PAPER 1 - Psychopathology Flashcards
What are the five characteristics of FFA ?
observer discomfort unpredictability irrationality maladaptiveness personal suffering and distress
What are the six characteristics of ideal mental health ?
APEARS
AUTONOMY - being independent
POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS ONESELF
ENVIRONMENTAL MASTERY - adapting to situations
ACCURATE PERCEPTION OF REALITY
RESISTING STRESS - having coping strategies
SELF-ACTUALISATION - personal growth
What are the behavioural characteristics of PHOBIAS ?
PEA
- panic
- endurance
- avoidance
What are the emotional characteristics of PHOBIAS ?
A
- anxiety
What are the cognitive characteristics of PHOBIAS ?
CIS
- cognitive distortions
- irrational beliefs
- selective attention
What are the key points about the BEHAVIOURAL APPROACH for PHOBIAS ?
- phobias are learnt
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
What is CLASSICAL CONDITIONING ?
- associating something we don’t have a fear of (NS) with something we already have a fear of (UD)
What is OPERANT CONDITIONING ?
- how phobias are maintained
- consequences lead to reinforcement
What are 2 STRENGTHS of the behavioural approach of phobias ?
- RESEARCH EVIDENCE - Watson and rayner - baby Albert - loud noise + rats
- RESEARCH EVIDENCE - DiNardo et al - relate fears to a particular frightening experience
What are 2 WEAKNESSES of the behavioural approach of phobias ?
- EVOLUTIONARY FACTORS - scared of things that were threats to ancestors - suggests there is more to phobias than conditioning
- SIMPLISTIC EXPLANATION - ignores cognitive factors - phobias are complex
What is SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION ?
- treatment for phobias
- phobias being ‘unlearnt’
What are the three stages to SD ?
- ANXIETY HIERARCHY - most feared to least fear situation
- RELAXATION - taught by a therapist - deep breathing
- EXPOSURE - vivo or vitro
What are two STRENGTHS of SD ?
EFFECTIVENESS:
- research shows SD group were less fearful
APPROPRIATENESS:
- individuals are taking an active role - suits wide range of people
What are two WEAKNESSES of SD ?
EFFECTIVENESS:
- anxiety is still present - may move to another phobia - - not a long term solution
APPROPRIATENESS:
- not suitable for all phobias - e.g. fear of the dark
What is FLOODING ?
- similar to SD
- done in one long sessions
- reciprocal inhibition
- continues until patient is relaxed
What are two STRENGTHS of FLOODING ?
EFFECTIVENESS:
- works on wide range of phobias
- has long lasting effects
APPROPRIATENESS;
- quick
- only takes one session
- cost effective
What are two WEAKNESSES of FLOODING ?
EFFECTIVENESS:
- only likely to work for specific phobias
- social phobias are harder to ‘flood’
APPROPRIATENESS:
- can be traumatic
- you have wasted time and money
What are the behavioural characteristics of DEPRESSION ?
SAA
- sleep and eating behaviour
- aggression and self harm
- activity level
What are the emotional characteristics of DEPRESSION ?
LLA
- lowered self-esteem
- lowered mood
- anger
What are the cognitive characteristics of DEPRESSION ?
PAA
- poor concentration
- absolutist thinking
- attending to and dwelling on the negative
What are the key points surrounding the cognitive approach of DEPRESSION ?
- our thoughts influence our emotions which influence our behaviour
How do NEGATIVE SCHEMAS affect depression ?
- dominate thinking
- developed in childhood through bad experience
- provide negative framework
What is the NEGATIVE TRIAD (Beck) ?
VSVWVF
- view of self
- view of the world
- view of the future
What are the 5 COGNITIVE ERRORS ?
CAOSG
- catastrophizing
- all or nothing
- over generalisation
- selective abstraction
- global judgement
What are the may points surrounding Ellis’s ABC MODEL ?
- blame external events for unhappiness
- irrational thinking prevents happiness
What are the three parts to the ABC MODEL ?
