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Psych paper 1 miss g > Psychopathology > Flashcards

Psychopathology Flashcards

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1
Q

Psychopathology definition

A

The study of specific mental disorders which may be indicative of mental illness or psychological impairment

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2
Q

What are the 4 ways we define abnormality?

A

Statistical infrequency
Deviation from social norms
Failure to function adequately
Deviation from ideal mental health

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3
Q

Statistical infrequency definition

A
  • extremely rare behaviours are deemed as abnormal

- mathematical method

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4
Q

What is the mathematical element of statistical infrequency m?

A
  • human attributes fall onto normal distributions within the population (average)
  • the rest of the population fall symmetrically above and below this
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5
Q

Deviation from social norms definition

A

Abnormality is when a behaviour doesn’t fit within the what is socially acceptable

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6
Q

What does deviation from social norm depend on?

A

Culture

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7
Q

Example of a deviation from social norm

A

Not queueing (UK)
Impoliteness
Laughing at a funeral

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8
Q

Example of statistical infrequency

A

Lower or higher IQ than the average

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9
Q

Failure to function adequately definition

A

Abnormal behaviour is when an individual can’t cope with everyday life

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10
Q

Who defined the failure to function adequately?

A

Rosenhan and Seligman

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11
Q

What are the seven sections that Rosenhan and Seligman split failure to function into?

A 
Unpredictability 
Maladaptive behaviour 
Personal distress 
Irrationality 
Observer discomfort 
Violation of moral standards 
Unconventionality
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12
Q

What is the way of measuring failure to function adequately?

A

Global assessment of function scale (GAF) (it includes the seven sections)

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13
Q

Example of failure to function adequately

A

Schizophrenia

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14
Q

Deviation from ideal mental health definition

A

Abnormality is defines as deviating from an ideal of positive mental health

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15
Q

What is the case study for ideal mental health?

A

Jahoda’s (1953) criteria of ideal mental health

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16
Q

What is Jahoda’s 6 criteria to be fulfilled for ideal mental health?

A
  • positive attitude towards the self
  • self actualisation (contentment)
  • autonomy (independence)
  • resistance to stress
  • environmental mastery (can adapt to new situations)
  • accurate perception of reality
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17
Q

What does DSM stand for?

A

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

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18
Q

Old DSM classification includes?

A
  • homosexuality
  • nymphomania (sex hunger)
  • prapetomania (caused slaves to run away)
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19
Q

New DSM classification

A
  • depressive disorders
  • anxiety disorders
  • OCD and related disorders
  • feeding and eating disorders
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20
Q

Statistical infrequency strengths

A

-clinical assessment - real life application in intellectual disability disorder diagnosis - mental disorders compared to statistical norms - practical application

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21
Q

Statistical infrequency limitation

A
  • no way of defining desirable or undesirable abnormal behaviour- e.g high IQ = genius - need way of distinguishing between them
  • disagreements about cut off points - e.g cut of points on not enough sleep = depression symptom - hard to define abnormality
  • negative effects of a label - happy life = no benefit from being labelled abnormal e.g low IQ = still capable of working - negative effect on self-view
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22
Q

Strength of deviation from social norms

A

-e.g genius = desirable but wouldn’t want to include in definition of abnormal behaviours - narcissism used to be abnormal but is now common e.g selfies - social norms more useful than statistical norms

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23
Q

Limitation of deviation from social norms

A
  • changing overtime e.g homosexuality not in DSM anymore as is now socially acceptable - too much reliance on abnormality definitions can lead to systematic abuse of human rights
  • aren’t always clear - behaviours context - e.g few clothes on beach = normal but abnormal in formal gathering - social deviance on own cannot be completed abnormality definition
  • social norms vary between community’s/ cultures - e.g hearing voices is normal in Africa - abnormality = culturally relative
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24
Q

