Clinical psychology Flashcards
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)
Catalogues all mental disorders in standardized language, changes regularly made
psychological (or mental) disorder
a clinically significant disturbance in an individuals’ cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour that is usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities
what is not a psychological disorder?
‘weird’ or abnormal behaviour need not indicate a psychological disorder (ex. superstitions)
lifetime prevalence
% in population with disorder at some point in their lives
clinical assessment
a procedure for gathering information that is needed to evaluate an individual’s psychological functioning and to determine whether a diagnosis is warranted
clinical interview
may be structured or unstructured. After collecting information from the client, the clinician may have an idea of whether the client is managing a psychological disorder
self-report measures
reliable tools that can indicate the severity of a client’s symptoms, results must be interpreted keeping in mind the client’s history
projective tests
allow a client to impose structure on an ambiguous image, and the clinician can glean hidden thoughts and motivations (not reliable)
pros of labels
provide a reason, accommodations, specific treatments
Cons of labels
feeling limited, perceived negatively by others, stigmatized, clinicians view as permanent and multiple diagnoses as unrelated
Co-occuring disorders
Different mental disorders are often highly related, many mental disorders are marked by common symptoms.
It is not uncommon for a person with one mental disorder diagnosis to have others
Trephination
surgical procedure in which a hole is drilled into the skull, often to reduce pressure within the skull (thought of as driving out demons)
Philippe Pinel
pressured the French government to stop barbaric practices in Paris hospitals and developed a more humane method (moral treatment) of providing therapy to psychiatric patients
Dorothea Dix
championed the cause of mistreated people with mental illness
Sigmund Freud
founder of the talking cure, as he observed that verbalizing a traumatic event and related emotions seemed to help his clients
Psychological therapies
Provided by psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, child and youth counsellors
Biological therapies
A family doctor or a psychiatrist can prescribe medications as part of a treatment plan
Principles for health professionals
Do no harm; establish relationships of trust; promote accuracy, honest, truthfulness
What predicts a successful therapist?
Not predicted by qualifications, years of experience, but more interpersonal skills and how well treatment fits client’s needs
cost of mental disorders
one estimate is that anxiety and depression alone are estimated to cost at least $1 trillion each year
subsyndromal disorders
individuals who encounter significant problems despite their symptoms not meeting the threshold for an official diagnosis
Why do people not seek therapy?
Men and non-White individuals less likely to seek therapy, people with low incomes less likely to afford therapy, remaining stigma can prevent some from seeking
How effective is therapy?
Therapy is about as effective for men as for women, for people from different ethnic groups, and for people with different incomes.
One study demonstrated that 5-10% of people get worse after therapy
Behavioural approaches
We learn behaviours that are maladaptive
Treatment example: exposure therapies to treat a phobia response
Cognitive approaches
We make errors in thinking that cause maladaptive behaviours
Treatment example: adjusting the belief that “everything I do must be perfect”
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
combination of approaches: Treatment goals set right from the start
Clients will complete homework assignments such as thought records
Acceptance and commitment therapy
works toward the client behaving in a constructive way despite having to manage negative thoughts and feelings
Mindfulness-based stress reduction
inspired by Eastern traditions, encourages clients to view their thoughts and feelings simply as fleeting mental byproducts
evidence-based
meaning psychological research has been conducted and peer-reviewed studies have been published
city densification
associated with increased social isolation and poorer physical and mental health
How do we know therapy works?
A meta-analysis revealed that the average person who receives therapy is better off at the end of it than 80% of people who don’t
empirically supported
research has shown them to be effective on average
Empirically supported treatments (ESTs)
We do have some evidence that certain modes of therapy are more effective for certain disorders that others
- Behavioural approaches are especially helpful for anxiety disorders, including phobias
- Cognitive approaches are especially helpful for depression and bipolar disorders
Syndromes
clusters of symptoms that tend to occur simultaneously
Symptom
physical or mental feature regarded as indication of a condition
Psychopathology
Study of disorders or the disorders themselves
Qualifications of a disorder
not expectable or culturally approved response, or simple deviance from norms
Point prevalence
% in given population at one point in time
Benjamin Rush
hot/cold submersion until almost drowned, spinning until unconscious
Thematic Apperception test
Client makes up a story to describe what is going on in a picture
Dodo bird affect
One treatment not better than the rest
