Intro to clinical psychology Flashcards
what is abnormal behaviour
- Not culturally accepted
- Statistically uncommon
-Causes distress and dysfunction
general issues in studying abnormal behaviour
-abnormality can be related to social or cultural context
-strong stigma attached to many disorders
what is stigma
- Negative attitudes and beliefs.
-Comes from inaccurate information.
how are mental disorders stigmatised via media
negative stereotypes e.g aggression and substance abuse
how are violence and mental disorders leaked
those with severe mental disorders more likely to display slightly higher levels of violence
define psychopathology
Study of symptoms and development of psychological disorders
define psychological disorder
Pattern of behavioural or psychological symptoms
define lifetime prevalence
Likelihood of someone experiencing disorder at some point in life
what does the DSM-5 show
list of 20 categories of disorders
lists over 300 disorders
how does the DSM-5 take an atheoretical approach?
does not say why the disorder exists just how to identify it
what is a major issue with the DSM-5
subject to human error - right diagnosis is required
how does the DSM define a mental disorder
a clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotion regulation, and behaviour
how are unstructured interviews used
-Initially gather information concerning status of individual
-Building rapport with client
-Identify areas of consideration for diagnosis
how structured interviews are used
- Similar questions across clients to provide consistency
-Questions based on criteria taken from DSM-5
examples of projective tests
- Rorschach inkblot test
-Thematic apperception test
what are projective tests based on
the psychodynamic approach
pros of projective tests
- Allows flexibility and removes social desirability
- Good for rapport building
-Helps generate hypothesis for diagnosis
examples of widely used questionnaires
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7)
what does neuropsychological testing do
assess general levels of cognitive functioning
methods used in neuropsychological testing
- Verbal comprehension and IQ
- Working memory
Processing speed
why may a dimensional approach to diagnosis be beneficial
can show severity of a disorder
why is a categorical approach to diagnosis often more helpful
helps to determine treatment
