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psychology yr12 > psychopathology > Flashcards

psychopathology Flashcards

1
Q

what is psychopathology

A

the study of psychological disorder

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2
Q

what is statistical infrequency

A

A behaviour that does not occur very often and is uncommon in the population so statistically infrequent behaviours are seen as abnormal

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3
Q

strength of statistical infrequency as way of defining abnormality

A

practical application by defining abnormality SI can help identify mental disorders or intellectual disabilities e.g. an IQ less than 70 would be deemed abnormal as it is not where the rest of society is

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4
Q

limitations of statistical infrequency as a way of defining abnormality

A

abnormal characteristics can be good e.g. high intelligence

not everyone benefits from diagnosis may lead to them being an ‘outcast’

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5
Q

what is meant by deviation from social norms as a way of defining abnormality

A

deviation from social norms is transgressing unwritten socially defined and agreed expectations of normal functioning behaviour

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6
Q

what is a norm

A

a norm is a unwritten, socially defined and agreed expectation of normal functioning behaviour

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7
Q

What disorder is deviation from social norms useful in diagnosing?

A

anti social personality disorder

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8
Q

anti social personality disorder can be characterised by what 4 things

A

impulsive
aggressive
irresponsible
lack of empathy

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9
Q

according to the DSM-5 what is an important symptom of ASPD

A

they lack the internal, prosocial standards associated with our laws and customs that create normal & ethical behaviours (don’t meet our moral standards so abnormal)

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10
Q

what is the strength of deviation from social norms as a way of defining abnormality

A

practical application - helps diagnosis of ASPD

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11
Q

name two criticisms of deviation from social norms as a way of defining abnormality

A

cultural relativism - the norm regarding beliefs + behaviours may differ in varying cultures
human rights abuses - society may oppress/segregate a group with a certain abnormality in order for them to ‘fit’ into society

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12
Q

a norm varies based on time and place making it a ?

A

social construct

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13
Q

how is failure to function adequately defined

A

defined as someone who is unable to cope with the demand of day to day life

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14
Q

what was rosenhan & selingmans criteria by which failure to function adequately could be assessed

A

someone who lacks hygiene
unable to keep down a job
unable to maintain social relationships + nutrition
failure to follow interpersonal rules (eye contact)

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15
Q

name a strength of failure to function adequately as a way of defining abnormality

A

person centred - depends on the individual

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16
Q

name two limitations of failure to function adequately as a way of defining abnormality

A

subjective - may be disagreement on whether certain behaviours are abnormal

limiting freedom

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17
Q

what does deviation from ideal mental health believe as an approach to defining abnormality

A

believes that to know what makes us abnormal we must first have a real understanding of what makes us normal (psychologically healthy)

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18
Q

what was jahodas criteria used to assess ideal mental health

A 
no symptoms/ distress
rational/ accurate self & world perception 
self actualising / good self esteem
ability to cope with stress
independent 
successfully work, love & enjoy leisure
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19
Q

what would deviation from jahodas criteria suggest

A

less than ideal mental health and thus abnormality

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20
Q

name a strength of deviation from ideal mental health as a way of defining abnormality

A

comprehensive - covers a wide range of factors

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21
Q

name two limitations of deviation from ideal mental health as a way of defining abnormality

A

cultural relativism - biased towards cultures that aren’t western
unrealistic - not many people will meet every criteria

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22
Q

what is a phobia and give examples

A

an irrational fear of an object or a situation e.g. claustrophobia, arachnophobia, triphobia

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23
Q

what are the three types of phobias recognised by the DSM-5

A

specific phobias - objects or situations e.g arachnophobia
social anxiety/phobia - social/public situations
agoraphobia - being outside/ in public places

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24
Q

what are the cognitive characteristics of phobias

A

selective attention - only focusing on the object and nothing else
irrational beliefs - convincing yourself that this thing will cause you harm
cognitive distortions - object may appear bigger

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25
Q

what are the emotional characteristics of phobias

A

anxiety

characterised by high levels of fear

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26
Q

what are the behavioural characteristics of phobias

A

panic, scream , cry
avoidance - avoid certain areas or things
endurance - remain in the presence of it inescapable / unavoidable stimulus

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27
Q

what are the two parts of the two process model by mowrer

A

acquisition (classical conditioning) & maintenance (operant conditioning)

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28
Q

what is acquisition?

