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psychopathology Flashcards

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1
Q

what are the 4 definitions of abnormality?

A

statistical infrequency
deviation from social norms
failure to function adequately
deviation from ideal mental health

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2
Q

what is statistical infrequency?

A

occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic

e.g being less intelligent than the majority of a population

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3
Q

what is deviation from social norms?

A

concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standardised behaviour in a community

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4
Q

what is failure to function adequately?

A

when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day to day life

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5
Q

what is deviation from ideal mental health?

A

when someone does not meet a set of criteria for ideal mental health

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6
Q

what is an example of statistical infrequency?

A

IQ and intellectual disability disorder
the average IQ is 100
the normal distribution is 85-115
people under 70 are abnormal and are often diagnosed with IDD

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7
Q

what is normal distribution?

A

a symmetrical spread of data that forms a bell shape

average is at the peak

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8
Q

what are culture norms and how does it effect the definition for deviation of social norms?

A

social norms can be different for different generations and cultures
few behaviours are considered universal
eg homosexuality

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9
Q

what is an example of deviation of social norms?

A

antisocial personality disorder

people with apd are considered abnormal because they don’t conform to moral standards

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10
Q

evaluation
statistical infrequency
strength : real world application

A

useful in diagnosis eg IDD

helpful in assessing conditions eg BDI

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11
Q

evaluation
statistical infrequency
limitation : unusual characteristics can be positive

A

IQ scores above 130 is unusual but not regarded as undesirable or needing treatment
statistical infrequency can defined abnormality but shouldn’t be the sole basis

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12
Q

evaluation
statistical infrequency
limitation: benefit vs problem

A

if someone is happy there is no benefit labelling them as abnormal
the label may carry social stigma eg IDD

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13
Q

evaluation
deviation from social norms
strength : real world application

A

useful on diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder
helpful in diagnosis of schizophrenia
useful in psychiatric diagnosis

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14
Q

evaluation
deviation from social norms
limitation: situationally and culturally relative

A

a person from one culture may be abnormal but not in another culture as they may have different standards
eg hearing voices may be acceptable in one culture but is not in UK
difficult to judge deviation from one context to another

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15
Q

evaluation
deviation from social norms
limitation: human rights abuse

A

reliance on deviation from social norms can lead to abuse of human rights eg nymphomania to control females
use of dsn may do more harm then good

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16
Q

what are Rosenhan and Seligman’s signs of failure to function adequately?

A

no longer conform to interpersonal rules
experience severe distress
behave irrationally or dangerously

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17
Q

when and who came up the the signs for failing to function adequately?

A

Rosenhan and Seligman 1989

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18
Q

what is an example of failure to function adequately?

A

intellectual disability disorder
failure to function adequately can be combined with statistical infrequency to diagnose IDD
the person is not able to cope with everyday demands due to low IQ

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19
Q

what is Johoda’s criteria for ideal mental health?

A 
no symptoms or distress 
rational self perception
self-actualisation 
cope with stress 
realistic view of the world 
good self-esteem 
independence 
successful work
positive relationships and friendships
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20
Q

when and who came up with the criteria for ideal mental health?

A

Johoda 1958

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21
Q

how does deviation from ideal mental health overlap with other definitions of abnormality?

A

the inability to keep a job can be failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health

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22
Q

evaluation
failure to function adequately
strength: threshold for professional help

A

mind charity – 25% of people experience symptoms of mental disorders
Failure to function criteria provides a way to target treatment and services to those who need it

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23
Q

evaluation

failure to function adequately limitation: leads to discrimination/social control

A

hard to distinguish between failure to function and conscious deviation from social norms
E.g. people may choose an alternative lifestyle but would be labelled abnormal


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24
Q

evaluation
failure to function adequately
Limitation: hard to judge failure to function adequately

A

most people can’t cope with e.g. bereavement which is a normal reaction to circumstance
however some people need professional help to adjust to bereavement
hard to base a judgement of abnormality and failure to function

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25
Q

evaluation

deviation from ideal mental health strength : comprehensive approach

A

includes a range of criteria for mental health
allows mental health to be discussed meaningfully with professionals
provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves and others

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26
Q

evaluation

deviation from ideal mental health limitation : culture biased

A

criteria for ideal mental health is limited to USA in Western Europe
E.g. self-actualisation is not recognised in other countries
E.g. the value of independence varies across Europe (high in Germany, low in Italy)
difficult to apply the concept of ideal mental health one culture to another

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27
Q

evaluation

deviation from ideal mental health limitation : high standards

A

Small number of people match jahoda’s criteria for mental health
impossible set standards to match
however the comprehensive criteria may be valuable to someone wanting to improve mental health
is not appliable to all people

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28
Q

What is a phobia?

