Clinical Psychology Flashcards
Psychological disorder
“clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behaviour, usually associated with significant distress or disability in life”
Psychopathology
Scientific study of psychological disorders or the disorders themselves
Syndrome
Clusters of symptoms
Symptom
An indication of a condition
A psychological disorder cannot…
Be a normal response to common stressors, be a culturally approved response to a specific event, or a simple deviance from social norms
Psychological disorders affect
Thoughts, emotions and behaviours
Point prevalence
% of people that have a given disorder at a particular point in time
Lifetime prevalence
% of people who will have a given psychological disorder
US lifetime prevalence with at least one disorder
46%
US lifetime prevalence of at least two disorders
28%
How many people worldwide suffer from psychological disorders?
Half a billion people
Mood related disorders percent
41% of psychological disorders worldwide
Anxiety disorders percent
15% of psychological disorders worldwide
Schizophrenia percent
7% of psychological disorders worldwide
Clinical assessment
Gathering information to evaluate a patient psychological functioning to see if a diagnosis is needed
Clinical interview
Exploring px mental state, life circumstances, history through conversation
- Sometimes structured/unstructured
- Also look for implicit behaviour, discrepancies
Self-report measures
Px answers, standard, fixed questions, usually survey format
Projective tests
Client response to unstructured or ambiguous stimuli
- Implicit motives from response
- Rorschach Inkblot Test
Less use, mixed validity
Pros of diagnostic labels
- Easier to talk about
- Improved treatment
- Communicates potential difficulties
- May provide relief for the px
- Facilitates research
Cons of diagnostic labels
- Stigma
- Comparison
- Healthcare makes it “fixed” and enduring
- Encourages disorders to be though of as separate from other disorders
Trephination
Cutting large holes in a px’s skull so demons can exit
Historical treatments examples
Music, prayers, starvation, potions, flogging, spinning, nearly drowning, extreme temperatures…
What happened at the “hospitals for the insane”?
Really just isolated “undesirables”
- Awful conditions, treated like animals
- Shackles
- Public paid admission to view
Philippe Pinel
Advocated to remove patients’ shackles and get them fresh air
Dorothea Dix
Advocate for proper treatment of those struggling with mental disorders
General Paresis
Decline in physical and psychological function
- Found to be caused by syphilis
Who invented the talking cure?
Sigmund Freud
Who can provide psychological therapy in Canada?
Psychologists
Psychotherapists
Social Workers
Marriage and family therapists
Child and youth counsellors
Who can provide Biological therapy in Canada?
Family doctors
Psychiatrists
Psychiatric nurses
What dictates the success of therapy?
The relationship between client and therapist and how well their goals line up
How much does anxiety and depression cost per year?
1$ trillion/ year
Subsyndromal disorders
Versions of psychological disorders that do not meet diagnostic criteria
More than half of those with clinically significant disorders…
Do not receive treatment
Who is more likely to seek therapy?
Women, European Americans
Why would people not want to seek therapy?
- Financial barrier
- Stigma
- Need to see the problem and want to get help
What % of people get worse with therapy?
5-10%
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- present focused
- Problems clients want to address
- Structured, and usually with homework
- Wants to form new thought patterns and behaviours
Third wave therapies
Modify the hold that our thoughts and behaviours have on us
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Third wave therapy
- Greater awareness and acceptance of thoughts and feelings
Mindfulness-based stress reduction
Third wave therapy
- Present in the moment
- Views thoughts and feelings as passing
- Derived from Eastern meditative traditions
Correlation between physical activity and mental health
Mental health improves as physical activity increases!
Exposure to nature…
Increases levels of well-being
- why there are courtyards in hospitals, buildings
Urban areas…
Have a higher prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders
- Activation of the amygdala (stress response)
Empirically supported Treatments
Treatments that research shows to be effective
Dodo bird effect
A variety of treatments can be equally effective
Behavioural therapy is typically beneficial for…
Anxiety (phobias)
Cognitive therapy is typically beneficial for…
Mood disorders, panic disorder, bulimia nervosa
Experiential therapy is typically beneficial for…
Anxiety and depression
