psychopathology Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

4

definitions of abnormality

A
  1. statistical infrequency
  2. deviation from social norms
  3. failure to function adequately
  4. deviation from ideal mental health
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

statistical infrequency

A

behaviour, traits or thinking that is seen as rare or statistically unusual e.g. IQ below 70

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

AO3

AO3 of statistical infrequency

A

strengths : real world application - it is used in clinical practice as an assessment tool for diagnosis
weaknesses : many rare behaviours or characteristics are seen as rare not a problem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

deviation from social norms

A

behaviour considered abnormal because it goes against socieities standards of what the norm is

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

AO3

AO3 of deviation from social norms

A

strengths: it is a comprehensive definition
weaknesses : cultural relativism - some behaviours may be seen as socially acceptable in one culture however in another seen as abnormal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

failure to function adequately

A

a person who shows behaviours that they cannot cope with the tasks/pressure of everyday life e.g. lack of hygiene

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

failure to function adequately

Rosenham and Seligman

A

seven major features of failure to function adequately
1. suffering
2. maladaptiveness
3. irrational
4. observer discomfort
5. vividness
6. violation of moral codes
7. unpredictability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

AO3

AO3 of failure to function adequately

A

strengths : economic conditions - holding down a job and supporting family may not always be possible, high unemployment rates prevent this.
weaknesses : cultural relativism - what is classed as irrational in some cultures is not the same as others

not all maladaptiveness is a sign of abnormality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

deviation from ideal mental health

A

judges someones mental health in the same way as physical health, requiring certain attributes to be deemed mentally healthy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

deviation from ideal mental health

Jahoda (1958)

theres 6 xxx

A

found 6 categories that were commonly referred to as desirable for mental health
1. positive attitudes towards self
2. resistance to stress
3. self-actualisation
4. autonomy
5. accurate perception of reality
6. can adapt to new situations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

AO3

AO3 of deviation from ideal mental health

A

strengths : real world app - Jahoda has helped society see mental health as similar to physical health which has helped to reduce the stigma associated with mental health
weaknesses : unrealistic - many of us would strggle to meet the criteria of good mental health, making it an impossibly high standard to live up to

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is a phobia?

A

it is an anxiety disorder in which someone has an irrational fear of an object or situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

phobias

behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias

two for each

A

behavioural : panic, avoidance
emotional : anxiety, fear
cognitive : irrational beliefs, selective attention

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

depression

what is depression?

A

depression is a mood disorder

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

depression

behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of depression

two for each

A

behavioural : aggression (suicide), disruption to sleep levels (insomnia)
emotional : lowered mood, anger
cognitive : poor concentration, absolutist thinking

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

OCD

what is OCD?

A

an intrusive disorder where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours

17
Q

OCD

behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of OCD

A

behavioural : repetitive compulsions/actions, avoidance
emotional : depression, irrational guilt
cognitive : obsessions (intrusive thoughts), selective attention

18
Q

the behavioural approach to explaning phobias:

what is the two process model?

A

phobias are initiated through classical conditioning (learning through association)
and maintained through operant conditioning, the sufferer avoids the anxiety of the situation
(negative reinforcement)

19
Q

the behavioural approach to explaining phobias:

Classical Conditioning - Little Albert

A

UCS : the loud noise –> UCR : fear
UCS + NS (noise + rat) —> UCR : fear
CS : rat —> CR : fear

20
Q

AO3

AO3 of the behavioural approach

one each

A

strengths : real world application - treatment such as systematic desensitisation and flooding have been developed from the two process model and proven successful in unlearning phobias
weaknesses : biological preparedness - Seligman argues phobias can develop without a traumatic event because humans are genetically programmed to leanr association between dangerous stimuli and fear

21
Q

behavioural approach to treating disorders :

what is systematic desensitisation?

three stages

A

stage one : the client is taught relaxation techniques
stage two : an anxiety heirarchy is created
stage three : the client works through each stage, using the relaxation techniques at every step only moving up when they no longer feel anxious at the current one

22
Q

AO3

AO3 of systematic desensitisation

A

strengths :
* it is 75% effective, McGarth (1990)
* Humphrey (1973) argued SD is effctive even when self administered making it cos-effective.
weakness :
* symptom substitution - could be confusing for the ppt because they are substituting one emotion for another

23
Q

behavioural approach to treating phobias :

what is flooding?

