Need To Know Psychopathology Flashcards

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1
Q

Ellis abc model

A
  • assumes depression is due to irrational thinking
  • Not events that cause depression but the way we think about them

A - activating event is interpreted by the individual using

his beliefs- (B) this leads to consequences (C)

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2
Q

Becks negative triad

A
  • believed depressed people feel depressed because they have a negative view (schemas) of world
  • negative schemas lead cognitive biases which in turn lead to depression
  • 3 key elements in a persons belief system (triad):
  • negative view of the self
  • negative view of the world
  • Negative view of the future
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3
Q

Symptoms from the dsm

A

1- depressed mood most of day, nearly every day, by self report

2 - disinterest or displeasure all/ almost all, activités most of day

3- significant weight loss/weight gain eg change of more than 5% of body weight in month

4- insomnia/Hypersomnia nearly every day

5- agitation or retardation nearly every day

6- fatigue/loss of energy nearly every day

7- feelings of worthlessness or excessive/ inappropriate guilt which may be delusional nearly every day

8- diminished ability to think/ concentrate/ indecisiveness nearly every day

9- recurrent thoughts of suicidal ideation without a specific plan or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

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4
Q

Mood disorder

A

-psychological disorder characterised by disturbances in mood

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5
Q

Types of mood disorders

A
  • Bipolar

- depressive

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6
Q

Definitions of Abnormality

A
  • Statistical Infrequency
  • Deviation from Social Norms
  • Deviation from ideal mental health
  • failure to function adequately
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7
Q

Definitions of Abnormality-

Statistical Infrequency A01 with example

A
  • person’s trait, thinking or behavior is classified as abnormal if it is rare or statistically unusual.
  • E.g. individual who has an IQ below or above average level of IQ in society is abnormal.
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8
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Deviation from Social Norms

AO1

A
  • suggests we define mental illness by looking at absence of signs of physical health
  • person’s thinking or behavior is classified as abnormal if it violates rules about what’s expected or acceptable behavior in a particular social group.
  • behaviour may be incomprehensible to others or make others feel threatened or uncomfortable
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9
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
AO1 of the 6 criteria PRAAMS jahoda

A
  • Positive self-concept
  • Resistance to stress
  • Autonomy
  • Accurate perception of reality
  • Mastery of environment
  • Self actualisation
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10
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Failure to Function Adequately

AO1 with example

A
  • refers to abnormality that prevent person from carrying out a range of behaviors that society expects from them like:
  • getting out of bed each day, holding down a job,etc.
  • eg schizophrenia -person can have disturbing hallucinations which can lead to bizarre behaviour; experience distress and can be irrational and unpredictable around other people
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11
Q

Biological Approach to OCD - Characteristics of OCD Cognitive, emotional and behavioural

A
  • Cognitive characteristics
  • obsessive thoughts (obsessions)
  • Emotional characteristics
  • anxiety and distress caused by obsessions, which consist of persistent thoughts
  • Behavioural characteristics
  • compulsions (e.g. excessive hand washing).
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12
Q

Genetic Explanations of ocd COMT and SERT

A
  • SERT gene is Serotonin transporter
  • mutation causes increase in transporter proteins at neuron’s membrane
  • increase in reuptake of serotonin into neuron which decreases level of serotonin in synapse.
  • COMT gene regulates function of dopamine
  • causes decrease in COMT activity and therefore a higher level of dopamine.
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13
Q

Neural mechanisms

A
  • regions of brain structures like neurons and neurotransmitters
  • involved in sending messages through nervous system
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14
Q

Neural Explanations of OCD PFC (pre frontal cortex)

A
  • PFC involved in decision making and regulation of primitive aspects of our behavior
  • over active PFC, causing exaggerated control of primal impulses
  • if you have OCD, your PFC is over activated which means obsessions and compulsions continue
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15
Q

an imbalance of serotonin and dopamine in patients with ocd

A
  • Reduced serotonin and excessive dopamine may cause OCD.
  • OCD patients have low levels of serotonin
  • Dopamine is abnormally high in individuals with OCD.
  • High levels of dopamine thought to influence concentration
  • explains why OCD individuals experience an inability to stop focussing on obsessive thoughts and repetitive behaviors.
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16
Q

