Psychopathology Flashcards
OCD
Anxiety disorder chara by persistent & recurrent thoughts & repetitive behavs
Behavioural Characteristics - OCD
Thoughts & behavs = repetitive
Hinder everyday function
Social impairment
Emotional Characteristics - OCD
Extreme levels of anxiety & distress
Cognitive Characteristics - OCD
Recurrent & persistent thoughts
Recog obsession & compulsions as self gen & realisation of inappropriateness & uncontrollable
Genetic Explanation - OCD
Idea = genetically passed in DNA & inherit vuln if mems of bio fam have
37% have parents w/ OCD & 21% have siblings w/ OCD
Candidate genes create vuln = polygenic over 230 pos
SERT gene = serotonin - low levels of serotonin
COMT gene = dopamine = high levels bc of low activity of enzyme that breaks down DA
Certain genes can cause in some but not others must = m factors
Diathesis Stress Model - OCD
= genetic vulnerability but environ stressor e.g., bereavement / pandemic
Neural Explanation - OCD
Linked to breakdown in immune system func - lymes disease & flu
Neuro chems - DA & S - PET scans show low levels of S & drugs that inc S dec symptoms
Basal ganglia - responsible for innate psycho motor func Rapport & Wise suggested that hyper sen = rep beh
Orbitalfrontal cortex = worry circuit inability to filter small worries PET scans show high levels of anxiety
Thalamus inc motivation to clean & check safety OFC inc anxiety & planning to avoid
Genetic Explanation Evaluation
Most evidence = twin studies - Nestadt reviewed cases & found 68% MZ & 31% DZ concor - not all genes
Stewart et al (2007) performed gene mapping on OCD patients & found variant of OLIG-2 gene - little practical app too many genes involved
Fam Studies - but could also support environ
May have genetic vul but then = triggered by stressor - Cromer (2007) over 1/2 of OCD patients in sample had traumatic event & inc OCD after may = m prod to focus on environ causes not all OCD = completely gen
Neural Explanation Evaluation
Hu (2006) comp s activity in 169 OCD p’s & 235 non OCDs found lower S in OCD
Zohar et al (1987) gave MCCP dec S levels to 12 non OCD & 12 OCD symptoms inc
Allows med to = developed & advances in tech to investigate brain areas& advances in tech to investigate brain inc accuracy
Drugs not completely effective but = cheaper than CBT - just bc SSRIs dec doesn’t mean causes
Compulsions explained by abnor in BG not thoughts
OCD treatment
Drug therapy SSRIs selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors = anti deps inc S levels usually 12-16 weeks works on inc certain neurotrans prevent S reabsorp cause OFC to function at normal levels e.g., flurotine
Anticyclic & anti-psychs dec DA if SSRIs don’t work
Therapy assumes = chemical imbalance often w/ CBT if reduce emo symps patient can engage m some work w/o drugs
OCD Treatment Evaluation
Julian (2007) reported on studies of SSRIs show although symps don’t fully disappear 50-80% of p’s improve
Not a cure dec symps - side effects e.g., sleep disruption, headaches & appetite loss
Only for adults not young ppl
Don’t necessarily dec OCD directly but = cheap but need therapy for LT reduction
Some OCD after trauma - drugs not effective?
Soomro (2009) research shows SSRIs dec OCD severity & aren’t disruptive
Unreliable evidence may = skewed by drug companies
Unipolar Depression
A form of depression w/o mania
Bipolar Depression
Form of depression chara by periods of heightened moods, despondency & hopelessness
Clinical Characteristics of Unipolar Depression
Beh: loss of energy, social impairment weight change, poor personal hygiene, sleep pattern disturbance
Emo: loss of enthusiasm, constantly sad, worthless feeling
Cog: delusions, low concentration, poor memory, thoughts of death
Clinical Characteristics of Bipolar Depression
Beh: high energy levels, recklessness, talkative
Emo: elevated mood states, irritability, lack of guilt
Cog: delusions, irrational thoughts
Becks Negative Triad
Negative views about the world, the future and the self - some = m vul to depression = 3 parts
Faulty information processing - when attend to the negative aspects of a situation & ignore positives, blow small problems out of proportion & think in ‘ black and white’ terms.
