Psychopathology Flashcards
ABC Model
Ellis’s explanation for how irrational thoughts affect behaviour, where A = activating event, B = beliefs and C = consequences, the theory that depressives mistakenly blame external events for their unhappiness, however it is their interpretation of these events that leads to their distress
Abnormality
a method of diagnosing mental illnesses
Absolutist Thinking
seeing things as either all good or all bad, either an absolute disaster or absolute success
Anatidaephobia
fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you
Anti-Cyclic Drugs
used in extreme cases of OCD or phobias where anti-depressants or SSRIs have not worked to lower anxiety, however they are rarely used as they are highly addictive, such as benzodiazepines
Anti-Depressants
rebalance brain chemistry, takes roughly 30 minutes to work and 2-3 weeks to take effect
Anti-Psychotic Drugs
usually used for schizophrenia or other psychoses, have proved useful in OCD, but are only given in OCD if other drugs do not work as they have severe side effects
Anti-Social Personality Behaviour
the only mental illness that cannot be diagnosed by failure to function adequately
Apiphobia
fear of bees
Arachnophobia
fear of spiders
Astrophobia
fear of thunder and lightening
Bananaphobia
phobia of bananas
Basal Ganglia
region of the brain involved in the coordination of movement that has been linked to OCD
Base Jumpers
may be wrongly identified as mentally ill as they take part in an extreme sport with a high mortality rate
BDI-II
Beck’s Depression Inventory
used to assess depression levels
Beck’s Negative Triad
Aaron Beck theorised that people get depressed because they see the world through negative schemas that dominate their thinking in situations similar to those in which the schemas were learned. The triad is made up of negative views about oneself, negative views about the world and negative views about the future, maintained by negative schemas and cognitive biases
Bellodi et al Study (2001)
this proved that genetic factors play a role in the disorder. Using evidence from twin studies and more family studies, they showed that close relatives are more likely to have the disorder than more distant relatives
Benzodiazepines
a highly addictive family of drugs that used to be common treatments for anxiety
Candidate Genes
genes which, through research, have been implicated in the development of OCD
Cognitive Bias
error in thinking caused by simplified information processing
Arbitrary Influence
linking every issue in the world to oneself
Catastrophising
where someone exaggerates a minor setback to be a major disaster
Magnification and Minimisation
where someone magnifies bad things in their life and minimises good things
Overgeneralisation
where one thing goes wrong so you assume everything will go wrong
Selective Abstraction
thinking only negative things
CBT
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
a commonly used therapy which involves challenging and replacing irrational thoughts
Compulsion
an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way
COMT gene
gene which has a variation which results in higher levels of dopamine and this variation is more common in patients with OCD
Chionophobia
phobia of snow
Chrysophobia
fear of oranges
CR
Conditioned Response
the fear response that has been conditioned into someone
CS
Conditioned Stimulus
something that someone has been conditioned to fear
Covert Desensatisation
imagining scenarios in systematic desensatisation
Coulrophobia
fear of clowns
Counter Conditioning
learning a new response to the phobic object or situation, replacing fear with relaxation
Cromer (2007)
found that over half the OCD patients in the sample had a traumatic event in the past, and that OCD was more severe in those with more than one trauma. This means it may be more productive to focus on environmental causes as it seems that not all OCD is entirely genetic in origin
Cynophobia
fear of dogs
Delusion
phobia without cognitive characteristics
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
works in the opposite way to the others by looking for signs of wellbeing In theory, if you have all six, you are mentally well, but if you are missing one you may have a mental illness.
