Psychopathology Flashcards
Psychopathology
The scientific study of psychological disorders
Abnormality
How health professional decide whether someone is ‘normal’ or mentally ill however there is no single definition
Statistical Infrequency
A person’s trait thinking or behaviour would be considered an indication of abnormality if it was found to be numerically rare/uncommon
Numerically Rare
Any individual who falls outside the normal distribution is regarded as numerically rare and are considered to be abnormal
Failure to Function Adequately
People with psychological disorders often experience considerable suffering and general inability to cope with their everyday activities.
What were David’s proposed signs that could be used to determine when someone is not coping?
- When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules e.g eye contact
- When a person experiences severe personal distress.
- When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
Comes from a humanistic approach. It is a very different way to look at normality and and abnormality is to ignore the issue of what makes someone abnormal but instead think about what makes anyone normal.
What did Marie suggest are the signs which show we are in good mental health?
- No symptoms of distress
- We are rational and can perceive ourselves accurately
- We self actualise
- We can cope with stress
- We have a realistic view of the world
Two process model
Mowrer proposed this model to explain phobias. It argues that phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning.
Classical conditioning to acquire a phobia
A phobia is acquired through the association of something that we initially have no fear of with something that already triggers a fear response.
Operant conditioning to maintain a phobia
Mowrer suggested that whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus, we successfully escape the fear that we would have suffered if we remained there. This reduction in fear reinforces the avoidance behaviour and so the phobia is maintained
What 2 ways can you use to treat phobias?
Flooding and Systematic desensitisation
Flooding
Form of behavioural therapy used to treat phobias and other anxiety disorders. A client is immediately exposed to an extreme situation until the anxiety reaction is extinguished.
Systematic Desensitisation
A behavioural therapy designed to reduce a response to a stimulus. It works off learning to relax in the presence of the stimulus.
3 Processes of systematic desensitisation
- anxiety hierarchy
- Relaxation
- Exposure
What are the 2 cognitive explanations for depression?
Ellis’s ABC model and Becks negative Triad
Ellis’s ABC Model
Albert Ellis proposed that good mental health is the result of rational thinking.
A= activation event. This says that irrational thoughts are triggered by external events.
B=beliefs. These beliefs include ‘Musturbation’ which is the belief that we must always succeed and perfect, ‘I-cant-stand-it-itis’ which is the belief that it is a major disaster when things go wrong and ‘utopianism’ which is the belief that life is always meant to be fair.
C=consequences. When an activation event triggers irrational beliefs there are emotional and behavioural consequences.
Beck’s Negative Triad
Suggests a cognitive approach to explaining why some are more vulnerable to depression than others. There are 3 parts to this cognitive vulnerability.
3 parts to Beck’s negative triad
Faulty information processing
Negative self schemas
Negative triad
Faulty information processing
Focus on negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives. We also tend to blow small problems out of proportion.
Negative self schemas
If we have negative self schemas we interpret information about ourselves in a negative way.
Negative triad
Having a negative view of the world, the self and of the future.
OCD
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Describe OCD
Its classed as an anxiety disorder and characterised by obsessive thinking and repetitive behaviour
What are the 2 parts of OCD?
Obsession and compulsion
Obsession
Internal components because they are intrusive thoughts
Compulsion
External components because they are repetitive behaviours
What are the 2 biological explanations for OCD?
Neural explanations and genetic explanations
What are the 2 Neural explanations for OCD
Abnormal levels of dopamine and serotonin
Abnormal brain circuits
Describe Abnormal Levels of Dopamine and Serotonin Explanation
It suggest that there are abnormal levels of neurotransmitters. Dopamine levels are thought to be abnormally high in people in OCD. Lower levels of serotonin activity in the brain are also associated with OCD.
Describe abnormal brain circuits
OCD is associated with high levels of activity in the orbital frontal cortex, an area which converts sensory information into thoughts.
The orbital frontal cortex sends signals to the thalamus about things that are worrying. This leads to an impulse to act and then stop the activity when the impulse lessens.
The caudate nucleus normally suppresses signals from the orbital frontal cortex and it may be that those with OCD have a difficulty switching off or ignoring impulses because the caudate nucleus is damaged.
What is the genetic explanation of OCD?
The COMT and SERT genes
COMT gene
May contribute to OCD. It regulates the production of dopamine. It leads to low levels of COMT and high levels of dopamine
SERT gene
Affects the transport of serotonin, creating lower levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Behavioural Characteristics of Depression
Activity Levels- Reduced levels of energy making them lethargic.
Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour
Aggression and self harm
Cognitive characteristic of depression
Poor concentration
Attention to and dwelling on the negative
Absolutist thinking- Black and white thinking and thinking when things go wrong that its an absolute disaster.
Emotional characteristics of depression
Lowered mood
Anger
Lowered self esteem
Behavioural characteristics of phobias
Panic
Avoidance
Endurance- The opposite of avoidance. Sufferers remain in the presence of the phobic stimulus but continues to experience high levels of anxiety.
Cognitive characteristics of phobias
Anxiety
Emotional responses are unreasonable E.g. The emotional response is strong compared to the relation to a tiny and harmless spider.
Emotional Characteristics of phobias
Selective attention to the phobic stimulus
Irrational belief
Cognitive distortions E.g. ophidiophobics may see snakes as alien and aggressive looking.
Behavioural characteristics of OCD
Compulsions-
1= Compulsions are repetitive - Compelled to repeat a behaviour e.g. hand washing
2= Compulsions reduce anxiety - Around 10% of sufferers of OCD show compulsive behavioural alone. For the vast majority compulsive behaviours are performed in an attempt to manage the anxiety produced by obsessions.
Avoidance
Cognitive characteristics of OCD
Obsessive thoughts
Cognitive strategies to deal with obsession- for example a religious person tormented by obsessive guilt may respond by praying or meditating. This may help manage anxiety/
Insight into excessive anxiety
Emotional characteristics of OCD
Anxiety and distress
Accompanying depression
Guilt and disgust
Evaluate the definition of failure to function adequately.
Cultural Relativism- what is considered adequate in one culture might not be so in
another.
FFA might not be linked to abnormality but to other factors. Failure to keep a job
may be due to the economic situation not to psychopathology.
FFA is context dependent; not eating can be seen as failing to function adequately
but prisoners on hunger strikes making a protest can be seen in a different light.
Evaluate the definition deviation from ideal mental health
Difficult to meet all criteria suggesting no one is psychologically healthy
Cultural Relativism