Negative self schema - Interpret all info about themselves in a negative way
Negative triad - person has a negative view of themselves (thinking I’m a failure and it’s negative impact upon self esteem), negative view of the world (e.g. the world is a cold hard place) and negative view of the future (e.g. there isn’t much chance that the economy will get any better)
Schemas
Cog biases in negative schemas
Ineptness schemas - can’t do anything
Self-blame schemas - blame everything on self
Negative self evaluation feel can’t improve & don’t see positives
Triggered in sim situs
Become framework to view life fuel & fuelled by cog biases
Cognitive Biases
Arbitrary inference blame something on self not their fault
Selective abstraction - only think about negative
Overgeneralisation - exag one small thing to big disaster
Mispercieve reality - schemas & cog biases maintain negative triad
Ellis’ ABC Model
Depressives mistakenly blame external events for unhappiness
= their interp of events to blame for distress
A = activating event (lose job) B = belief (can’t do job) C = consequence (cog bias)
Depression Evaluation
Saisto et al (2001) studied expectant mothers - those who didn’t change personal goals to match motherhood & indulged in negative thinking had inc dep - sups neg thoughts = cause
Tony & Glazioli - assessed 65 pregs for vul b4 & after - women w/ high vul had post natal dep - cogs developed b4 preg - shows triad inc likelihood
Not all depressives have distorted view
Loses of sup research based on scientific prins allowing subj testing high degree of success shown in development of treatments acknowledging other aspects including genetics lower success w/ bipolar
Treatment of Depression
CBT - REBT - work out activating event, challenge irrational thoughts, & change consequences
Client & therapist decide how belief can be challenged - role play / homework
Way you think about the problem not the problem- can overcome w/ pos cogs
Aim = positive & rational
Evaluation of Treatments of Depression
Lincoln et al (1977) used questionnaire on stroke victims with clinical depression found reported dec in symps - used self report could = affected by SD
Embling (2002) gave one group antidepressants & other drugs & 12 CBT sessions had to record dysfunctional thoughts - CBT expressed improv emos dep = less likely to express emos CBT & drug = m effective lack of dep emos may = causal not effect could improve bc saw someone
Cog approach puts responsibility on person some irrational thoughts = true
Don’t know what comes 1st emo / cog
Phobias
Anxiety disorders characterised by extreme irrational fears
Behavioural Characteristics of Phobias
Avoidant/ anxiety response, disruption of func, interfere bc avoidance = so strong
Emotional Characteristics of Phobias
Persistent excessive fear, fear of exposure to phobias stimulus
Cognitive Characteristics of Phobias
Recog of exag anxiety
Behavioural Explanation
2 process model = acquisition & maintenance
CC when 2 stim paired together to cause phobia UCS + UCR of fear - NS = NR NR + UCS = UCR fear = CS + CR
OC dog phobia maintained consequences & reinforced by avoiding stimulus feel better dec anxiety avoidance response likely again
Phobia Evaluation
Watson & Rayner (1920) little Albert CC fear of white rat no unusual beh b4 tried to play w/ - presented w/ steel bar hit = loud bang showed fear = gen to sim objects e.g., rabbit & fir coat
2 part model ignores evolutionary influence suggests humans have tendency to = phobic of harmful things - genetics & evolution add a preparedness to learn phobia - genetic vul
Behav treatments e.g., SD suggest = learnt require re learning to undo
Not everyone expers trauma b4 phobia not everyone develops after trauma
Phobia Treatments
SD: based in CC taught relax - leads to reciprocal inhibition, fear hierarchy, covert desen
E.g., snake phobia put in mild anxiety situ - snake in tank relax - inc interaction phobia = removed
Flooding: (implosion) fear taken to extreme until can no longer feel fear due to exhaustion so re associate w/ calm - snake = direct contact no escape anxiety = not sustainable so removes phobia.
Evaluation of Treatments of Phobias
Jones (1924) used SD to remove a fear of white fluffy animals in little Peter presented rabbit gave food = positive association
SD mainly used for those who can learn relax & have vivid enough imag invivo = better else no guarantee will work
Works best on simple phobias
Wolpe (1960) used flooding to remove phobia of cars girl in car for 4 hrs shows effectiveness
= ethical consids due to psych harm not suitable for those w/ poor health - can cause heart attacks
Deviation from Social Norms
Society has unwritten social rules & when ppl deviate from social norm could indicate a mental illness - identifies what = normal / acceptable in a culture
DSN examples
Anorexia breaks rules of normal, eating behaviour
DSN Positive Evaluation
Takes into account situational norms e.g., ok to wear bikini at beach not in shopping centre
Takes into account developmental norms e.g., ok for child to scream:adult = weird
Both could indicate SZ
DSN Negative Evaluation
Changes overtime e.g., homo used to = mental illness & unmarried preg women - institutions in early C20
Cultural relativism norms vary across cultures - not normal for men to wear skirts but in Scot is - diagnosis & mental illness = classified dif in dif countries - someone labelled as abnormal using personal standards - SZ
Social control - Szasz (1974) claimed mental illness = concept used for social control = non conformists
Statistical Infrequency
Idea that behav that = SIF = abnor
Normal distribution curve for all behav & those on extremes = sif = indication of mental illness
Normally about 5% of pop outside curve
E.g., low IQ = below 70
SIF Evaluation
If = genius deviate doesn’t mean mentally ill deviation can = positive doesn’t need treatment IQ over 130
Where do you draw the line many disorders e.g., depression = variable
Not everyone benefits from label may feel m upset and weaken quality of life if labelled as abnormal
Failure to Function Adequately
When individual can’t cope w/ everyday life - suffering abnor
Maladaptive
Addictions can = maladaptive if stop going to work
But homelessness = maladaptive but not nec mentally ill
Personal distress
Depression
Under some circumstances e.g., bereavement would = abnor not to feel grief
Observer Discomfort
Families of alcoholics suffer
Unpredictability
Sz
But someone’s behav may = unpred bc unaware of reasons not mental illness
Unconventionality
Depression = quite common
Some = rare e.g., genius but not prob
Irrationality
Bipolar can cause
But Darwin called irrational
FFA Evaluation
Psychopaths e.g., Harold Shipman can func v well in Soc wouldn’t = diagnosed but = mentally ill
Culturally relative - func norm in 1 country = not in another can = dif diagnosis
Subjective judgement - person doing assessment would = subjective so dif opinions
Deviation from ideal mental health
Looks for signs of wellbeing if have all 6 then fine missing 1 could = mental illness
1. Autonomy 2. Positive self view 3. Resisting stress 4. Self actualisation 5. Accurate perception of reality
6. Environmental mastery - coping w/ change
DIMH Evaluation
Can we diagnose mental & physical the same
Some culs can’t make choices so never norm = cultural relativism - based on western ideals
Self actualisation only applies to individualistic culs not col would find inc abs in non w culs & non MC groups
