Abnormal Psychology Studies Flashcards
Jahoda 1958
The Mental health model of normality
criteria that a normal person should fulfill:
-Autonomy and independence
-Positive self-esteem
-Realistic self-perception
-Ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships
-Ability to cope with stressful situations
-The absence of mental illness
Cooper et al. 1972
Reliability of Diagnosis
-British and American psychiatrists diagnosed schizophrenic and depressed patients from a videotaped clinical interview.
-The Brits diagnosed clinical depression twice as often,
the americans diagnosed the same patients with schizophrenia twice as often.
The results show that there is a problem with the diagnosis, as in different cultures they are different: there is poor inter-rater reliability.
Nicholls 2000
Reliability of diagnosis
Researcher asked two practitioners two diagnose with either DSM-4, ICD-10 or the Great Osmond Street hospitals’s own diagnostic manual (GOD).
The patients were 81 children who had come to a specialist clinic with eating problems.
Reliability was measured as rates of agreement between the two practitioners, expressed as correlations.
In ICD-10 the correlation was 0.357
In DSM-4 it was 0.636
In GOS it was 0.879
Therefore the GOS was the most reliable. It could be because it is designed to be used with younger children.
Rosenhan et al. 1973
Validity of diagnosis
Famous study: Rosenhan and a group of colleagues and acquaintances (painter, housewife, student etc.) presented themselves to 12 different hospitals in the USA complaining about hearing voices, showing none other symptoms.
All but one were admitted in with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
When admitted, they stopped complaining of any symptoms. (although stressed because of the situation).
They tried to get out of the hospital.
They all got out with a diagnosis for schizophrenia: thus, their normality was not detected although the nurses description didn’t show any difficult behaviour.
35 out of 118 other patients in the hospitals expressed some kind of concern for the pseudo patients presence, thinking they were journalists or checking the hospital.
The pseudo-patients were writing notes and observations on the hospital life, which was noted by the staff. They attributed it to the schizophrenia. Average time in hospital was 19 days.
In a follow up of the study Rosenhan asked those staff members who thought they wouldn’t have been tricked by Rosenhan, how many pseudopatients Rosenhan had sent in.
At least one staff member estimated that 41 out of 193 were pseudo, although none of them were.
Similarly, psychiatrists thought that 19 were healthy, although they weren’t.
The study is old, but shows how easily healthy and unhealthy patients are mistaken for each other.
Caetano 1973
The labelling theory and ethics of diagnosis
- Male psychiatrists videoed conducting a structured interview on recruited students and hospitalized mental health patients.
- 77 students of psychology and 36 psychiatrists were asked to rate their degree of mental illness
- One group was told both were volunteers who were paid
- Other group was told that both were from a mental hospital
Results showed that psychiatrists were most affected by the previous knowledge: if they thought they were both healthy, they diagnosed no illness, if they thought they were both ill, they labelled them mentally ill.
Caetano acknowledged that the students could have a mental illness that is unknown, or the patients could be close to normal.
The study demonstrates labelling theory:
The person’s behaviour is not the most important part, but rather knowledge on their previous diagnoses or existing label.
Åhs et al. 2009
Biological etiology of anxiety disorder:
The role of amygdala in phobias. Women with snake or spider phobias were shown pictures of them while their brains were scanned with PET scans.
The results showed correlation between ratings of distress and activity in amygdala. The amygdala then works to activate the brain areas related to the fight or flight response.
Davey et al. 1998
Biological etiology of an anxiety disorder:
Classical conditioning
Disgust vs. danger
Cross-cultural study, ratings of fear were higher in disgust relevant animals, not in dangerous.
Suggests that this is an evolutionary development that aims to save humans from disease. Seeing disgusting things would therefore activate fight or flight response.
More in women as well -> evolution
Nurnberger and Greshon 1982
Biological etiology of affective disorder
Genes and depression
Reviewed seven twin studies on major depression.
MZ twins had a concordance rate of 65% and DZ twins had a concordance rate of 14%.
-Shows that it is likely that there is a genetic component to depression
However, the concordance is not 100% which shows that there are individual psychological factors and environmental factors that most likely play a role.
Sullivan et al. 2000
Biological etiology of affective disorder
Genes and depression
Meta-analysis on twin studies on depression. 21 000 twins included.
They found that MZ twins are twice as likely to develop major depression if their twin had it compared to DZ twins.
-Study showed that on average the influence of genes on developing major depression is between 31% and 42%.
Coppen, 1967
The serotonin hypothesis as the BLOA etiology for depression
Beck 1976
The cognitive theory of depression
CLOA etiology for depression
According to theory depression is caused by negative schemas about the world and one self. Rather than the symptom of depression, it is its cause.
The negative schemas and depressive thinking is assumed to develop during childhood and adolescence from negative experiences.
- These experiences cause a vulnerability to stressors
- The stressors cause negative automatic thoughts, or cognitive biases:
- —negative views about the world
- —negative views about oneself
- —negative views about the future
The theory has evoked a treatment, called cognitive behavioural therapy, and an instrument to measure depression.
It is effective in describing the symptoms of individuals with depression. A limitation to the theory is that it is difficult to say whether the negative thinking patterns actually the cause depression.
Brown and Harris 1978
Sociocultural factors in the etiology of depression
458 women in London were surveyed on their life and their depressive episodes.
37 of them had been depressed. 32 out of the 37 had experienced a serious difficulty or event in life.
-Working class women with children were four times more likely to develop depression than middle-class women with children.
-This was explained by the lack of social support and other problems that they face.
-Vulnerability factors such as lack of social support, over three children under 14, maternal loss and other stressful events were likely to provoke depression episodes.
This study is important as it shows that social factors do make a person more vulnerable to depressive episodes.
- the sample was only women - cannot be generalized to men.
- Semi-structured interview was useful in gathering information.
Neale et al. 2011
Biomedical treatment of depression, Examine. (evaluate)
SSRI meta-analysis on studies with SSRI and placebo
Study focused on those who
1) Started with SSRI but then changed to placebo
2) Took only placebo
3) took only anti-depressants
Those who don’t take antidepressants have a 25% risk to relapse.
Those who do have a 42% risk to relapse.
According to the researchers the anti-depressants may interfere with the brains natural self-regulation.
They argue that drugs that affect for ex. serotonin make the risk of relapse higher, because the brain has been altered and it might not get used to being without the medication.
The drugs relieve symptoms in the short-run, but in the long-run they risk the relapse.
Paykel et al. 1999
Individual approach to treatment of depression - Examine (evaluate)
Controlled trial of 158 patients who had experienced one episode of major depression.
Some received only antidepressants, some both CBT and antidepressants.
The relapse rate for those who received both was 29% compared to the 47% of those who only received antidepressants.
Paykel argues that CBT seems to be effective in preventing relapse, particularly with antidepressants.
Kuyken et al. 2008
Examine the use of group approaches to the treatment of depression.
MBCT and anti-depressive.
123 participants with three of more depressive episodes before.
Control took anti-depressives, experimental group participated in an MBCT course and gradually diminished their medication.
The relapse rate of control group was 60%.
Relapse rate in experimental group was 47%. Also, the MBCT participants reported higher quality of life: enjoyment of daily living and physical wellbeing.
In MBCT group 75% of participants stopped taking the anti-depressants.
