? And what were left out from DSM-IV?
Separation anxiety disorder Selective mutism Specific phobia Generalised anxiety disorder Panic disorder Agoraphobia
Things not included Social phobia Post traumatic stress disorder Acute stress disorder OCD
What are the possible causes of specific phobias?
Classical conditioning
However may not need a complete account - conditioning not sufficient to cause phobia, or actually not necessary
What stimuli are more likely to become phobias?
Significant threat to survival during evolution
Genetic preparedness
Innate/unconditioned fears.
What is OCD associated with?
Intolerance of uncertainty
Inflated responsibility
Thought-action fusion
Medical ideation
What can PTSD arise from?
Experiencing the event
Witnessing the event
Having event happen to a family member
Experiencing repeated exposure to details of traumatic event eg police
What else must happen to diagnose PTSD?
Intrusion symptoms
Persistent avoidance
Negative changes in cognition
Changes in arousal eg ang r, sleep disturbance
What is the difference between unipolar and bipolar?
Uni - depressive mood/episodes only
Bi - depressive mood/episodes and manic
What are some examples of manic episodes?
Abnormally evalated mood - inflated self esteem, decreased need for sleep, increased talkativeness, distract ability, excessive pleasure seeking.
What are the biological theories for depression?
Genetic vulnerability
Neurochemistry eg low levels of serotonin
Neuroendocrine system - excess response to stress
What is schema theory?
Pre-existing negative schematic
Activated by stress
Result in information processing biases
Negative thoughts become dominant in consciousness
What are biological treatments?
Drug treatments
Electro convulsive therapy
