psychopathology Flashcards
1
Q
strengths of deviation of social norms
A
-practical applications e.g someone hearing voices differs from implicit norms so may be diagnosed with schizophrenia.
2
Q
weaknesses of deviation of social norms
A
- norms change over time and with cultures. e.g homosexuality was regarded a mental illness until 1973 but not any more
- only be based on context in which behaviour occurs e.g undressing in a classroom or in the bathroom. level of subjectivity required
- ethical concerns as people who do not follow the norms are labelled as abnormal and may be institutionalised. e.g young unmarried mothers in the past were locked up in mental institutions as they were viewed as unacceptable. may be linked to issues wth social control
3
Q
strengths of failure to function adequately
A
- takes the individuals own interpretation into account because of their personal suffering and distress. if a psychiatrist is solely depended upon to make these diagnosis’ it can be interpreted subjectively depending on the person who is deciding
- practical applications to identify people who need psychiatric help e.g someone who does not go to work and feels low may be diagnosed as depressed and get the help they need
4
Q
weaknesses of failure to function adequately
A
- culturally specific as relates to a cultures view on adequate functioning e.g escobar found that white psychiatrists tend to over interpret the symptoms of black people during a diagnosis so is not a universal definition
- many people engage in maladaptive behaviour that may be harmful or threatening to self but are not viewed as abnormal. e.g adrenaline sports, smoking etc
5
Q
strengths of statistical infrequency
A
- quantitative measure which is objective. clear cut off points as to what is abnormal so likely to be reliable if someone else was administering the test. seen as scientific and vigorous due to objectivity
- not affected by culture or norms only relies on how frequent a behaviour occurs. no subjective judgements required from clinicians and reduces stigma around mental health as the behaviour is not unnacceptable rather less frequent
6
Q
weaknesses of statistical infrequency
A
- unusual characteristics are not always abnormal and can be positive e.g having an IQ of 130 is unusual but having super intelligence is not undesirable and does not require psychiatric help. should never be used alone to make a diagnosis
- not all abnormal behaviours are infrequent e.g depression occurs in 10% of population at some point in their lives so this definition would not class it as abnormal so some people may not recieve the help they need
7
Q
strengths of deviation from ideal mental health
A
- takes a positive approach to abnormaility than the other explanations. focuses on ideal mental health not the negatives. this could lead to less stigma around abnormality so people may be more likely to reach out for help
- practical applications. if a person deviates from one of the 6 criteria we can easily identify where they need support. allows professionals to make personal goals for the patient to work towards.
8
Q
weaknesses of deviation from ideal mental health
A
- culturally specific e.g in western cultures it is ideal to put yourself (positive attitude towards oneself) first whereas in non western cultures it may be more beneficial if they put others first for the greater common good
- issues with validity as no one achieves ideal menta health all the time so everyone would be classed as abnormal using this definition at some point (over inclusive)
9
Q
strengths of behavioural approach to explaining phobias
A
- research evidence by watson and rayner. little albert was conditioned to fear a white rat due to association with a loud bang. evidence for classical conditioning
- practical applications e.g systematic desensitisation used as a treatment as it focuses on idea that if phobias are learnt they can also be unlearnt through reciprocal inhibition and counter conditioning
10
Q
weaknesses of behavioural approach to explaining phobias
A
- ignores role of evolution on phobias. bounton suggests evolution has a role in the learning of phobias as humans easily acquire phobias that have been a source of danger in the past. seligman called this biological preparedness which is the innate tendency to acquire certain fears. may explain why people fear the dark or snakes but not cars or guns. there may be more to phobias than the two process model
- simplistic explanation as ignores cognitive factors that could play a role. thought processes such as selective attention may provoke anxiety like focussing on a dog’s teeth rather than other parts. phobias are complex disorders characterised by irrational fear so it is likely that cognition is involved
11
Q
strengths of systematic desensitisation
A
- effectiveness demonstrated by gilroy. 42 patients received SD in 3 45 min sessions. it was assessed using a questionnaire and response to a spider after 3 and 33 months. the group were less fearful than a control who only used relaxation.
- more ethical than using drugs as they have side effects and relaxation techniques from SD may have applications in life. also does not require insight to a disorder or communication skills so can help a wide ranger of people
12
Q
weaknesses of systematic desensitisation
A
- does not consider symptom substitution. may treat the symptoms not the underlying cause so the anxiety may manifest itself in another phobia . gilroys study did not test for development of other phobias in the follow up
- not suitable for all phobias, Ohman et al says it may not be suitable for treating phobias with an underlying evolutionary survival component
13
Q
strengths of flooding
A
- effective for a wide range of phobias. rothbaum found virtual reality and standard flooding were both as effective for treating flying phobias than in the control group who were on the waiting list for treatment. at a 6 month follow up both were equally effective and 93% of pp went flying in this 6 month period
- cost effcective, only one session can be enough to cure phobia.
14
Q
weaknesses of flooding
A
- useful for specific phobias but not social phobias. it is easy to set up a room full of spiders for someone with arachnaphobia but for social phobias such as agoraphobia it is hard to establish an underlying cause and often the source of the phobia cannot be identified
- high dropout rate as is traumatic for patients. most unwilling to see it through till the end so time and money may be wasted and phobia could be reinforced
15
Q
strengths of biological approach OCD
A
- research to support by Saxena and Rach. reviewed studies of OCD using PET FMRI and MRI neuro imaging techniques. consistent evidence found of an association between OFC and OCD symptoms
- practical applications. neural explanation can help people with low serotonin levels as they may be given SSRIs to increase serotonin in the synapse to continually stimulate post synaptic neuron. genetics can be used as babies deemed at risk can be scanned for genes e.g SERT and provide support early on