4 steps xxx

A
  • the client is taught relaxation techniques
  • has immediate exposure to their phobic stimulus for usually 2-3 hours
  • as adrenaline naturally decreases, a new stimulus response is learned
  • leads to relaxtion/exhaustion
24
Q

AO3

AO3 of flooding

one each

A

strengths :
* Choy et al (2007) reported both were effective but flooding more effective of the two
* cost-effective and quick
weaknesses :
* unethical - can be highly distressing for the individual, could argue their right to withdraw is denied during the experience and protection from harm

25
Q

cognitive approach to explaining depression :

Beck’s explanations for depression

theres three of them xx

A
  1. negative triad - negative view of the world, negative view of the future, negative view of self
  2. negative self-schema - interpreting information about ourselves in a negative way
  3. faulty information processing - if depressed we tend to focus only on the negative aspects of life and ignore anything positive
26
Q

AO3

AO3 of Beck’s explanations

one each xx

A

strengths :
* real world application - his inventory allows us to assess depressive symptoms in patients and develop cognitive therapies
weaknesses :
* reductionist - it blames the patient for their depression instead of focusing on the environmental factors rather than their irrational thoughts

27
Q

cognitive approach to explaining depression :

Ellis’ ABC model

A

ABC model
* activating event ; triggers that can cause distress
* beliefs ; irrational belief
* consequences ; irrational beliefs leading to unhealthy emotions

28
Q

AO3

AO3 of Ellis’ ABC model

A

strengths :
* real world application - he developed REBT (rational emotional behavioural therapy) which can challnge irrational beliefs and relieve depressive symptoms
weaknesses :
* reductionist - blames the person for their depression instead of the environmental factors rather more their irrational beliefs

29
Q

cognitive approach to treating depression:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

A

aims to challenge irrational and dysfunctional thought processes by identifying and testing negative beliefs which can help the client to reframe their thinking during moments of heightened anxiety or panic.

30
Q

AO3

AO3 of CBT

A

strengths :
* highly effective - March et al (2007) compared CBT with drugs and a combination of the two in 327 adolescents, 81% of both groups showed improvement and 86% of combination. CBT is just as effective as antidepressants and works well alongside drugs
weaknesses :
* time-consuming - time consuming and expensive and there can be very long waiting lists, relapse rates can also be high in the long term

31
Q

cognitive approach to treating depression:

Ellis’ REBT

A

Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy
disputing irrational thoughs and seeing a beneficial effect on thoughts and behaviours (disputing using logic, empirical evidence and pragmatic)

pragmatic meaning is this thought useful to me

32
Q

biological approach to explaining OCD:

genetic expxlanations

A

Lewis 1936 found that:
* 37% of his patients had parents with OCD
* 21% had siblings with OCD
suggesting it runs within the family.
* mutations of the SERT gene affects the transport of serotonin creating lower levels of it implicating OCD

33
Q

biological approah to explaining OCD:

neural explanations

A
  • dopamine levels are abnormally high and/or serotonin levels are low in people with OCD
  • when the caudate nucleus is damaged it fails to supress the worry signals and the thalamus is alerted constantly
34
Q

biological approach to explaining OCD:

AO3 of neural and genetic explanations

2 for genetic and one for neural xxx

A

genetic :
* Nestadt (2000) conducted twin studies an found 68% of monozygotic twins shared OCD as opposed to 31% of dizygotic demonstrating a genetic cause.
* concordance rates are never 100%, we have predisposition to it but environmental factors determine if we get it
neural :
* animal studies - a study was conducted and it was found that if we increased rats’ dopamine with level with drugs, they would display stereotpical behaviours resembling the compulsive behaviours found in OCD sufferers

35
Q

biological approach to treating OCD:

drug therapies

A
  • fluoxetine - patients are given 20mg and start on a low dosage, usually prescribed alongside CBT
  • if the drugs are not effective after 3-4 months other drugs such as tricylics which have the same effect
36
Q

AO3

AO3 of drug therapies

A

strengths:
* 17 studies were reviewed where SSRI’s were used to treat OCD and it was found that it was more effective than the placebo
* relatively cheap when compared to psychological therapies, however they only treat the symptoms and not the root cause
weaknesses:
* SSRI’s can cause headaches, nausea and insomnia which can mean people stop taking the medication
* side effects of tricylics are severe hallucinations, irregular heart beat and weight gain

37
Q
A