Psychopathology

Question 1

Types of phobia

Answer 1

-Specific (of an object or situation)
-Social anxiety (social situations)
-Agoraphobia (being outside or in public)

Question 2

Behaviour characterstics of phobias

Answer 2

panic, avoidance, endurance

Question 3

Behavioural of phobia- panic

Answer 3

in response to presence of phobic stimulus. may involve crying, screaming, running away, or tantrums in children.

Question 4

Behavioural of phobia- avoidance

Answer 4

going to a lot of effort to avoid coming into contact with phobic stimulus, can make daily life hard. ie someone with fear of germs may limit time they spend outside the home to avoid public toilets, and may avoid public transportation/food prepared by others, can interfere with work, education, and social life.

Question 5

Behavioural of phobia- endurance

Answer 5

alternative behavioral response to avoidance. when they choose to remain in presence - ie someone with arachnophobia remaining in a room with a spider to keep an eye on it

Question 6

Emotional characteristics of phobias

Answer 6

anxiety and fear. unreasonable emotional response.

Question 7

Emotional of phobia- anxiety

Answer 7

Phobias classified as anxiety disorders. Involve anxiety - unpleasant state of high arousal, which can be long term and prevents relaxing and positive emotion.

Question 8

Emotional of phobia- fear

Answer 8

immediate and extremely unpleasant response when we encounter or think about phobic stimulus. more intense than anxiety but shorter periods

Question 9

Emotional of phobia- unreasonable emotional response

Answer 9

Anxiety and fear are much greater than they would be in people without phobias, and are disproportionate to threats.

Question 10

Cognitive characteristics of phobias

Answer 10

Selective attention, irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions

Question 11

Cognitive of phobia- selective attention

Answer 11

selective attention to phobic stimulus. hard to look away from phobic stimulus (useful adaption for genuine danger but not irrational fear). can interfere with concentration

Question 12

Cognitive of phobia- irrational beliefs

Answer 12

May hold unfounded thoughts relating to stimuli. ie in social phobias ‘i must always look confident’ which increases pressure on the person to perform in social situations

Question 13

Cognitive of phobia- cognitive distortions

Answer 13

inaccurate and unrealistic perceptions of a phobia.

Question 14

what is depression and what are categories

Answer 14

low mood and low energy levels.
-major depressive disorder (severe but short term)
-persistent depressive disorder (long-term/recurring)

Question 15

behavioral characteristics of depression

Answer 15

activity levels, disruption to sleep and eating, aggression and self-harm

Question 16

behavioural of depression - activity levels

Answer 16

reduced levels of energy making people lethargic. knock-on effect of withdrawal from work, edu, social lives. can be so severe people can’t get out of bed.
can go opposite way - psychomotor agitation, which is struggling to relax. includes pacing

Question 17

behavioural of depression - disruption to sleep and eating

Answer 17

may experience reduced sleep (insomnia), or increased need for sleep (hypersomnia). appetite and eating may increase/decrease leading to weight change.