Psychopathology Flashcards
Schema
Mental pigeon hole.
Allows us to process sensory information and make automatic response
Overgeneralisation
One negative experience will result in assumption that the same thing will always happen
Selective abstraction
mentally filtering out positive experiences and just focusing on negative
Aaron Beck-
negative cognitive triad
The self
The future
The world (cognitive triangle)
Cognitive triangle
Thoughts
behaviour
Feelings
Due to faulty thinking (cognitive primacy)
Statistical infrequency
Numerically rare characteristics measured
Deviation from social norms
Unwritten rule of what is acceptable in society
Failure to function adequately
Someone is not capable of everyday life and independence
Irrational behaviours cause distress for others
Deviation from ideal mental health
Loss of characteristics of good mental health
6 Characteristics of ideal mental health
Positive view of yourself
Capable of personal growth
Independent from others
Accurate view of reality
Resist stress
Master own environment
Specific phobias
Fear of objects, experience, situation
Social phobias
Fear of social situations
Agoraphobia
Fear of being outside
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Aquire fear by associative learning
Neutral stimulus + unconditioned stimulus = conditioned stimulus + conditioned response
Counter conditioning
Conditioning of unwanted behaviour into wanted behaviour by associating positive action with stimulus
Systematic desensitisation
ANXIETY HIERARCHY: phobias ranked from least to most stressful
RELAXATION TRAINING: taught relaxation techniques
GRADUAL EXPOSURE: reciprocal inhibition (remain relaxed) in presence of least feared stimulus and progress to most feared stimulus
Flooding
Exposes individual to anxiety inducing stimulus immediately
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
Extinction
Exhaustion
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Treats depression.
Replace irrational thoughts with positive thoughts
ABC Model
(Ellis)
Activating event
Beliefs
Consequence
OCD
Faulty biological processes (biological approach)
Inherited faulty genes (genetic explanation)
Neural explanation of OCD
BASAL GANGLIA distributes serotonin controlling cognitive functions and damaging this causes OCD
The worry circuit
Orbitofrontal cortex receives signals that are stopped or passed on to THALAMUS which directs them around body
What drug treats OCD?
SSRI. Force serotonin to remain in synaptic gap and more likely to bind to receptor
New action potential inhibited
What is the stress hormone?
Cortisol
A fear of germs and fixing this by excessively washing hands
Obsession fixed by compulsion
Type of depression occurring with no activation event
Endogenous depression
Reciprocal inhibition
You can’t feel two antagonistic emotions simultaneously
Counter condition to phobia by holding object eg
Reciprocal inhibition
You can’t feel two antagonistic emotions simultaneously
Counter condition to phobia by holding object eg