A

associating a no response with a fear response (ucs) so the no response becomes a conditioned stimulus producing a fear response (conditioned response)

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29
Q

what is maintenance

A

maintaining the phobia
as the stimulus causes anxiety/ fear we avoid it (negative reinforcement) this avoidance of unpleasant feelings reinforces/encourages the avoidance of the stimulus

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30
Q

an example of acquisition is

A

the little Albert study by Watson, Albert acquired a phobia of white fluffy things as he associated them with a fear response

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31
Q

what was the little Albert experiment

A

demonstrated that classical conditioning could be used to create phobia, Watson believed he could condition ‘little Albert’ to fear things that normally go without fear for children

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32
Q

which approach is the two process explanation model from

A

the behaviourist approach

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33
Q

name a strength of the two process model

A

practical application- two process model explains how phobias are acquired & maintained helping our understanding of how to combat such mental health problems e.g. developing endurance therapy

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34
Q

name two limitations of the two process model

A

limited explanation - model cannot explain all fears some may be adaptive, fails to take into account we are biologically prepared for certain phobias
limited explanation x2 - some phobias exist without traumatic experience

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35
Q

name two ways to treat phobias

A

systematic desensitisation & flooding

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36
Q

what is systematic desensitisation

A

replacing the fear response to the phobia with a relaxation response using classical conditioning

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37
Q

using classical conditioning to undo a phobia is known as

A

counter conditioning

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38
Q

systematic desensitisation is a ? therapy

A

behavioural

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39
Q

systematic desensitisation is based on the principle of ?

A

reciprocal inhibition

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40
Q

what is reciprocal inhibition

A

the idea that we can’t experience anxiety and relaxation simultaneously

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41
Q

what are the three stages of systematic desensitisation

A

anxiety hierarchy
relaxation
gradual exposure

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42
Q

what happens in the relaxation stage

A

explain what triggered fear/ phobia whilst relaxed

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43
Q

what happens in the third stage of S.D (gradual exposure)

A

exposure to each stage of the anxiety hierarchy while relaxed only moving up the hierarchy while completely relaxed during exposure

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44
Q

give an example of a relaxation technique that may be used in S.D

A

laying down
meditation
guided imagery

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45
Q

what are the strengths of S.D as a way of treating phobias

A

preferable option ( more preferable than flooding )
more suitable for those who cannot fully understand flooding
effective

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46
Q

what is a limitation of S.D as a way of treating phobias

A

more time consuming - can take multiple sessions as it is gradual

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47
Q

what is flooding

A

immediate + full exposure to the phobia

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48
Q

what is the explanation for flooding

A

exposing the patient to the unconditioned + conditioned stimulus so they realise its harmless and the CS no longer produces a fear response , not unethical but unpleasant so full informed consent needed

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49
Q

when a CS no longer produces a fear response this is known as

A

extinction

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50
Q

what are the strengths of flooding as a way of treating phobias

A

time effective

cost effective

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51
Q

what are the limitations of flooding as a way of treating phobias

A

traumatic - high trauma causes many to drop out

difficult to treat social phobias have more cognitive aspects than just behavioural

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52
Q

as flooding is highly traumatic it has a higher drop out rate also known as ? rate

A

attrition

53
Q

what is depression

A

a mental disorder characterised by very low moods and energy levels

54
Q

what are the 4 different types of depression recognised by the DSM - 5

A

major depressive disorder - severe but short term
persistent depressive disorder - long term
disruptive mood regulation disorder - childlike temper tantrums
premenstrual dysphoric disorder - mood disruption pre/during menstruation

55
Q

what are the cognitive characteristics of depression

A

poor concentration/ decision making
pessimism
absolutist thinking - everything is either good or bad

56
Q

what are the emotional characteristics of depression

A

extreme low mood
anger - short temper
low self esteem

57
Q

what are the behavioural characteristics of depression

A

low activity levels
over or under eating / sleeping (insomnia)
aggression/ self harm

58
Q

what are two ways of explaining depression

A

becks negative triad & Ellis’ ABC model

59
Q

what is the first part to Beck’s explanation for depression

A

faulty information processing / cognitive bias - pessimism focusing on a negative + absolutist thinking , distorting information = cognitive bias

60
Q

what is the second part to Beck’s explanation for depression

A

negative self schema - negative self concept often developed from negative childhood experiences