Strength of failure to function adequately

A

-acknowledges patients experience - useful for assessing abnormality

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25
Q

Limitations of failure to function adequately

A
  • e.g depression = extra attention = rewarding/functional - fails to distinguish between dysfunction + function behaviours for individual
  • needs someone to make judgement of adequate behaviour - personal distress = undesirable or people content with behaviour = undesirable for others
  • deviation from social norms = failure to function adequately e.g. no job - doesn’t account for people who choose to live this way - treating behaviours as failures = risk discrimination + limiting personal freedom
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26
Q

Strength of deviation from ideal mental health

A
  • comprehensive - range of mental health criteria - covers most reasons for seeking mental health attention e.g. Jahoda’s is good tool yo define mental health
27
Q

Limitation of deviation from ideal mental health

A
  • ideal mental health = specific to western European + north American cultures - Jahoda based off wester cultures ideas e.g. self actualisation can seem self indulgent in some places
  • few people satisfy all of Jahoda’s criteria = everyone is abnormal to a degree - don’t know how many of criteria is absent before we define someone as abnormal
  • ideal mental health suggests definition suggests mental is same as physical - physical = physical cause = easier diagnosis - mental = o physical cause = harder diagnosis - abnormality diagnosis varies for each
28
Q

Behavioural approach definition

A
  • Emphasises the role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour
  • behaviour is explained in terms of what is observable
29
Q

Classical conditioning definition

A

Learning by association

30
Q

Operant conditioning definition

A

Learning through consequences

31
Q

What does the two process model state?

A

Phobias are acquired by classical conditioning then continue because of operant conditioning

32
Q

Little Albert phobia study

A

UCS - loud noise
UCR - crying
NS - before conditioning
CR - third response

33
Q

Who did the little Albert study?

A

Watson + Rayner (1920)

34
Q

Who proposed the two process model on phobias?

A

Mowrer

35
Q

Two process model strength

A

-long term effect - implications for therapy e.g. exposed to feared stimulus - prevent avoidance = phobic behaviour not reinforced - practical application to therapy

36
Q

Two process model limitations

A
  • avoidance can be from feelings of safety - different phobias = different processes - Ost = traumatic happened but phobic has forgotten traumatic experience
  • DiNardo et al - not everyone bitten by dog has a phobia of dogs - diathesis stress = genetic vulnerability for mental disorders - disorder manifested if triggered - need vulnerability for phobia
  • biological preparedness = better than TTPM - phobia = easier from danger - fear = adaptive (Seligman 1971) - need biology as well as behaviour
37
Q

What does the behavioural approach to treating phobias included?

A
  • two process model
  • systematic desensitisation
  • flooding
38
Q

Systematic desensitisation definition

A
  • Used classical conditioning to reduce anxiety gradually
  • aims to replace anxiety with relaxation (counter conditioning)
  • reciprocal inhibition
39
Q

Reciprocal inhibition

A

Relaxation preventing experience of fear

40
Q

What are the 3 steps of systematic desensitisation?

A

Anxiety hierarchy
Relaxation
Exposure

41
Q

Anxiety hierarchy definition

A

List of situation in order from least to most frightening determined by patient and therapist together

42
Q

Relaxation definition

A

Therapist teaches patient how to relax

43
Q

Exposure definition

A

Patient is exposed to phobic stimulus while in relaxed state

44
Q

Flooding definition

A

Behavioural therapy where Immediate exposure to phobia stimulus occurs

45
Q

Extinction definition

A

Individual doesn’t have option d avoidance so learns phobic stimulus is harmless

46
Q

Strengths of systematic desensitisation

  • effectiveness
  • diverse range of patients
  • acceptable to patients
A
  • evidence (Gilroy et al 2003) - shows anxiety reduction + long lasting effect
  • diverse patients = disability e.g. learning difficulties = hard for dome patients to understand flooding or engage in therapies - SD = more appropriate + easier to understand
  • more popular - no degree of trauma + includes relaxation - popularity = low refusal rates + low dropping out rates
47
Q