Outline how SD might be used to treat a phobia

A
  • relaxation training
  • anxiety hierarchy
  • gradual exposure to anxiety hierarchy
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17
Q

Outline how flooding might be used to treat a phobia

A
  • immediate/direct/ full exposure
  • prevention of avoidance
  • until they are calm/anxiety has receded/ fear is extinguished
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18
Q

Why is SD more effective to treat phobias than flooding

A
  • SD allows people to make progress in small steps in own time scale so client in control
  • SD generally has low attrition rates/high completion rates because gradual process of therapy allows respite- relaxation is pleasant
  • SD may be more successful for certain individuals eg children, people with health conditions
  • SD less traumatic leading to more people completing treatment and suitable for wider range of clients
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19
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Failure to Function Adequately rosenhan and seligman seven features of abnormality

A
  • suffering
  • maladaptiveness
  • vividness and unconventionality
  • unpredictablity and loss of control
  • irrationally/ incomprehensibility
  • causes observer discomfort
  • violates moral/social standards
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20
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Failure to Function Adequately evaluation strength

A
  • attempts to include subjective experience of individual
  • may not be an entirely satisfactory approach because it’s difficult to assess distress
  • definition acknowledges the experience of the patient is others
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21
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Failure to Function Adequately evaluation
Weakness

A
  • someone has to judge whether a patient is distressed or distressing
  • some patients say they’re distressed but may be judged as not suffering
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22
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Deviation from Ideal Mental Health example

A
  • depression illustrates definition
  • sufferers generally have low self esteem ie a negative struggle to make decisions
  • ie not autonomous and experience high levels of stress concerning their low mood condition
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23
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Deviation from Ideal Mental Health evaluation strength

A
  • comprehensive definition
  • covers broad range of criteria for mental health
  • probably covers most reasons someone would seek help from mental health services or be referred for help
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24
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Deviation from Ideal Mental Health evaluation weakness

A
  • unrealistically high standard for mental health
  • accused of having over demanding criteria very few people attain
  • all jahodas criteria for mental health probably none of us achieve all of them at the same time or keep them up for very long
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25
Q

Definitions of Abnormality-

Statistical Infrequency evaluation strength - real life application

A
  • real life application in diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder
  • place for statistical deviation in thinking about what are normal and abnormal behaviours and characteristics statistical deviation is
  • useful part of clinical assessment
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26
Q

Definitions of Abnormality-
Statistical Infrequency weakness
Not everyone unusual benefits from a label

A
  • if someone is living happy fulfilled life there’s no benefit to them being labelled as abnormal regardless of how unusual they are
  • someone with low iq but who wasn’t distressed, quite capable of working etc would simply not need a diagnosis of intellectual disability
  • If person was ‘labelled’ as abnormal might have negative effect on way others view them and way they view selves
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27
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Deviation from Social Norms example

A
  • antisocial personality disorder or psychopathy
  • person is impulsive and often agressive, pleasing only themselves
  • one symptom is absence of pro social internal standards and failure to conform to lawful or culturally ethical behaviour
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28
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Deviation from Social Norms evaluation strength not a sole explanation

A
  • real life application in diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder
  • place for deviation from social norms in thinking about what is normal and abnormal
  • deviation from social norms is never sole reason for defining abnormality
29
Q

Definitions of Abnormality Deviation from Social Norms evaluation weakness cultural relativism

A
  • problem is social norms vary tremendously from one generation to another and from one community to another
  • creates problems for people from one culture living within another culture group
30
Q

Behavioural characteristics of ocd compulsions- two elements

A

1 compulsions are repetitive :

  • typically sufferers of ocd feel compelled to repeat a behaviour
  • common example is hand washing.

