AS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - BEHAVIOURAL, EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE CHARACETRISTICS OF OCD, PHOBIAS AND DEPRESSION

Question 1

Describe the beh.al characteristics of phobias

Answer 1

• Avoidance; sufferers go out of their way to avoid their phobic stimulus and are -vely reinforced to do so; they avoid the -ve thing of the anxiety caused by seeing their phobic stimulus
• Fainting, fleeing or freezing
• Endurance; opposite to avoidance; sufferers may have to endure the presence of their phobic stimulus whilst still experiencing high levels of anxiety, e.g. ppl who have a fear of flying

Question 2

Describe the emotional characteristic of phobias

Answer 2

• Shame; sufferers are often aware that their phobias are irrational and so feel embarrassed about them
• Panic; when in the presence of the stimulus
• Anxiety
• Disgust

Question 3

Describe the cognitive characteristics of phobias

Answer 3

• Selective attention; finding it hard to look away from the stimulus
• Irrational belief; sufferer resists rational argument
• Cognitive distortions; ppl with arachnophobia may perceive spiders to be threatening when in fact they are harmless

Question 4

Describe the beh.al characteristics of depression

Answer 4

• Lowered activity levels; sufferers may w/draw from work, social life, family and education. This can be so severe that some sufferers may not get out of bed
• In some cases, however, activity levels may increase due to the inability to relax; pacing up and down a room
• Insomnia/hypersomnia (an increased need for sleep) or premature waking
• Eating habits increase or decrease; leads to weight loss/gain
• Aggression/self harm; patients are often quite irritable and this can be shown through aggression towards others, e.g. verbal abuse. Aggression can also be directed at the self, e.g. self harm

Question 5

Describe the emotional characteristics of depression

Answer 5

• Lowered mood; sufferers often feel worthless and empty
• Aggression/ anger (see self harm)
• Lowered self-esteem; sufferers often describe a self-loathing

Question 6

Describe the cognitive characteristics of depression

Answer 6

• Poor concentration; may find it difficult to focus on just one task or make decisions; impacts work/ education
• Dwelling on -ves; sufferers pay little to no attention to the +ve aspects of their life
• Absolutist thinking; black and white; if something’s bad then it’s an absolute disaster

Question 7

Describe the beh.al characteristics of OCD

Answer 7

• Compulsions are beh.s that reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions (see cog characteristics); sufferers feel they must complete these compulsions or else something bad will happen to them or a loved one
• Avoidance; sufferers avoid situations that could trigger anxiety, which is done in an attempt to manage their OCD.

Question 8

Describe the emotional characteristics of OCD

Answer 8

• Both obsessions and compulsions cause lots of anxiety
• Shame; sufferers are aware that their beh is abnormal and may be embarrassed about it
• Potentially disgust; common obsession around germs, which leads to repetitive hand washing and feelings of disgust towards everyday settings

Question 9

Describe the cognitive characteristics of OCD

Answer 9

• Obsessions are recurrent, intrusive thoughts, which are perceived as inappropriate or forbidden. Obsessions include…
  • ideas, e.g. “there are germs everywhere”
  • doubts, e.g. “I didn’t turn the oven off”
  • impulses e.g. shouting obscenities
• Sufferers recognise that obsessions are products of their own minds