Paper3 Exam Questions - Mental illness

Question 1

Outline how mental hospitals failed to detect sanity in the research of Rosenhan?

Answer 1

patients were discharged with the label of being ‘in remission’
shows that they will always be labelled
despite being sane

Question 2

Discuss ethical consideration to rosenhan?

Answer 2

hospital staff deceived - thought patients were ill
staff and doctors could not consent or withdraw
confidentiality - did not give names of hospitals

Question 3

Outline a biological treatment for one specific disorder?

Answer 3

anti-psychotic drugs
treats schizophrenia
injection or tablets
reduces dopamine
increase mood and seretonin

Question 4

Discuss one strength and weakness of a biological treatment?

Answer 4

strength - improves health and lifestyle
weakness -can be easily hidden or disposed of

Question 5

To what extent are alternatives to the medical model of explaining mental illness scientific?

Answer 5

classical conditioning
cognitive neuro-science - MRI scans, brain

Question 6

How might a clinical psychologist explain to Richard and Wendy the characteristics of a psychotic disorder?

Answer 6

hallucinations
negative thoughts
self-harm
frantic

Question 7

Outline one way of categorising mental disorders

Answer 7

DSM
ICD

Question 8

Describe the characteristics of an affective disorder in a way that could be included on the NHS website?

Answer 8

depression
pro-longed sadness
anxiety
lack of interest into hobbies

Question 9

Explain how the key research by Gottesman et al. (2010) contributes to the medical model of mental illness.

Answer 9

mental illness genetic link
inherited
used families
observed if child inherited

Question 10

Assess the usefulness of the key research by Szas

Answer 10

not useful - negative towards psychiatrists and mental hospitals
mental illness is a myth

useful - exposes how unreliable psychiatrists are into diagnosing

Question 11

Compare the behaviourist explanation of mental illness with either the humanistic or the psychodynamic or the cognitive neuroscience explanation of mental illness.

Answer 11

behaviourist - uses conditioning
- nurture
- reductionist
- low psych as science
- situational

cog neuroscience - brain structure mri
- nature
- reductionist
- high psych as science
- individualistic

Question 12

Discuss ethical considerations of biological treatment of one specific disorder.

Answer 12

anti-psychotic drugs
withdrawal - yes
consent - yes
ss - no, reduces symptoms
protected - yes/no, reduces but can overdose

Question 13

How might one of the historical views of mental illness explain Ali’s behaviour?

Answer 13

possessed by evil spirits

Question 14

Outline one way the medical model might explain Ali’s behaviour.

Answer 14

genetics
inherited by parents

Question 15

How might one of the alternatives to the medical model explain Ali’s behaviour?

Answer 15

brain
mri
seretonin levels

Question 16

How did Rosenhan explain the behaviour of the abusive staff?

Answer 16

staff had more power
other staff could become witnesses
label of illness made patients more victimised

Question 17

Describe two ways in which the key research by Rosenhan (1973) could have been improved.

Answer 17

collect more data from more hospitals
patients present more than one symptom

Question 18

Discuss ethical considerations concerning nonbiological treatment of one specific mental
disorder.

Answer 18

systematic desensitisation - phobias
consent - yes
withdrawal - yes
protection - yes but at own risk