2 compulsions reduce anxiety :

  • around 10% of sufferers of ocd show compulsive behaviour alone
  • have no obsessions just general sense of irrational anxiety but for vast majority compulsive behaviours are performed in an attempt to manage anxiety produced by obsessions
31
Q

Behavioural characteristics of ocd

Avoidance

A
  • behaviour of ocd sufferers may also be characterised by their avoidance as they attempt to reduce anxiety by keeping away from situations that trigger it
  • Sufferers of ocd tend to try to manage their ocd by avoiding situations that triggers anxiety
32
Q

Emotional characteristics of ocd

Anxiety and distress

A
  • ocd is regarded as particularly unpleasant emotional experience because of powerful anxiety that accompanies both obsessions and compulsions
  • Obsessive thoughts are unpleasant and frightening and anxiety that goes with these can be overwhelming
  • urge to repeat a behaviour creates anxiety.
33
Q

Emotional characteristics of ocd

Accompanying depression

A
  • ocd often accompanied by depression
  • anxiety can be accompanied by low mood and lack of enjoyment in activities
  • Compulsive behaviour tends to bring some relief from anxiety but this is temporary
34
Q

Emotional characteristics of ocd

Guilt and disgust

A
  • ocd sometimes involves other things such as irrational guilt
  • for example over minor moral issues or disgust which may be directed against something external like dirt or at self
35
Q

Cognitive characteristics of ocd

Obsessive thoughts

A
  • around 90% of ocd sufferers major cognitive feature of condition is obsessive thoughts ie thoughts that recur over and over again.
  • vary considerably from person to person but are always unpleasant
  • Example of recurring thoughts are worries of being contaminated by dirt and germs or certainty a door has been left unlocked and intruders will enter
36
Q

Cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions

A
  • people respond by adopting cognitive coping strategies
  • for example a religious person tormented by obsessive guilt may respond by praying or meditating
  • may help manage anxiety but can make person appear abnormal to others and can distract them from everyday tasks
37
Q

Cognitive characteristics of ocd

Insight into excessive anxiety

A
  • people suffering from ocd are aware that their obsessions and compulsions aren’t rational
  • Ocd sufferers experience catastrophic thoughts about worst case scenarios that might result if their anxieties were justified
  • tend to be hyper vigilant ie they maintain constant alertness and keep attention focused on potential hazards
38
Q

Phobia definition

A
  • persistent anxiety disorder which interferes with daily living
  • instance of irrational fear which causes people to avoid it
39
Q

Two process model of phobia acquisition mowrer suggests what

A
  • phobias are acquired as a result of classical conditionin

- maintained by opérant conditioning

40
Q

Behavioural treatments of phobias aim to

A
  • 1 reduce phobic anxiety though principle of classical conditioning
  • whereby new response to phobic stimulus is paired with relaxation instead of anxiety- counterconditioning

2 reduce phobic anxiety through principle of opérant conditioning

-whereby there’s no option for avoidance behaviour

41
Q

Sd définition + reciprocal inhibition

A
  • aims to teach patient to learn a more appropriate association
  • designed to reduce an unwanted response such as anxiety to a stimulus
  • reciprocal inhibition is process of inhibiting anxiety by substituting a competing response
42
Q

Sd evaluation

A
  • effective
  • techniques have proven most effective with specific phobias when a particular phobic object/ situation can be identified
  • less effective with agoraphobic and social phobias
  • suitable for diverse range of patients
  • simple process that patient controls it’s often most suitable form of treatment
43
Q

Sd evaluation gilroy et al

A
  • followed up on 42 patients who underwent sd for spider phobia.
  • were less fearful than a control group who only used relaxation at 3 and 33 months
44
Q

Sd evaluation may only treat symptoms rather than underlying cause

A
  • may only treat symptoms rather than underlying cause and so will resurface in another form (symptom substitution)
45
Q

Sd evaluation more useful for children

A
  • more useful for children and péople with learning difficulties
  • due to difficult thinking and reflection required during flooding or cognitive therapies
46
Q

Sd évaluation more suited to phobias as a result of personal experience

A
  • more suited to phobias as a result of personal experience rather than evolutionary, survival based ones eg fear of dark
47
Q

Flooding definition

A
  • involves overwhelming individuals senses with item or situation that causes anxiety so person realises that no harm will occur
  • no relaxation techniques or step by step build up
  • individual is exposed repeatedly and in intensive way with phobia
  • individual has senses flooded with thoughts images and actual experiences of object of phobia
48
Q

How does flooding work

A
  • flooding stops phobic résponses very quickly
  • without option for avoidance behaviour, patient quickly learn that phobic stimulus is harmless
  • process is called extinction
  • a learned response is extinguished when conditioned stimulus is encountered with unconditioned stimulus
  • result is conditioned stimulus no longer produces conditioned response
49
Q