A

Irrational fear of an object or situation

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29
Q

What are behavioural characteristics?

A

The way people react

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30
Q

what are three examples of behavioural characteristics of phobias?

A

Panic
avoidance
endurance

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31
Q

what is panic?

A

involves a range of behaviours e.g. crying screaming running away from the phobic stimulus

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32
Q

what is avoidance?

A

considerable effort to prevent contact with phobic stimulus

makes every day life difficult

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33
Q

what is endurance?

A

alternative behaviour to avoidance

Involves remaining with the phobic stimulus in continuing to experience anxiety

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34
Q

what are emotional characteristics?

A

A persons feelings or mood

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35
Q

what are three examples of emotional characteristics of phobias?

A

anxiety
fear
unreasonable emotional response

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36
Q

What is anxiety?

A

unpleasant state of high arousal prevents individual relaxing
difficult to experience positive emotion

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37
Q

what is fear?

A

immediate, extreme and unpleasant response when encountering of thinking about the phobic stimulus

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38
Q

what is an Unreasonable emotional response?

A

disproportionate to the threat posed e.g. an arachnophobic having a strong emotional response to a tiny spider

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39
Q

what are cognitive characteristics?

A

The process of knowing including thinking reasoning remembering and believing

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40
Q

what are three cognitive characteristics of phobias?

A

selective attention
irrational beliefs
cognitive distortions

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41
Q

what is selective attention?

A

selective attention to the phobic stimulus is when a person finds it hard to look away from it

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42
Q

what are irrational beliefs?

A

 unfounded thoughts in relation to phobic stimuli that can’t be easily explained and don’t have a basis in reality
E.g. social phobia beliefs could include ‘if I blush people will think I’m weak’

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43
Q

what are cognitive distortions?

A

inaccurate and unrealistic thinking

E.g. mycophobics see mushrooms is disgusting

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44
Q

What is depression?

A

A mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels

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45
Q

What are three behavioural characteristics of depression?

A

activity levels
disruption to sleep and eating behaviour
aggression and self harm

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46
Q

How does depression affect activity levels?

A

reduced levels of energy making them lethargic
can lead to the withdrawal from work education and social life
psychomotor agitation – individual struggles to relax e.g. paces

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47
Q

How does depression disrupt sleep in eating behaviour?

A

insomnia – reduced sleep
Hypersomnia – increased sleep
increased or decreased appetite causing weight gain or loss

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48
Q

How does depression influence aggression and self harm?

A

depression is associated with irritability which can cause verbal or physical aggression
May lead to physical aggression directed against the self (self harm)

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49
Q

What are three emotional characteristics of depression?

A

lowered mood
anger
lowered self-esteem

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50
Q

What is lowered mood?

A

feelings of sadness and lethargic

Individuals often describe themselves as worthless or empty

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51
Q

How does depression affect anger?

A

increasing negative emotions decrease and positive emotions

negative emotions include anger which may be directed to the self or others

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52
Q

What is lowered self-esteem?

A

The individual dislikes themself

including self loathing and hatred

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53
Q

What are three cognitive characteristics of depression?

A

Poor concentration
dwelling on the negative
absolutist thinking

54
Q

how does depression affect concentration?

A

 difficulty sticking to a task

difficulty making decisions

55
Q

what is dwelling on the negative?

A

biased towards focusing on negative aspects of current situations and recalling unhappy memories instead of happy memories

56
Q

What is absolutist thinking?

A

Black and white thinking

Situation is seen as unfortunate and a disaster

57
Q

what is obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)?

A

A condition characterised by obsessions and compulsive behaviour

58
Q

What are three behavioural characteristics of OCD?

A

repetitive compulsions

compulsions to reduce anxiety avoidance

59
Q

What are repetitive compulsions?

A

actions carried out repeatedly in a ritualistic way e.g. hand washing

60
Q

How do you compulsions reduce anxiety?

A

compulsive behaviours are performed in an attempt to manage the anxiety produced by obsessions
E.g. checking the door is locked or appliance is switched off

61
Q

what is avoidance in OCD?

