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Psychopathology Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality?

A

behaviour or characteristics that are rare/uncommon/unusual
* determied by stats

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2
Q

How is IQ an example of statistical infrequency?

A

those in the bottom 2.5% for IQ are two standard deviations away from the mean IQ are diagnosed with IDD
those who either have high iq or low iq are ‘abnormal’ (at the extreme ends)

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3
Q

what are the behavioural characteristics of depression?

A
  • shift in activity levels ( reduction in energy= withdraw from work, education etc)
  • sleep- sleeping significantly more hypersomnia or inability to sleep insomnia
  • aggression- becoming irritable and may become physically and/or verbally aggressive
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4
Q

what are the emotional characteristics of depression?

A
  • lowered mood-feelings of sadness+ feelings of worthlessness and emptiness, lack of interest in all activities
  • anger- sometimes extreme where it can lead to harmful behaviours aimed at others or the self
  • lowered self-esteem- people with depression have reduced self esteem, can be to the point that they hate themselves
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5
Q

what are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

A
  • poor concentration- may find it difficult to focus and lose concentration easily- may interfere with their ability to make decisions
  • attending to and dwelling on the negative- always focus on the negative aspects of a situation ignoring positves
  • absolutist thinking- see an unfortunate event as an absolute disaster
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6
Q

cognitive explannation for depression

what is the key idea?

A

an individuals negative thoughts, irrational beliefs and misinterpriation of events being the actual cause of the disorder

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7
Q

cognitive explannation for depression

what is becks negative triad?

A
  • there are three kinds of negative thinking that contribute to becoming depressed, negative views of the world, the future and the self
    this leads a person to interpret their experiences in a negative way= vulnerable to depression
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8
Q

cognitive explannation for depression- becks negative triad

what is faulty info processing?

A
  • depressed people tend to selectively attend to negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positive aspects
  • tendency to blow small things out of proportion with balck and white thinking
  • they also may experience catastrophising - exaggerate a minor setback believeing that its a complete disaster
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9
Q

cognitive explannation for depression- becks negative triad

what is negative self-schema?

A

schema are packages of knowledge that store info and ideas of the world and our self
1. self-schema= packages of info we have about ourselves
2. depressed people have a negative self-schema where they are more likely to interpret info about themselves in a negative way, may stem from negative experinces e.g criticism from parents

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10
Q

cognitive explannation for depression

what is ellis’s ABC model?

A
  • **good mental health **is the result of rational thinking ways that allow people to be happy and free
  • depression is the result of irrationalthoughts that prevent us from being happy
  • irrational thoughts are any thoughts that stop us from being happy rather than unrealistic
  • he uses the ABC model to explain how irrational thoughts affect our behavioiur and emotions
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11
Q

cognitive treatment for depression

what are the key ideas for CBT?

A
  • most commonly used psych tratment for depression
  • treat mental disorder based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques
  • aims to make the client aware of the relationship between thought, emotion and action- helps to break the vicious cycle of maladaptive thinking, feelings and behaviour
  • mainly wanting to get a person to the point where they can DIY and work out their own ways of tackling their problems
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12
Q

cognitive treatment for depression

what is the cognitive element of cbt?

A
  1. assesment-client + therapist work together to clarify clients problems
  2. together goals are identified for therapy and plan set to achieve goal
    * central task- identify negative or irrational thoughts that will benifit from being challenged
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13
Q

cognitive treatment for depression

what is the behavioural element of cbt?

A
  • working to change negative/ irrational thoughts putting more effective behaviours in place- homework + other tasks are set that will help them challenge their own irrational thoughts
  • both beck and ellis’s cbt aim to to do this
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14
Q

cognitive treatment for depression

what is involved in becks cognitive therapy?

A
  • main idea is to identify the negative thoughts involved in the negative triad and then challenge them
  • as well as directly challenging client will be asked wheter in reality they have been successful at something ( helps to discover the truth in themselves)
  • aim- to help clients test reality of their negative beliefs
  • ‘client as the scientist’- being set hw enabling them to investigate the reality of their negative beliefs in a away a scientist would
  • hw also provides the therapist with evidence to use to challenge them in future sessions
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15
Q

cognitive treatment for depression

what is involved in ellis’s rational emotiove behaviour therapy (REBT)?

