Psychopathology Flashcards
What is statistical infrequency?
- argues that behaviours that are statistically rare should be seen as abnormal
- any individual who falls outside the normal distribution (about 5%, 2.5% either side) are perceived as abnormal
Strengths for statistical infrequency?
- clearly appropriate for many mental illnesses where statistical criteria is available (e.g. intellectual disability disorder)
- All assessments with patients with mental disorders includes some
kind of measurement of how severe their symptoms are compared to
statistical norms - This allows for an objective, value-free assessment of the level of
mental disability being experienced
Limitations for statistical infrequency?
- Not all infrequent behaviours are abnormal, some rare behaviours and characteristics are desirable e.g. high intelligence is statistically rare but desirable.
- Not all abnormal behaviours are infrequent as some statistically
frequent behaviours are abnormal eg depression is
experienced by up to a third of the population which suggests
depression is so common as to not be seen as abnormal under this
definition - The cut-off point is subjectively determined as there needs to be a
decision about where to separate normality and abnormality.
What is deviation from social norms?
- Each society has norms (or unwritten rules) for what is seen as acceptable behaviour
- Any behaviour that varies from these norms may be seen as abnormal.
- The definition draws a line between socially desirable and undesirable behaviours
- Those who do not adhere to what society deems as acceptable in that community or society are labelled as abnormal.
Evaluation of deviation from social norms?
strength: practical application
weaknesses: cultural validity, temporal validity, effectiveness
What is temporal validity?
whether something is true over time
What is failure to function adequately?
- perceives individuals as abnormal when their behaviour suggests they cannot cope with everyday life.
- e.g. eating regularly, washing clothes, being able to communicate with others and having some degree of control over your life is seen as functioning adequately.
- If a person cannot do this and are also experiencing distress (or others are distressed by their behaviour) then it is considered a sign of
abnormality.
What 7 features of abnormality did Rosenhan and Seligman identify for failure to function adequately?
- suffering
- maladaptiveness (danger to self)
- vividness and unconventionality (stands out)
- unpredictably and loss of control
- irrationality/ incomprehensibility
- causes observer discomfort
- violates moral/social standards
> the more features shown the more abnormal they are
Strengths of failure to function adequately?
- takes into consideration the experiences of the patient allowing an assessment to be made from the pov of the person experiencing it
> relatively easy to judge objectively through an assessment of criterion
> therefore can decide who needs psychiatric help
Limitation for failure to function adequately?
- abnormality is not always accompanied by dysfunction e.g psychopaths can murder and still appear normal
- there is a problem over deciding who has the right to define behaviour as abnormal
What is deviation from ideal mental health?
- Rather than identifying what is abnormal, Jahoda identified six characteristics of what is to be normal and an absence of these characteristics indicates abnormality
What were Jahoda’s 6 characteristics?
- positive attitudes towards self
- self- actualisation
- resistance to stress
- autonomy
- accurate perception of reality
- mastery of the environment
- The more of the criteria an individual fails to meet, the further away from normality they are.
Evaluation of deviation from ideal mental health?
strength: positive approach to mental problems, focus on what is desirable
weaknesses: over demanding criteria, difficult to measure, cultural relativism
What is a phobia?
a persistent and unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity or situation
What are some features of phobias?
- Intense, persistent, irrational fear a particular object, event or situation.
- Response is disproportionate and leads to avoidance of phobic object, event or situation.
- Fear is severe enough to interfere with everyday life.
- Condition may or may not be accompanied by PANIC ATTACKS
What categories of phobias are recognised by the DSM-5?
- SPECIFIC PHOBIAS, of animals, events (flying), bodily (blood), situations (enclosed places).
- SOCIAL PHOBIAS, of social situations, public speaking, parties, meeting new people.
- AGORAPHOBIA, of public crowded places (not open spaces), of leaving safety of home
Signs and symptoms of a phobic sufferer (categories) ?
- Behavioural: how a person acts (behaves) around the fear
- Emotional: how a person feels when experiencing anxiety
- Cognitive: how a person thinks about phobic stimuli
What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?
- panic
- avoidance
- endurance
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?
- anxiety
- fear
- unreasonable emotional response
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
- selective attention to the phobic stimulus
- irrational beliefs
- cognitive distortions - perceptions may be inaccurate and unrealistic
What is operant conditioning in psychopathology?
changing a behaviour because of a reward or for avoidance
- once a fear is established the individual then avoids the object or situation that produces the fear > reduces anxiety > strengthens the fear and makes it more likely that the object/situation will be avoided in the future
What is classical conditioning in psychopathology?
A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with
another stimulus known as the unconditioned response. The neutral stimulus
becomes associated with the conditioned stimulus and elicits the same
response.
- Conditioning refers to a process of shaping or changing a behaviour
What is the two-process model?
- Mowrer suggests that phobias are acquired as a result of classical conditioning and is maintained by operant conditioning
e. g. a person who is terrified of spiders is likely to run away when they see one. The escape and consequent reduction of fear acts as a negative reinforcer, increasing the likelihood that they will continue to avoid spiders in the future. The phobia is maintained
Evaluation of two process model?
support: makes sense and has evidence to support (Little Albert), support from behavioural treatments
weakness: does not explain where all phobias come from, people can develop phobias without having a direct experience with it
What are the 2 behavioural treatments for phobias?
flooding
systematic desensitisation
What is systematic desensitisation?
Wolpe (1958) – two competing emotions cannot occur at the same time so if
fear is replaced with relaxation the fear cannot continue
Systematic desensitisation aims to teach a patient to learn a more
appropriate association and is designed to reduce an unwanted response,
such as anxiety, to a stimulus
What are the 3 processes involved in SD?
- anxiety hierarchy created by the therapist and person
- patient trained in relaxation techniques
- The patient is then exposed to the phobic stimulus whilst practising the relaxation techniques as feelings of tension and anxiety arise. When this has been achieved the patient continues this process by moving up their hierarchy.
Evaluation for SD?
- effective
- suitable for a diverse range of patients
- acceptable to patients - less trauma
What is flooding?
- overwhelming the individual’s senses with the item or situation
that causes anxiety so that the person realises that no harm will occur. - Individual is exposed repeatedly and in an intensive way with their phobia.
- Individual has their senses flooded with thoughts, images and actual
experiences of the object of their phobia.
How does flooding work?
- Flooding stops phobic responses very quickly
- Without the option for avoidance behaviour, the patient quickly learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless – this process is called extinction
- A learned response is extinguished when the conditioned stimulus (e.g. a dog) is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus (e.g. being bitten)
- The result is that the conditioned stimulus no longer produces the
conditioned response (fear)
Is flooding unethical?
- it is not unethical as patients give informed consent
- a patient would normally be given the choice of SD or flooding
Evaluation for flooding?
- cost-effective
- less effective for some types of phobias (social phobias)
- traumatic for patients
What is depression?
- Depression is a mood disorder
- A mood disorder is the term used to explain disorders that affect
the emotional state of those suffering from them, i.e. – the
current emotional mood is distorted or inappropriate to the
circumstances - Depression is characterised by low mood and low energy levels
What are the diagnostic features of depression?
- can affect the thoughts, feelings, behaviour and the physical well-being of an individual.
- Clinical depression is a set of complex symptoms.
- The symptoms must be causing distress or impaired functioning in social and/or occupational roles
What are the 4 DSM-5 categories of depression?
- major depressive disorder - severe but often short-term depression.
- persistent depressive disorder - long-term or recurring depression,
including sustained major depression. - disruptive mood dyregulation disorder - childhood temper tantrums
- premenstrual dysphoric disorder - disruption to mood prior to and/or
during menstruation