A

A way of managing OCD by avoiding situations that trigger anxiety
E.g. avoiding bins because they carry germs
can interfere with every day life

62
Q

What is the cycle of OCD?

A

obsessive thought, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, temporary relief

63
Q

what are emotional characteristics of OCD?

A

anxiety and distress
depression
guilt and disgust 

64
Q

How does OCD create anxiety and distress?

A

obsessive thoughts unpleasant and frightening

The anxiety caused by compulsions can be overwhelming

65
Q

How does OCD accompany depression?

A

Low mood and lack of enjoyment in activities

Compulsive behaviours bring temporary relief from anxiety

66
Q

How does OCD cause guilt and discussed?

A

irrational guilt E.g. over a minor moral issue

disgust directed towards oneself or something external eg germs 

67
Q

What are cognitive characteristics of OCD?

A

Obsessive thoughts
cognitive coping strategies
insight into excessive anxiety

68
Q

What are obsessive thoughts?

A

Recurring intrusive thoughts e.g. being contaminated by germs/the door being unlocked meaning intruders can enter

69
Q

How a cognitive coping strategies a characteristic of OCD?

A

individuals often adapt Cognitive coping strategies to deal with obsessions e.g. praying or meditating
can manage anxiety and allow continuation of every day tasks


70
Q

How do you cognitive characteristics of OCD give an insight into excessive anxiety?

A

individuals with OCD are aware there obsessions and compulsions are not rational
This is necessary for diagnosis of
OCD
Individuals may have catastrophic thoughts and tend to be hypervigilant – maintain constant alertness

71
Q

what approach is used to explain and treat phobias?

A

behavioural

72
Q

what is the two process model?

A

proposed by Mowrer (1960) - phobias are learning by classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning

73
Q

how does classical conditioning cause a phobia?

A 
UCS triggers fear response (UCR) 
NS is associated with the UCS 
NS because CS producing fear (CR) 
eg 
UCS-UCR being bitten causing anxiety 
NS+UCS bitten by a dog (previously didn’t cause anxiety) 
dog becomes CS causing CR of anxiety
74
Q

what was the Little Albert study?

A

Watson and Rayner (1920)
Albert played with a white rat and a loud noise was made by his ear
(noise UCS)
rat (NS) didn’t create fear until being paired with noise several times
albert showed fear (CR) wit the rat (CS)
Albert showed fear to other white furry objects eg santa

75
Q

how does operant conditioning maintain a phobia?

A

negative reinforcement- individual produces behaviour that avoids something unpleasant
a person avoids a phobic stimulus reducing anxiety and reinforces the behaviour maintaining the phobia

76
Q

evaluation
explaining phobias
strength : application of Two process model

A

once avoidance is prevented it is no longer reinforced by the reduction of anxiety
avoidance behaviour and therefore declines
shows the value of the two process approach because it identifies a means of treating phobias

77
Q

Evaluation
explaining phobias
limitation: no explanation for cognitive aspects

A

b

78
Q

Evaluation
explaining phobias
strength: evidence linking phobias do bad experiences

A

two process model is used to explain behaviours
there is a cognitive component of phobias-irrational beliefs
two process model doesn’t explain all symptoms of phobias

79
Q

Evaluation
explaining phobias
limitation: doesn’t explain all cases of phobias

A

d

80
Q

what is systematic desensitisation?

A

reduce anxiety through counter conditioning

CS is paired with relaxation (becomes the CR) (reciprocal inhibition)

81
Q

what is reciprocal inhibition?

A

not possible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time

82
Q

what is an anxiety hierarchy?

A

client and therapist design anxiety hierarchy – fearful stimuli arranged in order from least to most frightening
Client works through anxiety hierarchy from the bottom using relaxation techniques each time

83
Q

What is flooding?

A

The client is exposed to an extreme form of the phobic stimulus in order to reduce anxiety
Must have informed consent – client fully prepared and know what to expect

84
Q

Evaluation
treating phobias
strength: evidence of effectiveness of SD

A

a

85
Q

Evaluation
treating phobias
strength: SD is useful for people with learning disabilities

A

b

86
Q

Evaluation
treating phobias
strength: flooding is cost-effective

A

c

87
Q

Evaluation
treating phobias
limitation: flooding is traumatic

A

d

88
Q

What approach is used to explain and treat depression?

A

Cognitive

89
Q

what is becks negative triad?

A

1967

suggested people are more prone to depression because of faulty information processing (have a negative self schema)

90
Q

What is a negative self schema?

