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Psychopathology Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the four definitions of abnormality

A

-Statistical Infrequency
-Deviation from social norms
-Failure to function adequately
-Deviation from ideal mental health

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2
Q

Outline statistical infrequency

A

Individual has a less common characteristic e.g more depressed or IQ (2% below 70)

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3
Q

Evaluate statistical infrequency

A

-Real world application: Useful in assessing severity and practical in giving help to those who need it
-Unusual characteristics can be positive: some unusual characteristics would not be judged abnormal e.g high IQ

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4
Q

Outline deviation from social norms

A

Social judgments of what is acceptable by culture specific

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5
Q

Evaluate deviation from social norms

A

-Real world application: use to diagnose some disorders e.g antisocial and schizotal personality disorder
-Cultural and situational relativism: different standards between cultures so hard to make social judgements (e.g hearing voices)

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6
Q

Outline failure to function adequately

A

Inability to cope with demmands of everyday life e.g non conformity to social rules, personal distress, severe danger or distress to self or others

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7
Q

Evaluate failure to function adequately

A

-Represents a sensible threshold for professionals to identify when someone needs help
-Failure to function may not be abnormal e.g bereavement is normal behaviour due to circumstances

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8
Q

outline deviation from ideal mental health

A

Deviating from Jahoda’s set of criteria on idea mental health including a lack of symptoms, rationality, self actualisation, coping with stress, realistic world view

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9
Q

Evaluate deviation from ideal mental health

A

-A comprehensive definition: includes most of the reasons why someone may seek health
-Extremely high standards that few people will ever meet
-Cultural bias

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10
Q

What approach is used to treat and explain phobias

A

Behavioural approach

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11
Q

What approach is used to treat and explain depression

A

Cognitive approach

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12
Q

What approach is used to treat and explain Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

A

Biological approach

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13
Q

What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD

A

Compulsions are repetitive and performed to reduce anxiety avoiding situations that trigger anxiety

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14
Q

What are the emotional characteristics of OCD

A

Anxiety and distress created by compulsions/obsessions accompanied by depression and guilt and distrust

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15
Q

What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD

A

-Obsessive thoughts e.g germs
-Insight into excessive anxiety
-can be countered using cognitive coping strategies

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16
Q

What is the genetic explanation of OCD

A

-OCD caused by genetic vulnerability plus enviroment and regulation of seratonin
-OCD is polygenic (Taylor 230 genes involved in OCD) and associated with dopamine
-Genes causing OCD vary from person to person

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17
Q

Evaluate the genetic explanation of OCD

A

-Research support: 68% MZ twins 31% DZ twins have OCD (Nestadt et al)
-Enviromental risk factors: over half OCD clients in sample experienced traumatic event and OCD more severe
-Support from candidate genes in mice COUNTERPOINT: lacks generisability to humans

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18
Q

What is the neural explanation of OCD

A

-Low levels of seratonin linked to OCD
-Decision making systems e.g frontal lobe and parahippocampus may be malfunctioning

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19
Q

Evaluate the neural explanation of OCD

A

-Research support: Antidepressants work on the seratonin to alleviate OCD
-Biological conditions e.g parkinsons have similar symptoms to OCD
-The apparent seratonin link may be just co morbidity with depression as depression disrupts seratonin

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20
Q

What are SSRI’s

A

Antidepressants that increase levels of seratonin at a synapse e.g fluoxetine

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21
Q

What are SSRI’s often combined with

A

CBT to increase effectiveness, plus maybe other drugs

22
Q

What are two alternatives to SSRI’s

A

-Tricyclis e.g Chlorpromazine act on various systems including seratonin, serious side effects so used for people who don’t respond to SSRIs
-SNRIS act on neurotransmitter noradrenaline and increase seratonin levels, used on those who don’t respond to SSRIs

23
Q

Evaluate drug therapy as a treatment of OCD

A

-Research support: 17 studies showed SSRIs more effective than placebos
-Serious side effects: indigestion, blurred vision, loss of sex drive, so may do more harm then good
-Cost effective: relatively cheap for NHS and doesn’t involve going to therapy sessions
-Biased evidence: drug researchers sponsored by drug companies

24
Q

What are the behavioural characteristics of depression

A

-Activity levels lethargic or agitated
-Sleeping/eating decreases or increases abnormally
-Agression to self or others increases

