Psychopathology Flashcards
4 types of abnormality:
1 - Statistical infrequency
2 - Deviation from social norms
3 - Failure to function adequately
4 - Deviation from ideal mental health
Statistical Infrequency:
Not matching the average, either being below or above. E.g. a high iq is statistical infrequency because it’s above. Bell curve. Less common characteristic.
Deviation from Social Norms:
Not matching the social norms. E.g. having a hobby which may seem extreme such as sky diving
Failure to Function Adequately:
Not being able to function properly and not being able to keep up with day to day tasks, e.g. personal hygiene, maintain a job, maintain a relationship
Rosenhan, Seligman (1989) questions to determine whether someone is failing to function adequately:
- When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules
- When a person experiences severe personal distress
- When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health:
When someone doesn’t meet the criteria of ideal mental health.
Jahoda (1958) criteria of ideal mental health:
- no symptoms or distress
- being rational and being able to perceive our self accurately
- self-actualise (strive to reach our potential)
- can cope with stress
- realistic view of the world
- good self-esteem and lacking guilt
- being independent from other people
- successfully work, love and enjoy leisure
Statistical Infrequency AO3:
Strength - Real World Application:
P - Strength of statistical infrequency is its usefulness
E - Used in diagnosis
E - For example, Beck’s Depression Inventory, a score of 30+ indicates severe depression
L - Therefore, show’s the value and usefulness of statistical infrequency
Weakness - Unusual Characteristics can be Positive
P - Limitation of statistical infrequency is that unusual characteristics can be positive
E - An average IQ is 100, having an above average IQ of 130 wouldn’t be considered as abnormal by most people. But it is abnormal according to statistical infrequency.
E - similarly, having a low score on a BDI test wouldn’t be abnormal, but is considered abnormal according to statistical infrequency.
L - Therefore, a weakness of statistical infrequency is that unusual characteristics can be considered positive
Failure to Function Adequately AO3:
Strength - Represents a Threshold for Help
P - Strength of failure to function adequately, represents a threshold for help
E - Most people have symptoms of a mental disorder to some degree, around 25% of people in the UK experience a mental health problem.
E - However, some people face severe symptoms, this is where they search for medical advice, when they’re failing to function adequately.
L - therefore, a strength of failure to function adequately is that it represents a threshold for help
Weakness - Discrimination and social control
P - Weakness of failure to function adequately is, discrimination and social control.
E - difficult to determine when someone is failing to function adequately when they deviate from social norms.
E - e.g. people who have high risk leisure activates (sky-diving)
L - therefore, a weakness of failure to function adequately is discrimination and social control.
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health AO3:
Strength - A Comprehensive Definition
P - strength of deviation from ideal mental health, a highly comprehensive definition.
E - Jahoda’s concept of ‘ideal mental health’ covers a range of distinguishing mental health.
E - This means that a person’s mental health can be discussed meaningfully with professionals.
L - Therefore, a strength of deviation from ideal mental health is that it is a comprehensive definition.
Weakness - May be Culture Bound
P - Weakness of deviation from ideal
Phobia:
An irrational fear of an object or situation
Behavioural Characteristics of Phobias:
APE
A - Avoidance
P - Panic
E - Endurance
Emotional Characteristics of Phobias:
FEA
F - Fear
E - Emotional response is unreasonable
A - Anxiety
Cognitive Characteristics of Phobias:
IB, SA, CD
IB - Irrational Beliefs
SA - Selective Attention
CD - Cognitive Distortions
Depression:
A mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels.
Behavioural Characteristics of Depression:
Al, DSE, A
Al - Activity Levels
DSE - Disruption to sleep and eating
A - aggression and self-harm
Emotional Characteristics of Depression:
Lm, A, Ls
Lm - Lowered mood
A - Anger
Ls - Lowered self-esteem
Cognitive Characteristics of Depression:
Pc, A, At
Pc - Poor concentration
A - attending to dwell on the negatives
At - absolutist thinking
OCD:
Obsessions and compulsive behaviour
Behavioural Characteristics of OCD:
CaR, CrA, A
CaR - Compulsions are repetitive
CrA - Compulsions reduce anxiety
A - Avoidance
Emotional Characteristics of OCD:
AD, Ad, GD
AD - Anxiety and distress
Ad - Accompanying depression
GD - Guilt and disgust
Cognitive Characteristics of OCD:
O,Cs,I
O - Obsessive thoughts
Cs - Cognitive Coping Strategies
I - Insight into excessive anxiety
Two-Process Model (phobias explanation):
Acquire a fear - Classical Conditioning
- Watson, Rayner (1920), little albert - explain classical
conditioning with little albert
Maintain a fear - Operant Conditioning
- Mowrer, avoid an unpleasant situation - negative
reinforcement
Two-Process Model AO3:
Strength - Real-World Application
- exposure therapies - systematic desensitisation
- prevent avoidance behaviour, treats phobia
- supports TPM
Weakness - Cognitive Aspects of Phobia
- only focuses on behavioural aspects, not cognitive
aspects
- people hold irrational beliefs about phobic stimulus,
cognitive
Strength - Phobias and Traumatic experiences
- Jongh et al. (2006), 73% of people who had fears of
dentistry had experienced a traumatic event
Treatment of Phobias:
- Systematic Desensitisation
- Flooding
Systematic Desensitisation:
- Anxiety Hierarchy - making a list of the patients
phobic stimulus, increasing in severity - Relaxation - mental imaging, (happy place), breathing
techniques. Leads to reciprocal inhibition - can’t have multiple feelings at once - Exposure - client exposed to phobic stimulus
Systematic Desensitisation AO3:
Strength - Evidence for Effectiveness
- Gilroy et al. (2003)
- spoke to 42 people who undertook SD for spiders
- 33 months later they were less fearful than a control
group
Strength - People with Learning Disabilities
- people with learning disabilities struggle with
cognitive therapies
- they get stressed with the severity of flooding
- SD is more suitable
Flooding AO3:
Strength - Cost Effective
- cheaper, only requires one session whereas SD
could require 10
Weakness - Traumatic
- Schumacher et al. (2015), participants rated flooding
as more stressful than SD, ethical issues, flooding has
a higher dropout rate than SD.