Ethics of flooding

A
  • flooding isn’t unethical
  • patients give informed consent so know exactly what’s involved
  • unpleasant experience and patient has to be properly prepared
  • patient would normally be given choice of sd or flooding
50
Q

Flooding evaluation

A
  • cost effective
  • fast method and treatment it makes treatment cheaper than alternatives
  • treatment is traumatic for patients
  • flooding produces high levels of fear and can be very traumatic and many patients refuse to start or complete treatment
  • less effective for some types of phobias
  • like social phobias because social phobias have cognitive aspects an individual doesn’t simply experience an anxiety response but thinks unpleasant thoughts about social situation
51
Q

Dépression

A

-mood disorder where individual feels sad and or lacks interest in their usual activities

52
Q

Ocd

A
  • anxiety disorder where anxiety arises from both obsessions and compulsions
  • Compulsions are a response to obsessions and person believes the compulsions will reduce anxiety
53
Q

ABC model définition

A
  • cognitive approach to understanding mental disorder focusing on effect of irrational beliefs in emotions
54
Q

Negative triad definition

A
  • cognitive approach to understanding depression

- focusing on how negative expectations about self world and future lead to depression

55
Q

Irrational thoughts

A
  • rational thinking is flexible and realistic where beliefs are based on facts and logic
  • irrational thinking is rigid and unrealistic and lacks internal consistency
56
Q

Behavioural

A
  • ways in which people act
57
Q

Emotional

A
  • ways in which people feel
58
Q

Cognitive

A
  • ways in which people process information including perception attention and thinking
59
Q

A compulsion

A
  • behaviour ie it’s something you do
60
Q

An obsession

A
  • a cognition ie it takes place in the mind
61
Q

Dsm ( diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders)

A
  • list of mental disorders
  • used to diagnose mental disorders
  • for each disorder a list of clinical characteristics is given
62
Q

Thé cognitive approach to explaining depression
Évaluation
Support for the role of irritational thinking

A
  • view that depression is linked to irrational thinking
  • supported research by hammen and krantz
  • found depressed participants made more errors in logic when asked to interpret written material than did non depressed participants
  • bates et al found depressed participants who were given negative automatic thought statements became more and more depressed
  • research supports view negative thinking leads to depression
  • negative thinking may also be a consequence of depression
63
Q

Thé cognitive approach to explaining depression
Évaluation
Blames the client rather than situational factors

A
  • cognitive approach suggests client who’s responsible for disorder
  • gives client the power to change way things are
  • may lead to client or therapist to overlook situational factors life events or family problems which may have contributed to mental disorder
  • strength- therefore lies in its focus on clients mind and recovery but others aspects of clients life may also need to be considered
64
Q

Thé cognitive approach to explaining depression
Évaluation
Practical applications in therapy

A
  • effectiveness of CBT supports usefulness of cognitive approach
  • CBT ie consistently found to be best treatment for depression especially when used in conjunction with drug treatments eg cuijpers et al
  • if dépression is alleviated by challenging irrational thinking then suggests such thoughts has a role in depression in first place
65
Q

Thé cognitive approach to explaining depression
Évaluation
Alternative explanations
Biology

A
  • depression can be explained biologically in genetic factors and neurotransmitters
  • studies found low levels of neurotransmitter sérotonin in depressed people
  • gene related to low levels of serotonin is 10x more common in depressed more common is depressed people
  • Research shows drug therapies which raise serotonin levels are successful in treatment of depression.
  • means neurotransmitters also play role in causing depression and diathesis stress model could be better approach to take
66
Q

Thé cognitive approach to explaining depression
Évaluation
Issues and debates

A
  • link to nature- nurture debate

- diathesis stress is model of interaction between nature and nurture

67
Q

Emotional characteristics of depression

A
  • sadness and or loss of interests and pleasure in activities a person is normally interested in
  • takes pleasure from other feelings include
  • despair
  • low self esteem
  • lack of control
  • inward or outward directed anger
68
Q

Behavioural characteristics of depression

A
  • difficulties in concentrating
  • decreased or increased activity patterns
  • excessive sleep or insomnia
  • increased or decreased appetite