Weaknesses of systematic desensitisation

A
  • time consuming= expensive
  • symptom substitution - address symptoms not the cause of underlying anxiety
  • evolutionary component - not useful in phobias with these e.g. shakes/ height / dark
48
Q

Strengths of flooding

A

-Cost effective - less time - free of symptoms sooner

49
Q

Flooding weaknesses

A
  • Less effective for social phobias due to cognitive aspects - need help with anxiety as well as unpleasant thoughts - may benefit more from cog therapies which tackle irrational thinking
  • Traumatic - still ethical but patients often unwilling to fully complete - waste of time and money in preparation when outcome isn’t different
50
Q

Gilroy et al (2003) evidence

A
  • effectiveness of SD
  • 42 patients for spider phobia
  • control group treated with relaxation without exposure
  • 3 months + 33 months after treatment
  • SD group less fearful than relaxation group
51
Q

Genetic explanation of OCD description

A
  • Lewis + Nestadt et al studies
  • Focus on the role genes play in development of OCD
  • Candidate genes may be involved in producing OCD symptoms
  • OCD is polygenetic (230 gene variations)
  • Aetiologically heterogeneous
52
Q

Neural explanation of OCD description

A
  • Focus on structure + function of the brain + nervous system in development of OCD
  • reduction in serotonin production
  • Dopamine high in OCD people
  • decision making = lateral frontal lobes, impaired = hoarding disorder
  • Left parahippocampal gyrus = unpleasant emotions = abnormal function in OCD
53
Q

Who studied of genetic explanation of OCD?

A

Lewis (1936)

Nestadt et al (2010)

54
Q

Lewis (1936) findings

A

37% ocd patients parents had OCD

21% had siblings with OCD

55
Q

What did Nestadt (2010) find?

A

68% of identical twins shared OCD

32% non identical twins shared OCD

56
Q

Weaknesses of genetic explanation of OCD

A
  • psychologists can’t pin down genes involved in OCD due to multiple genes being involves - each variation only increases risk by fraction - genetic = little predictive value
  • Croemer et al 2007 - over 50% OCD patients had trauma in past + more severe OCD with multiple trauma - can control environmental causes if focus on these rather than genetics
58
Q

Strength for neural explanations for OCD

A
  • antidepressants work by increasing serotonin levels - suggests serotonin involved in OCD - Parkinson’s disease (Nestadt et al) - biological processes = cause symptoms + OCD
  • Looked at decision making and found neural systems in decision making are that same systems that are functions abnormally in those with OCD - HOWEVER - research identified other brain systems that may be involved sometimes - therefore can’t clsim to understand
59
Q

Weakness for neural explanations for OCD

A
  • we cant assume neural causes OCD - biological abnormalities could be result of OCD not the cause
60
Q

Strengths of genetic explanation for OCD

-Nestadt et al (2010)

A

-Nestadt (2010)-reviewed twin studies - 68% identical/ 31% non-identical shared OCD

61
Q

What does the biological treatment for OCD do?

A
  • Drug therapy aims to increase or decrease levels of neurotransmitters in the brain in order to increase or decrease the neurotransmitter activity
  • does this by increasing serotonin levels
62
Q

What is the biological treatment for OCD?

A

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)

63
Q

Weaknesses for biological treatment for OCD?

A

-e.g. indigestion / blurred vision from SSRI’s - can cause more problems than good

64
Q

Strengths of biological treatment for OCD

A
  • evidence for SSRI’s effectiveness - soomro reviewed studies comparing SSRI’s + placebos - drugs more effective than placebos in reducing symptoms in 17 studies + effectiveness greater when combined with psychological treatment - SSRI’s decline 70% symptoms - drugs = useful
  • cost effective + non-distuptive
65
Q

How do SSRIs work?

A

Prevent reabsorption + breakdown of serotonin by presynaptic neuron therefore increasing serotonin so it can stimulate presynaptic neuron

Psych paper 1 miss g (6 decks)

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