Positive Attitude Toward Self
part of counselling involves building this up
Self-Actualisation
when you reach your true potential
Autonomy
the ability to make your own decisions
Resisting Stress
coping with daily life
Accurate Perception of Reality
Environmental Mastery
ability to adapt
Deviation from Social Norms
society has unwritten rules and when people violate these unwritten rules, it could indicate a mental illness, for example, an adult avoiding stepping on cracks in the pavement may indicate a mental illness
Failure to Function Adequately
Rosenham and Selignang (1969) suggested a criteria for functioning adequately. A person may have one or two and not be ill, but a combination could indicate that a person’s behaviour is abnormal
Irrationality
where a person displays illogical or unreasonable behaviour that affects ability to function, may suggest phobias or major psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or psychotic breakdowns, but Darwin was considered irrational in his time, but evolution is considered rational now; it changes like social norms
Maladaptive Behaviour
partaking in an activity that does more harm than good, may suggest addictions, as all addictions are maladaptive, but behaviours such as homelessness are maladaptive however this does not mean that you have a mental illness
Observed Discomfort
where observing a person makes you feel uncomfortable, may suggest alcoholism
Personal Distress
where a person shows significant distress to the point it is affecting your ability to function, may suggest depression or severe anxiety, but under some circumstances, personal distress is normal, such as if someone died; it would be more abnormal not to show distress
Unconventiality
acting differently to the norm, may suggest major psychosis, but many mental disorders, such as depression, are seldom associated with unconventional behaviours, because they are relatively uncommon; in addition, some behaviours, such as genius, would be considered abnormal, but not problematic
Unpredictability
where a person displays unpredictable behaviour that is affecting their ability to function, may suggest borderline personality disorder or schizophrenia, but someone’s behaviour may only be unexpected because you are unaware of the reasons behind it
Statistical Infrequencies
the idea that behaviours that are statistically infrequent are seen as abnormal based on the notion of a normal distribution curve for all behaviour and those that appear in the extremes, mainly used when testing IQ
Agoraphobia
an extreme anxiety disorder characterized by anxiety in situations where the person feels unsafe and as though they have no easy way to escape
Alphabutyrophobia
fear of peanut butter
Amaxophobia
fear of cars
Average IQ
100
Avoidance
the act of staying away from something, such as the phobia object or situation
Cultural Relativism
where criterion is likely to result in different diagnoses when applied to people from different cultures
Depression
a mood disorder characterised by feelings of despondency and hopeless
Dopamine
higher levels of this neurotransmitter have been associated with the compulsions seen in OCD patients
DSM-V
Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
a publication by the American Psychiatric Association for the classification of mental disorders using a common language and standard criteria
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
childhood temper tantrums
Dizygotic Twins
twins that are not from the same egg, share 50% DNA
DBT
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
a form of CBT generally used for mood disorders and suicidal idealisation
Diathesis-Stress Model
suggests that people gain a vulnerability towards a mental abnormality such as OCD through their genes but an environmental trigger is also required
Dopamine
– higher levels of this neurotransmitter have been associated with the compulsions seen in OCD patients, plays a role in happiness, appetite and sleep
Drug Treatments
behavioural treatments are more effective than drug treatments as they have no side effects and, unlike drug treatments such as benzodiazepines, they are not addictive. However, behavioural treatments take more time and more commitment from patients
DTR
Dysfunctional Thought Records
records mood changes on a scale of 1-100 to rate emotions such as anger and anxiety
Dysthymia
long-term mild depression
Eisoptrophobia
fear of mirrors
Embling’s Depression Study
– Embling tested the effectiveness of CBT in treating depression by giving one group just anti-depressants and one group anti-depressants and CBT. The group who had CBT later scored lower on the BDI-II and were better able to express themselves
Empirical Dispute
REBT technique where the therapists seeks evidence for a person’s thoughts
Endogenous Depression
depression that is unrelated to a person’s life circumstances, often due to chemical imbalances in the brain
Environmental Trigger
a stressful event such as a bereavement that triggers a mental abnormality a person was always genetically predisposed to have
Ethnocentrism
refers to a particular form of cultural bias, a belief in superiority of ones own cultural group. In psychological research, this may be communicated through a view that any behaviours which do not conform to the (usually Western) model are somehow deficient, unsophisticated or underdeveloped. For example, some women in the middle East do not get autonomy as they have their husbands chosen for them so they can never be classed as mentally normal
Evolutionary Theory
the theory that humans have a genetic tendency to be phobic of things that can cause harm, such as the dark, as this mechanism ensures caution and increases survival
Factitious Disorder
a mental disorder in which a person, without a malingering motive, acts as if they have an illness by deliberately producing, feigning, or exaggerating symptoms, purely to attain (for themselves or for another) a patient’s role
Munchausen Syndrome
factitious disorder imposed on self