61
Q

what is the third part to beck’s explanation for depression

A

Beck’s negative triad- made up of three parts

62
Q

name the three components of the negative triad

A

negative views about the world
negative views about oneself
negative views about the future

63
Q

what are the strengths of becks negative triad as a way of explaining depression

A

practical application - forms the base for the cognitive behaviour therapy, all cognitive aspects can be challenged with the use of CBT
supporting research - can predict early onset depression, early intervention

64
Q

what are the limitations of becks negative triad as a way of explaining depression

A

ignores biological factors - cognitive explanations are seen to ignore the biological approach this is a flaw as the BA plays a part in understanding depression as well as serotonin (neurotransmitter)
limited explanation - can’t explain all aspects of depression

65
Q

Ellis’ ABC model believes what

A

that irrational thoughts cause depression

66
Q

what does the A stand for in Ellis’ ABC model

A

activating event - what happened?

67
Q

what does the B stand for in Ellis’ ABC model

A

irrational beliefs - what story do you tell yourself?

68
Q

what does the C stand for in Ellis’ ABC model

A

Consequence - B leads to unhealthy negative emotion

69
Q

what is the strength. of ellis’ ABC model as a way of explaining depression

A

application - ellis’ model was used to develop a treatment for depression (REBT) which challenges irrational beliefs

70
Q

what is the limitation of ellis’ ABC model as a way of explaining depression

A

endogenous depression (seasonal depression) - not all depression follows an event or situation meaning it cannot be explained by ellis’ model

71
Q

name 4 ways of treating depression

A

CBT
behavioural activation
Beck’s cognitive therapy
Ellis’s REBT

72
Q

what is cognitive behaviour therapy

A

a method for treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques

73
Q

what is the cognitive element of CBT

A

jointly identifying problems/ irrational thoughts, creating goals and plans of how to overcome them

74
Q

what is the behavioural element of CBT

A

challenging the negative / irrational thoughts and replace with more effective behaviour

75
Q

what are the 3 steps to Beck’s cognitive therapy

A

identify elements of the negative triad
challenge the thought
test the thoughts (client as scientist) find evidence of thoughts (or lack of)

76
Q

what does Ellis’ REBT stand for

A

rational emotive behaviour therapy

77
Q

what is Ellis’ REBT treatment

A

extends his ABC explanation to ABCDE

78
Q

what does D & E stand for in Ellis’ ABCDE

A

dispute & exchange

79
Q

what is the key technique of REBT

A

to identify and dispute irrational thoughts with vigorous arguments

80
Q

what are the two types of vigorous arguments

A 
empirical arguments (is there evidence)
logical argument (does it make sense)
81
Q

what is the goal of Ellis’ REBT

A

To exchange harmful irrational thoughts for more positive thoughts

82
Q

? aims to gradually decrease avoidance/isolation associated with depression and increase ? to improve mood

A

behavioural activation, engagement

83
Q

avoiding difficult situations and becoming isolated leads to what for those with depression

A

symptoms are maintained/ exacerbated i.e low activity levels

84
Q

what are ways of increasing engagement

A

exercise, dinners, meeting with friends

85
Q

what are two strengths of CBT as way of treating depression

A

effective - proven to be successful

time + cost effective - 6 - 12 sessions long and can be done online

86
Q

what are two limitations of CBT as way of treating depression

A

appropriateness - may not be suitable for all cases of depression some patients with severe depression may not be able to engage
replaces rate - CBT has lower relapse rate as it focuses on challenging patients thoughts

87
Q

what is OCD

A

a condition characterised by obsessions and / or compulsive behaviours

88
Q

what are the 4 types of OCD recognised by the DSM-5

A

OCD - obsessions and or compulsions
trichotillomania - compulsive hair pulling
hoarding disorder - compulsive gathering of items and an inability to part with them
excoriation disorder - compulsive skin picking

89
Q

what are the cognitive characteristics of OCD

A

obsessive thoughts - constantly on your mind
coping strategies - what you do to deal with your compulsion
insight - they are aware of the irrationality of their compulsion but can’t stop

90
Q

what are the emotional characteristics of OCD

A

anxiety/distress - the root of their obsession causes anxiety
depression - OCD is permanent this causes depression
Guilt / disgust - ashamed of their depression

91
Q

what are the behavioural characteristics of OCD

A

repetitive compulsion - must repeat the compulsion (compulsion reduces anxiety )
avoidance - they avoid places that trigger their anxiety

92
Q

the cognitive element of OCD is characterised by ?