A

a self schema is a package of ideas and information developed through experience
A person with a negative self schema interpret all information about themselves a negative way

91
Q

What are the three elements to the negative triad?

A

negative view of the world
negative view of the future
negative view of oneself

92
Q

What is Ellis’s ABC model?

A

that depression occurs when an activating event triggers an irrational belief which produces a consequence

93
Q

What is an activating event?

A

Depression occurs when an individual experiences negative events

94
Q

What is an irrational belief?

A

E.g. utopianism is the belief that the world must always be fair and just

95
Q

what are emotional and behavioural consequences of an irrational belief?

A

E.g. an individual believes they must always succeed and when they fail the consequence is depression 

96
Q

Evaluation
explaining depression
strength: supporting research for Bex model

A

a

97
Q

Evaluation
explaining depression
strength: real world application

A

b

98
Q

evaluation
explaining depression
limitation: Beck’s model only partially explains depression

A

c

99
Q

evaluation
explaining depression
strength: application in treating depression

A

d

100
Q

evaluation
explaining depression
limitation: only explains reactive depression

A

e

101
Q

evaluation
explaining depression
limitation: ethical issues

A

f

102
Q

what is cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)?

A

A method for treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques
cognitive: challenge negative irrational thoughts
Behavioural: change behaviour so it’s more effective

103
Q

what is Ellis’s REBT?

A

rational emotional behaviour therapy
ABCDE model
D=dispute (challenge) irrational beliefs
E=effect

104
Q

what is empirical argument?

A

disputing whether there is evidence to support irrational belief

105
Q

what is logical argument?

A

disputing whether the negative thought actually followed the facts

106
Q

what is behaviour it al activation?

A

gradually decrease avoidance and isolation and increase engagement in activities

107
Q

evaluation

treating depression

A

a

108
Q

evaluation

treating depression

A

b

109
Q

evaluation

treating depression

A

c

110
Q

evaluation

treating depression

A

d

111
Q

what are candidate genes?

A

specific genes that creat vulnerability for OCD
5HT2-D - implicated in the transmission of serotonin across synapse
dopamine genes are also implicated in OCD and may regulate mood

112
Q

what does polygenic mean?

A

(OCD) is caused by several genes

Taylor (2013) - round 230 different genes involved in OCD

113
Q

what does aetiologically heterogeneous mean?

A

one group of genes may cause OCD in one person but a different group of genes may cause it in another person

114
Q

how do different genetic variations effect OCD?

A

different types of OCD may be a result of different genetic variations eg hoarding disorder/religious obsession

115
Q

what is the effect of low serotonin levels?

A

neurotransmitters relay info from one neutron to another

low levels of serotonin means transmission of mood info doesn’t take place and mood is affected

116
Q

what is the effect of dysfunctional/impaired areas of the brain on OCD?

A

frontal lobe impairment- responsible for logical thinking and decision making so impairment can cause hoarding disorder
parahippocampal gyrus dysfunction- associated with processing unpleasant emotions and functions abnormally on OCD

117
Q

evaluation

explaining OCD

A

a

118
Q

evaluation

explaining OCD

A

b

119
Q

evaluation

explaining OCD

A

c

120
Q

evaluation

explaining OCD

A

d

121
Q

evaluation

explaining OCD

A

e

122
Q

how is drug therapy used to treat OCD?

A

increase/decrease levels of neurotransmitters to increase/decrease their activity
OCD is associated with low levels of serotonin
drugs are used to increase serotonin

123
Q

what are SSRI’s?

A

selective serotonin reputable inhibitors
prevent reabsorption and breakdown of serotonin in the brain
increases the levels in the synapse
compensates what is wrong with the serotonin system in OCD
typical dosage-20mg daily for 3-4 months

124
Q

how is CBT used to treat OCD?

A

used alongside drugs like SSRI

drug reduces emotional symptoms so the client can engage more effectively with CBT

125
Q

what are two alternatives to SSRI’s?

A

tricyclics

SNRI’s

126
Q

what are tricyclics?

A

an older type of antidepressant

same effect on serotonin levels as SSRI but has more sever side effects

127
Q

what are SNRI’s?

A

serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors

increase levels of serotonin and noradrenaline

128
Q

evaluation

treating OCD

A

a

129
Q

evaluation

treating OCD

A

b

130
Q

evaluation

treating OCD

A

c

131
Q

evaluation

treating OCD

A

d

psychology (16 decks)

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