Flooding AO3:
Strength - Cost Effective
- cheaper, only requires one session whereas SD
could require 10
Weakness - Traumatic
- Schumacher et al. (2015), participants rated flooding
as more stressful than SD, ethical issues, flooding has
a higher dropout rate than SD.
Beck’s Negative Triad (depression explanation):
Three:
(1967)
- Faulty information processing (focus on the negatives)
- Negative self-schema (negative package of ideas
about self)
- Negative triad: negative view of the world, negative
view of the future, negative view of the self
Ellis’ ABC Model (depression explanation):
(1962)
A - Activating event (e.g. ending of relationship)
B - Beliefs (musturbation, always must perfect)
C - Consequences (triggers depression)
Beck’s Negative Triad AO3:
Strength - Research Support
- Beck and Clark (1999) found that cognitive
vulnerabilities are more common in people with
depression, and they also precede it.
- Confirmed by Cohen (2019) 473 adolescents
Strength - Real-world application
- Can be used in diagnosis, showed by Cohen
- Cohen et al. found that negative triad preceded
adolescents with depression.
Ellis’ ABC Model AO3:
Strength - Real-world application
- Can be used in treatment of depression,
- Used in REBT (rational emotive behaviour therapy),
arguing with patient
- David et al. (2018)
Weakness - Reactive and Endogenous Depression
- Only explains reactive depression, not endogenous
depression
- Endogenous depression (Depression without a
traceable causing event)
Depression Treatment (CBT):
Treating depression with both cognitive and behavioural techniques.
- defining the problems
- using CBT to deal with the problems
Beck’s Cognitive Therapy:
Built off Beck’s Negative Triad
Challenge the relativity client’s negative beliefs, also
Ellis’ rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT):
ABC + DE A - Activating event B - Beliefs C - Consequences D - Dispute E - Effect
Arguing with client about their irrational beliefs
OCD Explanations:
Genetic explanations
Neural explanations
Genetic Explanations (OCD explanation):
Candidate Genes - genes inherited from your parents which make you more vulnerable to OCD
OCD is polygenic - OCD is caused by many different genes
Different types of OCD - One group of genes may cause OCD in one person, and a different group of genes may cause OCD in another person (aetiologically heterogeneous)
Neural Explanations (OCD explanation):
The Role of Serotonin - serotonin (neurotransmitter) regulates mood, if someone has low levels of serotonin then they will have a low mood.
Decision-Making Systems - abnormal functioning of the lateral parts of the frontal lobe.
Genetic Explanations AO3:
Strength - Research Support
- evidence shows people are vulnerable to OCD.
- Nestadt et al. (2010), 68% of MZ twins shared OCD
compared to 31% of DZ twins.
Weakness - Environmental Risk Factors
- OCD not entirely genetic
- Cromer et al. (2007) over half her clients had
experienced a traumatic event
Neural Explanations AO3:
Strength - Research Support
- antidepressants which work on serotonin reduce
OCD symptoms.
Weakness - No unique neural system
- many people with OCD also have clinical depression
- disruption to serotonin
Drug Therapy (OCD Treatment):
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)
Combination of SSRIs with other treatments (CBT)
Alternative to SSRIs (SNRI - serotonin nonadrenaline reuptake inhibitors, tricyclics)
SSRI (OCD Treatment)
- antidepressant drug
- blocks vesicles from releasing serotonin, increases
amount of serotonin in synaptic cleft, more serotonin
Combining SSRIs with other treatments (OCD Treatment)
- SSRIs combined with CBT
- SSRIs reduce anxiety and allow patient to focus on
CBT treatment
OCD Treatment AO3:
Strength - Evidence of effectiveness
- improves people’s quality of life
- compared to placebos, SSRIs perform better
Strength - Cost-effective and non-disruptive
- drugs can be mass produced
- therapy is expensive
Weakness - Serious side-effects
- have serious side-effects on some people:
indigestion, blurred vision, loss of sex drive
