Psychopathology Flashcards
statistical infrequency
+A03
defining abnormality in terms of statistics based on the average norms of society
any often unseen behaviour is defined as abnormal
e.g IQ, average= 100, 2& below 70 and are statistically abnormal
A03
:) real life application intellectual disability disorder, all include some comparison to si
:( characteristics could be positive e.g IQ over 130
:( no benefit from label someone with low IQ who isn’t distressed wouldn’t need diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder, could have negative effect
failure to function adequately
+A03
inability to cope with everyday living e.g not being able to hold down a job or maintain basic standards of hygiene
Rosenhan and Seligman signs -
-no longer maintain personal space
-personal distress
-behave irrationally and dangerously
e.g intellectual disability disorder, clear signs the individual cannot cope on a daily basis
A03
:) recognises patients perspective, acknowledges importance of them
:( same as dfsn, hard to distinguish between two and can cause limits on freedom
:( subjective, someone has to judge if a patient is distressed, GAF to make more objective, psychiatrist has to make this judgement
deviation from social norms
+A03
abnormality based on social context, when a person behaves in a different way to what society expects
different per culture as well as historical differences e.g homosexuality
e.g antisocial personality disorder
AO3
:( not a sole explanation, APD shows the relevance of dfsm, but there are other factors to be considered e.g distress of others
:( culturally relative, e.g queueing, hearing voices etc
:( human rights abuse, nymphomania (women attracted to wc, shows dfsn used as a form of social control)
deviation from ideal mental health
+A03
a different way to look at abnormality as focuses on what makes someone ‘normal’ or healthy and identify those that deviate against this
Jahoda’s criteria
-no distress
-rational
-self actualise
-cope with stress
-realistic view of the world
-good self esteem and lack guilt
-independent
-successfully work, love and enjoy leisure time
A03
:) comprehensive, covers broad range of mental health criteria
:( culturally relative, specific to western ideals e.g self actualisation = self indulgent to other cultures
:( unrealistically high standards
phobias characteristics
behavioural
-panic
-avoidance
emotional
-anxiety/fear
-unreasonable responses
cognitive
-selective attention
-irrational beliefs
depression characteristics
behavioural
-activity levels
-disruption to sleep and eating habits
emotional
-lowered mood
-anger
cognitive
-poor concentration
-absolutist thinking
ocd characteristics
behavioural
-compulsions
-avoidance
emotional
-anxiety
-guilt and disgust
cognitive
-obsessive thoughts
-insight into excessive anxiety
behavioural approach to explaining phobias
2 process model - Mowrer
learned by classical, maintained by operant
acquisition by classical,
1- UCS triggers fear response (UCR) e.g being bitten creates anxiety
2-NS associated with UCS being bitten by dog
3- NS becomes CS producing fear (CR) so the dog becomes CS causing a CR of anxiety
Watson and Warner, little albert, conditioned fear of rats, white rat associated with loud noise - generalisation of fear as little albert showed fear to other white furry objects e.g santa claus mask
maintenance-
produces behaviour to avoid something unpleasant (NR)
phobic avoiding phobic stimulus to escape anxiety
AO3
:) good explanatory power, important implications for therapy
:( agoraphobia- feel fine when with a trusted friend but not alone, more complex as suggest alternate explanation
:( not all bad experiences lead to phobias
behavioural approach to treating phobias
+A03
systematic desensitisation
-gradual reduces anxiety through counterbalancing, reciprocal inhibition and classical conditioning
-anxiety hierarchy
-relaxation practised at each level
AO3
:)Gilroy et al, 42 patients with SD for arachnophobia 3 and 33 months less fearful than control group
:) suits diverse range of patients, e.g those with learning difficulties flooding wouldn’t work but SD would
:) acceptable to patient- low refusal and drop out rates
flooding
-immediate exposure to phobic stimulus, overwhelms patients senses with phobic stimulus e.g having spider crawl over hand until relaxed
-quick as learns through extinction, learns phobic stimulus isn’t scary
-important to have informed consent
AO3
:( less effective for some types of phobias, e.g social phobias as that’s more cognitive
:(traumatic for patients, unwilling to see through to the end
cognitive approach to explaining depression
+AO3
Beck
- faulty info processing (some more prone to depression due to a flawed way of thinking)
-negative self schemas
- negative triad (self, future, world)
AO3
:) supporting evidence, Grazioli and Terry, 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth, those high were more likely to suffer post natal depression
:) practical application, forms CBT, successful therapy
:( doesn’t explain all aspects of depression e.g extreme anger or hallucinations
Ellis
based on irrational thoughts
-ABC model
-A, activating event e,g failing a test
-B, belief e.g musterbation, must always succeed if not they are a failure
-C, consequence e.g depression
AO3
:( partial explanation, reactive depression
cognitive approach to treating depression
+AO3
CBT
- patient and therapist work together to challenge irrational thoughts
-patient as the scientist, encouraged to test realist of beliefs, set homework e,g record when they enjoyed an event - this then works as evidence to prove clients beliefs as wrong
AO3
:) effective 86% cbt + antidepressant group vs 81% antidepressant group
:( may not work in severe cases due to lacking motivation to take on cbt work
:( cant explore past. links between childhood and current depression = ignored
:( undermines living circumstances by overemphasisng cognition, e.g poverty
Ellis
REBT (rational emotive behaviour therapy)
-D dispute (challenge belief)
-E effect
empirical argument
- evidence to support
logical argument
-actually follows facts
behavioural activation, decrease avoidance and increase engagement in activities e.g exercising
biological approach to explaining ocd
+AO3
genetic explanations
-candidate genes, identified specific genes that create vulnerability to ocd e.g serotonin and dopamine genes.
- ocd as polygenic, Taylor et al 230 genes
-one group of genes may cause ocd in one person but not another, aetiologically heterogeneous
AO3
:) Nestadt, twin studies, shared ocd: 68% identical vs 31% non identical
:( too many candidate genes, little predictive value
:( environmental risk factor, Cromer, over half ocd patients had past traumatic event (diathesis stress model)
neural explanations
-neurotransmitters responsible for relaying info from one neuron to another
-low levels of serotonin lowers mood
-decision making systems in frontal lobes impaired, in particular hoarding disorders associated with abnormal functioning of lateral frontal lobe (responsible for logical thinking and making decisions)
-parahippocampal gyrus dysfunctional (unable to process emotions)
AO3
:) antidepressants that work on serotonin system are effective in reducing ocd symptoms
:(serotonin ocd link may not be unique to ocd, co morbidity, depression links to serotonin
biological approach to treating ocd
+AO3
drug therapy
- changing levels of neurotransmitters
SSRi (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) prevent reabsorption and breakdown of serotonin in the brain, increases levels in the synapse and continues to stimulate the postsynaptic neuron
-fluoxetine
alternatives-
Tricyclics (severe side effects)
types of phobias
specific= triggered by object place etc, arachnophobia
social= social situation
agoraphobia= phobia of public place
types of depression
major depressive disorder= severe but often short term
persistent depressive disorder= long term/ reoccurring
disruptive mood dysregulation disorder = childhood temper tantrums
premenstrual dysphoric disorder= disruption to mood prior/during menstrual cycle
