clinical psychology

Question 1

deviation from statistical norms

Answer 1

• someone with an IQ of below 70 falls within 2-3% of the population so id diagnosed with IDD.
• positive traits do not receive the same diagnosis
• arbitrary cut off point

Question 2

deviation from social norms

Answer 2

• what is considered abnormal changes over time and across cultures
• explains culture bound symptoms such as Seizisman in Haiti (Nicolas et al., 2006)
• can be used to justify abuse of human rights (Goldacre, 2002)

Question 3

maladaptivity

Answer 3

• Davey (1994) found that many people view anxiety as an adaptive behaviour (when does it become maladaptive)

Question 4

distress and impairment

Answer 4

• allows for individuals to have a say in their own diagnosis
• Alwin, 2008 found that people with personality disorders are particularly unlikely to admit to being distressed

Question 5

Crisp et al., 2000

Answer 5

found that people have three main perceptions about people with mental health diagnoses:

• hard to talk to
• self inflicted
• dangerous

Question 6

Boyle, 2007 and Scheff, 1975

Answer 6

both have evidence showing that labelling people with mental health disorders may not actually be beneficial and to do so gives them a label that they can play up to and use as an excuse.

Question 7

what information does the DSM-V provide?

Answer 7

• essential features
• associated features
• diagnostic criteria
• differential details

Question 8

why is it good to have diagnostic manuals?

Answer 8

• allows resources to be provided to the groups of people that need them
• gives all psychologists the same guidelines to base diagnoses on

Question 9

Kessler et al., 1994

Answer 9

found that 79% of people with one diagnosis had a previous diagnosis of something else

Question 10

what are some problems with the DSM-V?

Answer 10

• gives no detail on causes so is essentially just naming symptoms and gives no real individual insight
• can contribute to stigma of diagnosis
• high levels of co-morbidity and co-occurence means that it is possible that all conditions should be thought of on a spectrum rather than discrete entities.

Question 11

what is the main assumption of the biological/medical model?

Answer 11

that everything psychological is first biological and therefore any psychological abnormality is a result of physical abnormality

Question 12

how does the biological model fit explanations of Sz?

Answer 12

genetic explanations and the dopamine hypothesis are proposed biological causes for Sz

Question 13

what is some evidence for the dopamine hypothesis?

Answer 13

Faustman, 1995 found that amphetamines increase dopamine and also induce Sz-like symptoms
Kapur and Seeman, 2001 found, in post-mortems, that people with Sz have a greater number of dopamine receptors in the brain

Question 14

what are some strengths of the biological model?

Answer 14

• seen as scientific and objective
• could reduce the stigma of people with mental illness (see Crisp et al., 2000) as they are seen as biologically ill rather than just ‘mad’
• it allows for the treatment of conditions with drugs, which are less time consuming, cheaper and allow patients to carry on with their normal life whilst getting treatment

Question 15

what treatment is proposed for Sz based off the biological model?

Answer 15

antipsychotic drugs such as clorpromazine or clozapine which lower the sensitivity of cells to dopamine.
Meltzer, 2014 found antipsychotics significantly outperformed a placebo

Question 16

what are some weaknesses of the biological model?

Answer 16

• drugs bring up ethical issues and are sometimes seen as being like a ‘chemical straightjacket’ as they may have sedative effects
• doesn’t provide people with long term coping mechanisms
• drug treatments often have side effects such as Tardive Dyskinesia which can be permanent.
• NICE statistics estimate that antipsychotics are not effective in up to 40% of Sz case. this is a weakness as the biological model assumes that all people should respond to these drugs.
• there are many conditions which have no known biological cause (ADHD, gender dysphoria) but even the ones that do are not 100% biological.

Question 17

Gottesman, 1987

Answer 17

found concordance rates of 44% in MZ twins and 12% in DZ twins

Question 18

Badner and Geston, 2002

Answer 18

found as many as 9 genes that could contribute to a vulnerability to Sz.

Question 19

Chenieaux, 1990

Answer 19

gave two psychologists 100 patients to diagnose and found that one diagnosed 24 people and the other diagnosed just 13, this shows the subjectivity of diagnosing people

Question 20

definition of Sz

Answer 20

it is a condition characterised by psychosis, disordered thinking and ‘negative symptoms’ such as avolition

Question 21

what is the one condition with a verified biological cause

Answer 21

Alzheimers

Question 22

how does Sz fit in with the cognitive model?

Answer 22

it fits with the theory of negative attribution bias (Bentall, 1994) where internal feelings or events are attributed to external events which explains why 50% of people with Sz have paranoid Sz

Question 23

how does CBT work to cure Sz

Answer 23

it challenges delusions and irrational beliefs that people with Sz have and works to provide them with rational alternative explanations for these beliefs.

Question 24

what are some alternative explanations for why CBT works

Answer 24

it has been shown to increase compliance with medication (Pharaoh, 2014)

Question 25

Tarrier (2015)

Answer 25

found that the greatest improvement in Sz sufferers was seen with CBT and drug therapies rather than just one or the other.