Psychopathology Flashcards
How can statistical infrequency define abnormalities?
By using statistical norms to see if a person is below or above average?
What is an example of statistical infrequency?
IQ as the average is 100 so anyone with an IQ significantly higher or lower than 100 is considered abnormal
What is meant by deviation of social norms?
When a person behaves in a way that is outside of usual expectation
What is an example of deviation from social norms?
Antisocial personality disorder classified by the DSM-5 as a person with irresponsible and aggressive characteristics
What is failure to function adequately?
Occurs when someone is unable to cope with the demands of everyday life
What is deviation from ideal mental health?
When a person is not meeting a criteria for good level of mental health
What is meant by behavioural?
a way in which someone acts
What is meant by Emotional?
a way in which a person feels
What is meant by cognitive?
the process of knowing such as thinking
What is a phobia?
an irrational fear of an object or situation
What are the behavioural characteristics of a phobia?
Panic
Avoidance
Endurance
What are the Emotional characteristics of a phobia?
Anxiety
Fear
Unreasonable emotional response
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
Selective attention
Irrational beliefs
Cognitive distortions
What is depression?
Mental disorder surrounding low mood and low energy
What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
Low activity levels
Disruption of sleep and eating
Aggression and self harm
What are the emotional charactarisitcs of depression?
Lowered mood
Anger
Lowered self-esteem
What are the cognitive characteristics depression?
poor concentration
dwelling on negativity
absolutist thinking
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
the display of obsessive and compulsive behaviour
What is the difference between obsessions and compulsions?
obsessions are cognitive
compulsions are behavioural
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?
repetitive compulsions
compulsions reduce anxiety
avoidance
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?
Anxiety and distress
Accompanying depression
Guilt and disgust
What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?
Obsessive thoughts
Cognitive coping strategies
excessive anxiety
What is the behaviourist approach?
emphasis on the role of learning on behaviour
What is the two-process model and how can it explain phobias?
Combines classical and operant conditioning as we learn phobias through classical and the behaviour is reinforced through operant
Outline the Little Albert study
Little Albert was conditioned into having a phobia of rats by associating a loud noise with the presence of a rat. This caused Albert to develop a fear of rats and similar objects
What are the two behavioural approaches to treating phobias?
Systematic desensitisation
Flooding
What is systematic desensitisation?
uses a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations and gradually confronts them
What is flooding?
full exposure to a phobia inducing experience
What are the two cognitive approaches in explaining depression?
Becks Negative triad
Ellis’s ABC model
What is Beck’s negative triad?
Negative view of world
Negative view of future
Negative view of oneself
What is Ellis’s ABC model?
Activation event
Belief
Consequences
What is the cognitive method of treating depression?
Cognitive behavioural therapy in which irrational beliefs are challenged
What are the biological factors of OCD?
Genes and serotonin
What were Lewis’s findings into OCD?
Of all his OCD patients 37% had parents with the condition and 21% had sibling showing the role of genes in OCD
How can serotonin explain OCD?
Low levels of serotonin leads to reduction in neural regulation
What are the biological ways of treating OCD?
Drug therapy
What drugs are used to treat OCD?
SSRIs which increase serotonin reducing compulsive behaviour
What diagnosis can deviation from social norms lead to?
Schizotypal personality disorder in which the term “strange” is used to characterise the thinking of certain people
What did Lewis identify in OCD patients?
37% had a parent with OCD and 21% had a sibling with OCD
Give an example of how deviation from social norms is flawed
young boys from The “Zambia” Tribe in Papua New Guinea wear gloves with stinging giant ants to prove they are men. This is not abnormal for them but it is for many other cultures
Name two side effects of SSRIs
Blurred vision
Loss of sex drive
How do SSRIs help OCD?
Increasing serotonin by blocking the reuptake of the neurotransmitter
How does exposure therapy strengthen the two process model?
By exposing patients to phobic stimulus the reinforcement gained by avoidance ceases to exist
What did Gilroy do that shows real life application for systematic desensitisation?
Followed up 42 arachnophobia patients who had SD and found them to be more collected when exposed to a phobic stimulus in comparison to a control group
Why is CBT limited in regards to serious cases of depression?
People with severe depression can not find the motivation to seek therapy/attend sessions
What did Ahmari find in mice that supports candidate genes for OCD?
A gene that produces repeating behavioural patterns
What is the hierarchy feature of CBT?
Patients rank phobic stimulus in order of most phobic to least phobic
What is the relaxation feature of CBT?
Patients try to relax themselves when confronted with phobic stimulus such as breathing techniques or muscle relaxation
What did Marie Jahoda propose that helps the diagnosis of deviation from ideal mental health?
She proposed a criteria of ideal mental health which has self actualisation at the top
