Module 4 Flashcards
What is abnormal psychology
Study of mental disorders - done by clinicians and researchers
How many elements of abnormal behaviour are there
5 - a behaviour needs to meet all 5 to be classed abnormal
What are the 5 elements of abnormal behavior?
Infrequency - behaviour must be rare
Deviance - behaviour is different than what is normally expected
Distress - behaviour must cause suffering
Disability - behaviour must cause impairment
Danger - behaviour puts someone in harms way
What is the biological treatment approach
Addresses the physical characteristics of mental illness - eg hormone neurotransmitter imbalance. Treatment would be medication or surgery
What is a psychodynamic approach?
Focus on root of the problem as it was caused from the past - work to remove hidden blocks
What is a behavioural approach
Focus on the present - Uses reinforcement, punishment and exposure to condition behaviour to be better
What is the cognitive approach
Focus on how and what we thinking - how it affects real situations
What is a humanistic approach
Focus on teaching patient to seek fulfilment
What is an eclectic approach?
Taking a range of treatment techniques to find best combo for patient
What is anxiety
Apprehension about an anticipated issue
What is fear?
Apprehensive response to immediate threat or danger - instinctive
How many components are there for anxiety disorders? What are they?
3 - Cognitive/subjective, physiological and behavioural
What are the different anxiety disorders?
Phobias - specific, social, orgoraphobia
Panic disorder
Generalised anxiety disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Post traumatic stress disorder
Characteristics of generalised anxiety disorder
Tendency to be anxious over many situations - difficult to control- creates distress
Characteristics of panic disorder
Periods of intense fear when a threat is not present - unexpected - not anxious between attacks
Characteristics of agoraphobia
Fear or anxiety of 2 or more - using public transport - open spaces - crowds - leaving home - causes distress
Characteristics of social anxiety disorder
Fear of situations where person could get negative feedback - worry others will judge them
Characteristics of specific phobias
Anxiety about a specific thing or situation
Characteristics of OCD
Obsessions and compulsions
Obsessions - intrusive and recurring thoughts - persistent uncontrollable and irrational - contamination, symmetry and disorder
Compulsions - repetitive excessive behaviours a person is driven to perform to reduce anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts - cleaning, checking
What are anxiety disorder treatments
Psychological treatments are effective - relaxation - cognitive restructuring - exposure therapy
What is a major depressive episode
Must have 5 or more related symptoms in a 2 week period - change from previous functioning - 1 of these symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest - show significant impairment
WHat is a major depressive disoreder
At least 1 depressive episode - not common
What is persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)
Chronic - longer than 2 years - less intense than MDD
Factors of depressive disorders
Biological, social, psychological
Biological factors that cause depression
Inherited 40-50%
Neurotransmitters are critical in depressive disorder
Not enough adrenaline can lead to adrenaline
Not enough serotonin and dopamine can lead to depression
Social/environmental factors that cause depression?
Diathesis stress model - stress reactivity combined with predisposition determines how they percieve a situation as stressful
Stress is perception
Psychological factors causing depression
cognitive theories - becks theory
Behavioural theories- to cause improvement in depressive disorder - need to change behaviour
Interpersonal theories - deficit in interpersonal functioning increase symptoms
Psychodynamic theories - unconscious conflict increase symptoms
What are the 4 phases of becks theory (treatment)
Increase activities and elevate mood - increased neurotransmitter flow
Challenge automatic thoughts
Identify negative thinking and biases
Change primary attitudes / schema
WHat other treatments are there
Drugs - anti depressant meds
Electroconvulsive therapy - effective for severe depression - jolt electricity into brain
What is psychosis
umbrella term for many psychotic disorders with wide range of symptoms
What is schizophrenia
severe mental disorder - specific set of symptoms - needs 2 or more symptoms
What are the 3 sets of psychotic symptoms
positive - excess of normal - hallucinations
negative - absence from normal - lacking energy or motivation
disorganised - strange/disorganised speech or thinking
WHat is the schizophrenia criteria
must show social or occupational dysfunction and decline - at least 2 symptoms for 6 months
What are the different types of positive delusions
Persecution - thinking someones after them
Grandeur - someone is conspiring against them
Reference - something is sending messages
Erotomania - belief someone is in love with you
Somatic - something wrong with body
Nihilistic - world is coming to an end
Different types of positive hallucinations
Auditory - voices that speak - not conversations
Visual
Olfactory - strange smells
Gustatory - tastes
Tactile - bodily sensations
Disorganised symptoms
Loose association - series of ideas with no logical connections
neologisms - make up words
clang association - make each sentence rhyme
Echolalia - repeats what people say to them
Echopraxia - mimics others behaviour
Word salad - incoherent speech
Negative symptoms
Affective flattening - shallow emotions - doesnt express emotions
Alogia - not much speech
Thought blocking - person begins to speak then forgets what gonna say
Avolition - lack of energy
Anhedonia - cant experience pleasure
What is the general order of symptoms
Usually starts with negative then disorganised then positive
