Failure to Function Adequately (FFA)

Question 1

according to FFA what makes someone abnormal?

Answer 1

• p unable to continue with their normal everyday life
• day to day living is difficult
• this is a general sign of a mental illness and is not a specific disorder

Question 2

how might someone with agoraphobia FFA?

Answer 2

• fear of going out

- can’t do everyday tasks e.g going work / skl

Question 3

how might someone with depression FFA?

Answer 3

• less motivation to get up or go out
• can’t carry out everyday functions
• e.g going to work

Question 4

what key researchers looked into FFA?

Answer 4

Rosenhan and Seligman

Question 5

what did Rosenhan and Seligman argue?

Answer 5

there are 5 features of behaviour that indicate whether someone is failing to function adequately

Question 6

what are Rosenhan and Seligman’s 5 features of behaviour?

Answer 6

• observer discomfort
• unpredictability
• irrationality
• maladaptiveness
• personal suffering and distress
  OPIMU

Question 7

what is observer discomfort?

Answer 7

• when p’s behaviour causes distress to observer

- e.g crying can make observer upset

Question 8

what is unpredictability?

Answer 8

• we rely on behaviour around us to be predictable
• if p’s behaviour is unpredictable it suggests something is wrong
• e.g someone quiet becomes abrupt / outburst

Question 9

what is irrationality?

Answer 9

• if p’s behaviour is irrational / hard to understand it suggests somethings wrong
• e.g paranoia, anxiety, schz

Question 10

what is maladaptiveness?

Answer 10

• behaviour which is not helpful / not adaptive
• it limits the ability of a person to adjust to a certain situation
• e.g agoraphobia

Question 11

what is personal suffering and distress?

Answer 11

• inability to cope with everyday life causes distress

- e.g anorexia, OCD

Question 12

what are the strengths of FFA?

Answer 12

• easy to judge

- considers individual perspective

Question 13

how does FFA make it easy to judge a person?

Answer 13

• DSM V uses WHODAS 2.0
• this is a self report that evaluates p’s ability to preform activities in 6 areas e.g communication over last 30 days
• each area is rated 1-5 and p is given score out of 180
• score represents global disability
• this is objective therefore more reliable

Question 14

how does FFA consider individual perspectives?

Answer 14

• considers p’s own suffering when deciding if it’s abnormal
• this is similar to how classifications system diagnose mental health
• e.g extreme distress is a sign of a phobia
• it’s subjective therefore diagnosis is specific to p

Question 15

what is the counter evaluation to FFA considering individual perspectives?

Answer 15

• subjective
• someone has to decide is their distress is enough to be classed as abnormal
• different clinicians might class the same person as abnormal or not
• therefore some p’s might not get treatment

Question 16

what are the limitations of FFA?

Answer 16

• not a universal definition

- doesn’t consider context