A
  • based on the idea that many problems are the result of irrational thought- focus on how self-defeating attitudes cause issues when something unpleasant happens
  • incorporates the ABC model- helps to demonstarte the idea that beliefs are the main influence behind our emotional well-being
  • but adds two more steps= ABCDE:
    D- dispute ( the belief)
    E- effect (of the dispute against the belief)
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16
Q

cognitive treatment for depression

how does REBT using the ABCDE model work?

eventual goal is a full acceptance of the new,rational beliefs

A
  1. the therapy is confrontational- aim is to persuade the client that their beliefs are irrational and are the cause of their emotional turmoil via
    empirical arguemnt (disputing whether there is actual evidence to support that belief)
    logical arguement (questioning wheteher the negative thought logically follows from the facts)
  2. clients thoughts are constanlty challenged (cognitive part)
  3. following a session hw may be set- patient identifies their own irrational beliefs and proves them wrong
  4. result these beliefs start to change example being anxious of social settings may be set hw to meet a friend over the weekend ( behavioural part of it)

eventual goal is a full acceptance of the new,ratioanl beliefs

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17
Q

what is OCD?

A

a disorder with two main componets
1. obssesions- recurring and persistent thoughts
2. compulsions- repetitive behaviours
* its a continuous cycle obsessions cause anxiety resulting in the compulsions which results in relief then starts again at o

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18
Q

how people with ocd process info compared to how people without ocd do

what are the cognitve characteristics of ocd?

A
  • obsessive thoughts- vary between individual but are always unpleasant includes, fear of contamination by dirt or germs, fear of safety by leaving doors or windows open, religous fear from being immoral, fears family will die due to something they have donethese occur over and over again= uncontrollabe resulting in anxiety
  • recognition these thoughts are irrational- they know this but this does not prevent them from making them anxious and experiencing catastrophic thoughts about the worst case scenario
  • hypervigilance and selective attention - constantly alert and experince selective attention directed towards the anxiety-generating stimuli
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19
Q

what are the emotional charecteristics of ocd?

A
  • anxiety- highly unpleasant emotional experience due to the intensity of this anxiety caused by obsessions which is overwhelming for the sufferer- urge to repeat compulsions also generate anxiety
  • guilt - over moral issues or believeing they have done something to hurt someone + disgust- directed to the self or external ( dirt)
  • co-morbid depression - can lead to depression as the anxiety= low mood and loss of pleasure in everyday activites as they are interupted by obsessive thoughts and repertive compulsions
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20
Q

what are the behavioural charecteristics of ocd?

A
  • compulsions- overt behaviours ( washing hands) + mental acts ( counting)- not connected in a realistic way ( knocking on somehting no. of times to prevent member dying) OR are connected but clearly excessive ( washing hands 5 times after toilet)
  • avoidance- intentionally avoiding the anxiety-triggering situation- can prevent adequate functioning
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21
Q

ocd

what are the two important elements involved in compulsions?

A
  1. repetitive- person feels the need to repeat the behaviour over and over again e.g handwashing, ordering objects etc
  2. carried out to reduce anxiety e.g excessive handwashing reduces anxiety of germs and getting ill
22
Q

genetic explanations for ocd- biological approach

what is the diatheisis- stress model explanation for ocd?

A

wheteher a person develops ocd is partly due to their genes
* certain genes leave some people MORE likely to develop a mental disorder but it is not certain (genetic vulnerability)
* whether the conditon develops depends on whether it is triggered by an environmental stressor (someone dying)

23
Q

genetic explanations for ocd- biological approach

what is the candidate genes explanation?

A

research has identified genes which may provide the genetic vulnerability of developing ocd
* COMT gene- regulates the production of DA nt that has been implicated in OCD. one form of this gene has been found to be more common in ocd people than non-ocd= found that it the gene produces lower activity of the gene and higher levels of dopamine
* SERT gene- linked to the nt ST and affects the transport of the serotonin causing lower levels of st which is also associated with OCD

24
Q

genetic explanations for ocd- biological approach

what is the polygenic explanation for ocd?

A
  • its development is not determined by a single gene but multiple
    (researchers did a meta-analysis of 113 studies into genetic basis of ocd and identified 230 diff genes that may be involved)
25
Q

genetic explanations for ocd- biological approach

what is the aetiological hetrogeneity explanation for ocd?

