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PSYC3102 > Lecture 1 'Introduction' > Flashcards

Lecture 1 'Introduction' Flashcards

1
Q

Abnormal psychology is the scientific study of behaviour with what four main objectives?

A
  1. Describe
  2. Explain
  3. Predict
  4. Manage
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2
Q

What is a key difference between the relativist and the absolutist views?

A

Relativist = symptoms and causes vary across cultures

Absolutist = a disorder is caused by the same biological factors

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3
Q

List some elements of abnormality (9 options)

A
  • personal suffering
  • maladaptiveness
  • irrationality and incomprehensibility
  • unpredictability and loss of control
  • level of emotional distress
  • interference in daily functioning
  • vividness and unconventionality (deviations from the developmental/societal/cultural norm
  • observer discomfort
  • violation of moral and ideal standards
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4
Q

What are the main focuses of the DSM-5?

A

Symptoms / scientific basis of disorders:

  • Clinical presentation
  • Etiology (causes)
  • Developmental stage
  • Functional impairment
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5
Q

Mental disorders involve one or all of the following: ___?

A
  • present distress
  • disability (impairment in functioning)
  • significant risk of suffering/pain/death/disability/loss of freedom
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6
Q

Thomas Szasz believes mental illness is a myth. What was the example he gave to show that labelling can be misused?

What two things does he believe results from clinical labelling?

A

Drapetomonia = the mental illness label given to black slave escapees (example of racist psychology)

Stigma + discrimination

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7
Q

What is epidemiology?

A

The study of the frequency and distribution of disorders within a population

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8
Q

In epidemiology, describe what an ‘incidence’ is?

A

the number of NEW cases of a disorder that appear in a population within a specific time period

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9
Q

In epidemiology, describe what ‘prevalence’ is? What is the difference between it and ‘life-time prevalence’?

A

the total number of ACTIVE cases in a given population during a specific time period

Life-time prevalence = the proportion of the population affected AT SOME POINT during their lives

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10
Q

What is comorbidity?

A

Having more than one condition

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11
Q

According to Australian statistics, ____ suffer mental disorders during their lifetime.

A

1/4

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12
Q

Mental disorders are the _____ most significant impact to the economy

A

second (after cardiovascular conditions)

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13
Q

Hippocrates classified mental disorders into what three categories?

A
  1. Mania
  2. Melancholia
  3. Phrenitis (brain fever)
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14
Q

What was the view toward mental disorders in the Middle Ages?

A

Supernatural view - abnormal behaviour = the work of witchcraft/the devil

People were persecuted

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15
Q

What were the attitudes towards mental illness in the Renaissance period?

A

More humane view, alternative views to demonology (e.g. Paracelsus believed stars affect the brain);

First Asylums; ‘treatment’ = confinement, torture, crazy medical procedures

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16
Q

Who was the first physician to specialize in the treatment of mental illness?

A

Weyer, (Renaissance)

17
Q

List Philippe Pinel’s Classification System:

A
  • Melancholia
  • Mania
  • Mania + delirium
  • Dementia
  • Idiotism
18
Q

Somatic treatments for mental illness came about when

A

They discovered Syphilis had an underlying biological cause which gave them an idea that maybe mental illnesses do too.

19
Q

What are the two Kraepelin and the German Classifiers?

A
  1. Dementia praecox (schizophrenia)

2. Manic depressive pscyhosis

20
Q

What four things did Freud and Breuer discover in their studies of histeria?

A
  1. Psychological factors affect behaviour
  2. Talking treatment more effective than harsh physical punishment and moral treatments
  3. Behaviour influenced through thoughts, impulses and wishes (unconscious)
  4. Non-psychotic disorders are worthy of treatment
21
Q

According to the Biopsychosocial Framework, abnormal behaviour reflects a combination of what four factors?

A
  1. Biological,
  2. Psychological,
  3. Social
  4. Environmental
22
Q

The current view of mental illness suggests we adopt what kind of approach?

A

A scientist-practitioner approach

  • consider the context in which the behaviour occurs
  • holistic/multidisciplinary approach to the development and treatment of abnormal behaviour
23
Q

What is a symptom?

A

a manifestation of pathological condition - subjective + objective complaints

24
Q

What is a syndrome?

A

a group of symptoms that occur together that constitute a recognisable condition

25
Q

What are five purposes for using classification?

A
  1. Enables clinicians to diagnose a person’s problem as a disorder
  2. Information retrieval
  3. Facilitates research
  4. Facilitates communication
  5. Facilitates treatment selection (sometimes)
26
Q

What is the main problem of classification? Why is this a big problem?

A

Categorical instead of dimensional approach

  • Loss of information
  • Ignores differences
  • Labelling controversy (shape perceptions / cause prejudicial treatment / can foster self-fulfilling prophecy)
27
Q

What is a criticism of diagnostic practice? Give an example what implications this may have

A

Uses a distinct entity instead of a continuum approach

E.g. Diagnosing a child as ADHD (instead of just restless) has implications for the parents, teachers, and anybody else involved etc.

28
Q

What is diagnotistic bias? What experiment demonstrated this effect?

A

Expectations regarding a client’s sex, race and SES

  • Rosenhan’s psuedo-patients who feigned symptoms to gain admission in mental institutes - the same mental institutes later identified actual patients as ‘pseudopatients’ - which highlights the importance of CONTEXT of the behaviour presented.
29
Q

What is clinical assessment?

A

The process of gathering information important to DIAGNOSE
PLAN TREATMENT and
PREDICT FUTURE COURSE
of a disorder

30
Q

What is an essential component of clinical assessment? What is done from there

A

Clinical interview; augmented with various other assessments to test hypotheses > form a diagnostic formulation > judge WHY the disorder is present > judge treatment

31
Q

What are three shortcomings of intelligence tests?

A
  1. Factors unrelated to intelligence can influence performance
  2. Cultural bias
  3. The tests measure only what psychologists consider intelligence to be

PSYC3102 (13 decks)

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