ACTIVATING EVENT - an everyday obstacle
BELIEFS - your belief about the situation
CONSEQUENCES - emotional response to the belief - often unhealthy
What is MUSTABATORY THINKING ?
- I must be approved by people i find important
- I must do very well or I am worthless
- the world must give me happiness or I will die
What are two STRENGTHS of the cognitive approach to depression ?
- PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS - cbt is effective - suggests that cognitions are involved in the development of depression
- RESEARCH EVIDENCE - Lloyd and Lishman - supports idea that depressed people have automatic negative thinking
What is a WEAKNESS of the cognitive approach to depression ?
- patient is seen as RESPONSIBLE - we have control over our thoughts - over looks social factors
What is CBT ?
- challenge irrational thoughts
- identifying irrational thoughts
- behavioural element
What is the behavioural element of CBT ?
- alter dysfunctional behaviours
- encourage patients to identify activities they used to enjoy doing
What is REBT ?
- change irrational beliefs through challenging them
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD ?
PIE
- prevent social relationships
- interfere with normal daily behaviour
- everyday tasks are hindered
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD ?
AT
- anxiety is emotionally distressing
- temporary relief
What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD ?
CU
- constant obsessive thoughts
- uncontrollable
What is the biological approach to OCD ?
- our thoughts are a result of psychological internal process
What are the genetic explanations of OCD ?
- onset of OCD is a result of our genetic make-up that we are born with
What is the COMP gene ?
- production of the neurotransmitter dopamine
- one form is more common in OCD patients
What is the SERT gene ?
- affects transmission of serotonin
- OCD have 2 copies of 5-HTT
What did MIGUEL ET AL find in his twin studies ?
- we would expect a higher concordance rate in MZ twins in DZ twins (if there was a genetic component to OCD)
- 53-87% chance of MZ twins developing OCD if one already had it
- 22-47% chance of DZ twins developing OCD if one already had it
- suggests there is a genetic component
What impact does NEUROTRANSMITTERS have on OCD ?
- genetic make-up affects the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain
- two key neurotransmitters involved with OCD = serotonin and dopamine
How does SEROTONIN affect OCD ?
- OCD patients have low serotonin
- associated with the anxiety
How does DOPAMINE affect OCD ?
- linked with experiencing motivation / reward / compulsions
- pleasurable experience = dopamine increase
- doing compulsion = dopamine release
Which area of the brain is linked with OCD ?
orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) - sends signals to the thalamus about things that are worrying
basal ganglia
- should stop minor worrying signals
What are the STRENGTHS for the biological approach of OCD ?
RESEARCH EVIDENCE
- twin studies
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
- neural explanations = low levels of serotonin = SSRIs
- genetic explanations = can scan babies deemed at risk
What are the WEAKNESSES for the biological approach of OCD ?
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIOLOGY AND OCD IS NOT 100% CLEAR
- genetic = not 100% concordance rate - cannot rule out environmental factors
- neural - not basal ganglia damage in all OCD patients
CORRELATIONAL
- levels of neural transmitters change due to OCD rather than causing OCD
REDUCTIONIST
- doesn’t consider two process model (classical / operant conditioning
What is the most common SSRI
fluoxetine - increases levels of serotonin in the synapse
How do SSRIs work ?
- SSRI stops the re-uptake of serotnin meaning it stays in the synapse gap longer
- leads to repeated stimulation of the receptors on the post synaptic clef
What are the STRENGTHS of the biological approach for treating OCD ?
RESEARCH
- symptoms decreased by 70% for SSRI takers
QUICK AND EASY
- requires little physical time or cognitive effort
- more desirable that psychological therapy
What are the WEAKNESSES of the biological approach for treating OCD ?
NOT LONG TERM METHOD
- symptoms come back when drugs aren’t being used
- 45% relapsed within 12 weeks
- only treat the symptoms not the cause
SIDE EFFECTS
- SSRI = blurred vision, indigestion
- dopamine = weight gain, tremors
- people stop taking them