A
  • ocd has diff causes
    one group of genes may cause it in one person but a DIFF group of genes may cause it in another person
  • may be the case that diff types of ocd re the result of diff genetic varitation to other types of ocd
26
Q

neural explanations for ocd- biological approach

what is the neural structures explanation for ocd?

bassically a loop going between OFC and thalamus

A

there are 3 key areas in the barin believed to be involved in OCD= orbitalfrontal cortex, thalamus and caudate nucleus ( in basal ganglia)
* the OFC- involved in decision making and impilacted in worrying behaviour, will send signal to the thalamus when it percieves that there is something to worry about NORMALLY the CN supresses signals from the OFC to prevent the thalamus from becoming overeactive
* BUT- the CN in ocd sufferers is damaged meaning it does not supress the signals
* this allows the worry to reach the thalalums resulting in it becoming overeactive
* Thalamus then sends strong signals to various parts of the brain to be interpreted INCLUDING BACK TO THE OFC- which responds by increasing anxiety and compulssive behaviour
* this explains the repetitive nature of the compulssions carried out by ocd sufferers

27
Q

neural explanations for ocd- biological approach

what is the serotonin explanation for ocd?

A

an imbalance in st could be to blame
* st + other nt’s travel from nerve cell to nerve cell across synapses
* st= involved in regualting everything from anxiety memory sleep
* when st is released by one cell- enters another cell through its receptors
* BUT ocd sufferers= abnormally low st levels- maybe due to some receptors blocking st from entering the cell= deficiency of st in key areas of the brain

28
Q

biological treatment for ocd- drugs

what do drug therapies?

A
  • aim to increase st levels as low levels are involved in its development
29
Q

biological treatment for ocd- drugs

what is the antidepressant used to treat ocd and how does it work?

A

selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
when st released from presynaptic neuron into synapse- travels to receptors on post synaptic neuron (st not absorbed into post synaptic neuron is REabsorbed into pre synaptic neuron
1.SSRIs increase the level of st available in the synapse by peventing it from being rebasorbed into the pre-synaptic neuron
2.this increases lvl of st in synapse resulting in MORE st being recieved by the post-synaptic neuron

30
Q

biological treatment for ocd- drugs

things that SSRIs do?

A
  • improve mood and reduce anxiety
  • typical daily dose of prozac= 20mg
  • available as a liquid or capsuale and takes normally 3-4 months of daily use to have impact
31
Q

biological treatment for ocd- drugs

what are SSRIs combined with other treatments?

A

SSRIs + CBT= drugs reduce emotional symptoms ( anxiety and depression) allowing patient to engage more effectively with cbt

32
Q

biological treatment for ocd- drugs

what are GABA nt’s?

A

bodys natural form of anxiety relief
when GABA locks into GABA receptor sites in the brain the flow of chloride ions into neurons increases
this make it harder for the neuron to be stimulated by other nt’s = slowing down activity + more relaxed

33
Q

what is the devation from social norms definition of abnormality?

A

any behaviour that does not conform to accepted/expected standards is abnormal
* this definition is specific to each culture- all societies make collective judgements about what is usual behaviour

34
Q

what is the failure to function adequately definion of abnormaility?

A

a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life and live independently in society

35
Q

failure to function adequately - rosenhan and seligman

what are the key characteristics of failure to function adequately?

A
  • personal distress- not coping
  • observer distress - their behaviour causes discomfort to others
  • maladaptive behvaiour- their behaviour interferes with their ability to lead a normal life
  • unpredictable behaviour- unexpected or uncontrollable
  • irrational behaviour- their behaviour doesnt make sense to others
36
Q

what is the deviation from ideal mental health definition for abnormality?

A

abnormal behaviour is defined by the absence of ideal characteristics
jahoda- suggested that there are 6 criteria that need to be fulfiled for ideal mental health
* the more characteristics lacking= more abnormal

37
Q

deviation from ideal mental health

what are the six criteria outlined by jahoda?

A
  • positive attitude towards the self- linked to self-esteem
  • self-actualistion - feeling that you have become the best you can be
  • autonomy- having independence not depending on others
  • resistence to stress- able to handle stressful situations
  • environmental mastery- can adapt to new situations
  • accuarate perception of reality- should be similar to others
38
Q

phobias

how are phobias categorised?

