Depression, Phobias(+treatment) and OCD Flashcards
Symptoms of Depression
Behavioural: Insomnia, sig weight loss or gain
Emotional: Depressed mood, feelings of worthlessness
Cognitive: Recurrent thoughts of death, poor memory
What is depression?
An affective mood disorder characterised by feelings of melancholy and hopelessness
What is a phobia?
A type of anxiety disorder characterised by uncontrollable, extreme irrational fears and anxiety levels that are usually unproportional to the actual risk.
What is OCD?
OCD is an anxiety disorder characterised by persistent,intrusive, unpleasant thoughts and repetitive, ritualistic behaviours.
The obsessions comprise of inapropriate ideas and visual images that lead to extreme anxiety. The compulsions comprises of intense, uncontrollable urges to repeitively perform tasks or behaviours as an attempt to reduce distress.
Symptoms of OCD
Behavioural: Hinder to everyday functioning due to extreme anxiety levels
Emotional: extreme anxiety by persistently inappropriate ideas and visuals in individuals mind
Cognitive: Uncontrollable urges to perform acts they feel will reduce anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts
The behavioural approach to explaining phobias: key terms (cc, oc, slt)
Classical conditioning: stimulus becomes associated with a response
social learning theory: oberservation and imitation of another
(explaining how phobias are acquired)
Operant conditioning: learning behaviour from consequence of that behaviour e.g punishment and rewards
(explaining how phobias are maintained)
The behavioural approach to explaining phobias: the two process model
Classical conditioning:
Unconditioned stimulus -> unconditioned response
(traumatic experience with fear as response)
Conditioned stimulus+unconditioned stimulus-> unconditioned response
(object of phobia becomes conditioned to give fear response)
conditioned stimulus-> conditioned response
Stimulus generalisation?
A tendency for the conditioned stimulus to evoke similair responses after the response has been conditioned
Evaluation of behavioural approach to explaining phobias: Strength 1
explains how phobias are maintained and this can lead to important implications for therapy as it explains that patients need to be exposed to the feared stimulus.When the patient is prevented from carrying out avoidance behaviour the behaviour is not maintained so therefore declines.
Evaluation of behavioural approach to explaining phobias: Strength 2
there is research support for this approach, e.g Little Albert experiment by Watson and Rayner in 1920 where a 9 month old Albert was conditioned to have a fear of a white rat, after showing him this stimulus whilst applying a loud bang to a metal bar behind him. By the seventh session, Little Albert showed a fear response when only being shown the white rat with no loud bang.
Evaluation of behavioural approach to explaining phobias:
However, does not consider any cognitive factors that may contribute to development of phobias as only behavioural approach.
Evaluation of behavioural approach to explaining phobias:
Some phobias are not acquired through trauma so can’t be a result of conditioning e.g some people may have a fear of snakes even though they haven’t seen a snake before.
Treating phobias: Systematic desensisation: process
Involves the establishment of a fear hierarchy for patient, with a progressive exposure from the least to most feared.
Either in vivo (contact) or in vitro(using imagination)
Involves teaching of relaxation technqiues to promote a positive association with phobia.
Treating phobias: Systematic desensitisation: Strength 1
There is research support to show this eradicates peoples phobias.
Treating phobias: Systematic desensitisation: Strength 2
No ethical concerns as wellbeing of patient is prioritised, they are more in control.
Treating phobias: Systematic desensitisation: Limitation 1
Less cost effective than flooding so less available for ordinary people.
Treating phobias: Systematic desensitisation: Limitation 2
In vitro only works if patient has a good imaginiation, so the therapy may not be succesful against real stimuli.
Treating phobias: Flooding: process
Involves exposure to top of patients fear hierarchy, with patient reaching peak anxiety which will reduce since fear is time limited
positive association is taught through relaxation techniques like deep breathing.
Treating phobias: Flooding: Strength 2
more cost effective + faster than systematic desensitisation
Treating phobias: Flooding: Strength 1
ideal for straight forward physical phobias e.g fear of dogs
Treating phobias: Flooding: Limitation 1
Can be dangerous/more traumatic so therefore impossible for people with heart conditions so can raise ethical concerns
Treating phobias: Flooding: Limitation 2
cannot be used for life threatening stimuli e.g phobia of lions
Cognitive approach to explaining depression: explanation
The cognitive approach generally explains depression in terms of faulty and irrational thought processes and perceptions, focusing on the maladaptive cognitive processes that lead to maladaptive behaviours.
One explanation is through Ellis’ ABC model describes depression occuring from an Activating event triggering a negative Belief that will have the Consequence of depression.
Another is Beck’s negative triad that suggests that having negative thinking about oneself, the world, and the future will result in an individual having depression.
Another is the source of irrrational beliefs known as musturbatory thinking, with the beliefs that someone must be approved of my important people, must do well or else be deemed worthless and that the world must give someone happiness. These beliefs may cause depression according to the cognitive approach.
Cognitive approach to explaining depression evaluation: Strength 1
Cognitive approach has useful applications for treating dperession such as CBT which is a widely used and succesful treatment