A

obsessive thoughts

93
Q

the behavioural element of OCD is characterised by ?

A

compulsions

94
Q

compulsions are often ? as the anxiety relief is ?

A

repetitive, temporary

95
Q

what are the two types of explanations for OCD

A

genetic & neural

96
Q

what percentage of OCD patients did lewis find had a parent with OCD

A

37%

97
Q

what percentage of OCD patients did lewis find had a sibling with OCD

A

21%

98
Q

genetic vulnerability is inherited through ?

A

candidate genes

99
Q

OCD is ?

A

polygenic

100
Q

what does polygenic mean

A

different combinations of different genes cause OCD

101
Q

our genes are made up of ? which contain our ? this determines ? & ? characteristics

A

chromosomes , DNA, physical, psychological

102
Q

OCD is ?

A

aetiologically heterogenous

103
Q

what does this mean

A

different genes may cause the same disorder in different people

104
Q

what is the purpose of serotonin

A

regulates mood and well being

105
Q

? levels of ? may be linked to OCD

A

low, serotonin i.e OCD leads to low moods

106
Q

what is the purpose of the lateral front lobes

A

linked to decision making

107
Q

how is this related to OCD

A

hoarding may be linked to abnormal functioning here

108
Q

what is the purpose of the parahippocampal gyrus

A

to process unpleasant emotions

109
Q

how is this linked to OCD

A

obsessive unpleasant thoughts may be linked to abnormal functioning in the parahippocampal gyrus

110
Q

what is a strength of the genetic explanation of OCD

A

supporting research increasing validity / reliability - supports evidence of genetic influence on OCD

111
Q

what is a strength of the neural explanation of OCD

A

clinical evidence - research found SSRI’S (anti depressants) which increase serotonin reducing OCD symptoms

112
Q

what are two limitations to the genetic explanation of OCD

A

ignores role of experience - the biological approach ignores environmental factors e.g. traumatic events, research found OCD more common in those with past trauma
methodological issues with twin studies - overlooks how twins are treated

113
Q

what is a limitation to the neural explanation of OCD

A

cause & effect - for neural explanations there is no way of knowing whether the neural abnormalities cause OCD lead to it

114
Q

? may be used to treat OCD as they work on our ? systems

A

anti depressants , serotonin

115
Q

what does SSRI’s stand for

A

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

116
Q

explain how SSRI’s work

A

brain sends a message
picked up by chemicals in the pre synaptic neuron
message transferred across synapse onto post synaptic neuron
chemicals reabsorbed by pre synaptic neuron

117
Q

name a common SSRI and its typical daily dose

A

fluoxetine , 20mg

118
Q

on average how many months of daily consumption does it take for symptom improvement to occur

A

3-4 months of daily consumption

119
Q

what is serotonin

A

a neurotransmitter

120
Q

do people with OCD have too much or too little of this neurotransmitter

A

too little

121
Q

drugs are often used alongside ? to treat OCD

A

cognitive behaviour therapy

122
Q

the drugs reduce ? symptoms, such as feeling ? or ? . this means patients can engage more effectively with ?

A

emotional, anxious, depressed , CBT

123
Q

what are some alternative medications to SSRI’s

A

tricyclics and SNRI’s

124
Q

give an example of a tricyclic

A

clomipramine

125
Q

describe the effect of tricyclics in comparison to SSRI’s

A

have the same effect on the serotonin system as SSRI’s but the side effects can be more severe, only used when patients don’t respond to SSRI’s

126
Q

what do SNRI’s do and give an example of one

A

SNRI’s block the reuptake of noradrenaline + serotonin

EFEXOR, XR

127
Q

medications deal with the ? characteristic of OCD

A

emotional

128
Q

what is the strength of SSRI’s as a way of treating OCD

A

effectiveness - soomro et al reviewed 17 students comparing SSRI’s to placebos in treating OCD, all 17 students showed significantly better results for SSRI’s than for placebo conditions

129
Q

what are the two limitations of drug therapy as a way of treating OCD

A

side effects - indigestion, blurred vision and loss of sex drive (usually temporary), clomipramine = more common + more serious side effects
appropriateness - some cases of OCD may not have a biological cause, these drug therapies are not appropriate for cases following trauma

psychology yr12 (8 decks)

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