A

excessive fear and anxiety triggered by an object, place or situation
thise includes specific, social and agrophobia (being outside or in public place)

39
Q

phobias

what are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?

A
  • avoidance- immediate response can disrupt functioning
  • panic- when unable to avoid causes high levels of stress and anxiety resulting in person
  • screaming , run away, cry, cling to someone
40
Q

phobias

what are the emotional characteristics of phobias?

A
  • anxiety- an unplesant state of high arousal prevents person from relaxing and makes it difficult for them to experince any positive emotion ( long term)
  • fear- immediate and extremely unpleasnt response when we encounter or think about a phobic stimulus ( short term)
  • both are disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the stimulus
41
Q

phobias

what are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?

A
  • selcetive attention towards the phobic stimulus-allows quick reaction to threat
  • irrational beliefs- about the object or situation people are consiously aware of this
  • cognitve distortions -percieve the stimuli inaccurately and unrealistically
42
Q

behaviourist explanation- phobias

what is the two process model?

A

mowrer- phobias are accquired by classical conditioning and are then maintained by operatnt conditioning

43
Q

behaviourist explanation- phobias

what is accquisition by classical conditioning?

A
  • the phobia is learnt by associating a ns (something we dont fear already) with something that already triggers a fear response (ucs)= ns becoming cs
  • now respond to cs to it with fear cr
44
Q

behaviourist explanation- phobias

what is maintenance by operant conditioning?

A
  • phobia is learnt = avoidence responses (lessens chance of encountering phobia) which reduce the fear response, neagively reinforcing the avoidence response, making them more likely to occur again in the future
  • when the outcome of a behaviour results in the removal of something that is unplesant = negative reinforcement - this explains how avoidance and panic behaviours are negatively reinforced for phobic individuals
45
Q

behaviourist approach treating phobias

what are the two therapies used to treat phobias?

A

systematic desensitiation
flooding
* both use the classical conditioning to replace a persons phobia with relaxation

46
Q

behaviourist approach treating phobias

How is sytematic desensitisation used?

patient starts from bottom and works way up

A
  • it uses reverse counter-conditioning to unlearn the maladaptive response to a situation or object by eliciting a new respnse ( relaxation
  • two emotional staes cannot exist at the same time- so they cannot be anxious and realxed at the same time so relaxation should take over
  • this results in associating the stimuli with relaxation removing the phobic response
47
Q

behaviourist approach treating phobias

what is flooding?

A

person is exposed to the most frightening situation immediately
* the person is unable to negatively reinforce their phobia, through continous exposure, anxiety decreases
* the two forms are in vivo (actual exposure or in virtro (imaginary exposure)
* patient is taught relaxation techniques which are then applied to the most feared situation either through the two forms of exposure

48
Q

behaviourist approach treating phobias

how does flooding work?

A
  • it stops the phobic reponses quickly as the client has no option to avoid the stimulus so they quickly learn that the stimulus is harmless
  • c.c calls this extinction
  • ethical safeguards- fooding may be see as traumatic so particpants must give informed consent to recieve it
49
Q

cognitive explanation for depression

what do the letters A B C stand for in ellis’s abc model?

A

Activating event- negative events trigger irrational beliefs
Beliefs- we must always succeed or achieve perferction
Consequences- an activating event triggers irrational belief= emotional and behvioural consequences

50
Q

behavioural treatment- phobias

what are the steps in systematic desensitisation?

A
  1. client andd therapist develop a fear hierarchy phobia (object/ situation) ranked from least to most frightening
  2. individual is taught relaxation techniques e.g mental imagery or use of drugs like valium used to cause relaxation
  3. the individual exposed to the phobiawhile relaxed
  4. start at bottom and work up
51
Q

biological treatment for ocd

what happens with st when it is released into the synapse by the pre-synaptic neuron?

A

ST that is not absorbed into the post-synaptic neuron is REabsorbed into the pre-synaptic neuron

52
Q

biological treatment for ocd

what do BZs do?

A

BZs work by enhancing the activity of GABA- (calming effect) which increases st levels to reduce the anxiety

Psychology (12 decks)

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