25
Q

What are the emotional characteristics of depression

A

-Lowered mood
-Anger to self and others
-Lowered self esteem
-Self loathing

26
Q

What are the cognitive characteristics of depresssion

A

-Poor concentration
-Negative schema
-Absolutist thinking: either black or white

27
Q

What are the key aspects of Beck’s negative triad

A

-Faulty information processing: focusing on negatives of a situation
-Negative self schema
-Negative triad: negative views of the world, self and future occurring automatically regardless of the situation

28
Q

Evaluate Beck’s negative triad

A

-Real world application: identify cognitive vulnerability to screen those at risk of depression then target vulnerabilities in CBT
-Partial explanation: cannot explain extremes of anger or hallucinations and delusions
-Research shows cognitive vulnerability preludes depression

29
Q

Name the aspects of Ellis’s ABC model

A

-Activating event
-Beliefs
-Concequences

30
Q

What are activating events

A

Negative life event triggers an irrational response e.g failing at a test

31
Q

what are beliefs in Ellis’s ABC model

A

Beliefs that lead us to overreact to the activating event e.g life must always be fair or we must always suceed

32
Q

What are concequences in Ellis’s ABC model

A

depression results when we overreact to negative life events

33
Q

Evaluate Ellis’s ABC model

A

-Real world application: irrational thoughts can be identified and challenged by a therapist
-Only explains reactive depression, does not explain cases that do not follow an activating event (endogenous depression)
-ABC model places responsibilities on the depressed person (victim blaming)

34
Q

What is used to treat depression

A

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

35
Q

Describe the two elements of CBT

A

-Cognitive element: client and therapist work together to identify goals and how to achieve them, central task is to identify where negative or irrational thoughts will be
Behaviour element: working to change negative and irrational thoughts placing more effective behaviours

36
Q

What is Beck’s cognitive therapy

A

Aims to identify negative thoughts (negative triad) and challenge them (client as a scientist)

37
Q

Outline Ellis’s rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)

A

-ABC plus D (dispute) and E (effect)
-Aims to identify and challenge irrational beliefs through impirical argument

38
Q

What is behavioural activation

A

Encouraging the depressed person to engage in more enjoyable activities

39
Q

Evaluate CBT as a treatment for depression

A

-CBT is effective as antidepressants and most effective combined (81% vs 86% March et al)
-May not be suitable for severe depression and people with learning disabilities
-Benefits short term as 42% relapsed after 6 months so may need repeating

40
Q

What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias

A

-Panic: scream or run away
-Avoidance: conscious effort to avoid
-Endurance: may stay and bare it

41
Q

What are the emotional characteristics of phobias

A

-Anxiety: unpleasant high arousal disproportionate to threat
-Fear: short lasting, more intense

42
Q

What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias

A

-Selective attention: can’t look away
-Irrational beliefs
-Cognitive distortions

43
Q

What is the two process model

A

-Classical conditioning for onset of phobias
-Operant conditioning for maintaining phobias

44
Q

Outline aquistion of phobias through classical conditioning

A

UCS linked to NS, then both produce UCR (fear) turning into the CR

45
Q

Outline maintenance of phobias through operant conditioning

A

Avoidance of phobia stimulus negatively reinforced by anxiety reduction so phobia is maintained

46
Q

Evaluate the behavioural explanation of phobias

A

-Real world application: phobias successfully treated by preventing avoidance as suggested by the model
-Fails to account for cognitive aspects of phobias e.g irrational fears
-Little Albert study illustrates how a frightening experience involving a stimulus can lead to a phobia of that stimulus

47
Q

What are the two ways of treating phobias

A

Systematic desensitisation and Flooding

48
Q

What is systematic desensitisation

A

-Anxiety hirearchy: a list of situations ranked for how much anxiety they produce
-Relaxation: reciprocal inhibtion as relaxation and anxiety cant happen at the same time
-Includes imagery and breathing techniques
-Exposure to phobic stimulus whilst relaxed at each level of anxiety hirearchy

49
Q

Evaluate systematic desensitisation

A

-SD best for people with learning disabilities: CBT requires complex and rational thought and flooding may be traumatic
-Time consuming so may not be practical
-More effective than relaxation done after 33 months (Giroy et al)

50
Q

Describe flooding as a treatment of phobias

A

-Flooding exposes clients to a very frightening situation without a buildup
-Works by extinction of the conditioned fear response
-Clients must give informed consent and be prepared for flooding

51
Q

Evaluate flooding as a treatment of phobias

A

-Cost effective as only takes 1 to 3 sessions
-Can be traumatic as is far more stressful than SD
-Does not work for social phobias

psychology (12 decks)

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