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Psychology Topics 1-8 paper 1 and 2 > Psychopathology > Flashcards

Psychopathology Flashcards

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1
Q

4 Definitions of abnormality

A

-Statistical infrequency
-Deviation from social norms
-Inaccurate perception from reality
-Deviation from ideal mental health

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2
Q

AO3
Statistical infrequency

A

-Can be appropriate - Definition of mental retardation or IQ disability. In such cases normal mental ability can be measured effectively with anyone whose IQ falling more than 2 standard deviation points than the rest of the general population being judged as having some mental disorder

  • Change in times. Behaviours that were statistically rare many years ago may not be rare anymore

-Defining people solely on rarity is unsustainable

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3
Q

AO3
Deviation from social norms

A

-Change in time, behaviour that was socially acceptable 40 years ago may be unacceptable now

-A person wearing little clothing at a beach may be seen as normal however someone wearing little clothing walking on the high road may be socially unacceptable

-Culture bias - social norms vary on culture

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4
Q

AO3
Deviation from ideal mental health

A

-Measuring physical health is more objective through equipment

-Culture bias - Jahoda’s Ideas are western ones, which could provide an incorrect diagnosis of abnormality

-Criteria is overdemanding and unrealistic

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5
Q

Behavioural characteristics of depression

A

-Reduction in activity level - low mood
-Anhedonia - Lack of pleasure felt doing enjoyable activities
-Change in eating behaviour - weight gain or loss
-Increase in aggression
-Change in sleeping patterns

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6
Q

Emotional characteristics of depression

A

-Sadness - persistent low mood
- Guilt - Feeling they have no value in comparison to other people

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7
Q

Cognitive characteristics of depression

A

-Poor concentration - cant give full attention to tasks
-Negative schemas

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8
Q

Outline Ellis’ ABC model of depression

A

A - Activating event that happens to the individual
B - Beliefs - Beliefs an individual holds about the event, can be either rational or irrational
C - Consequences

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9
Q

Outline Becks negative triad

A

-Negative view of the world
-Negative view about the self
-Negative view about the future

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10
Q

Outline CBT

A

-Cognitive behavioural therapy
-Maladaptive thoughts and beliefs cause and maintain depression in individuals
-CBT focuses on helping individuals identify and change the negative thought processes with the belief that changing thinking will change behaviour and emotions

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11
Q

Outline the use of Becks cognitive therapy

A
  • Focuses on helping patients to identify negative thoughts in relation to themselves, their world and their future using Becks negative triad
    -Patient and therapist will work together to change these negative thoughts
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12
Q

AO3
Cognitive explanations of depression
(Effectiveness)

A

One strength of the cognitive explanations to depression is that it has led to highly effective therapies being developed
March (2007) found that CBT has an effectiveness of 81% after 36 weeks of treatment, same rate as drug therapy
This suggests that the cognitive explanations of depression have real life applications which can be positively used to improve the quality of a patients life
Therefore this strengthens our acceptance of the cognitive explanations of depression as they have been proven to be useful in real life

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13
Q

AO3
Cognitive explanations of depression - weakness
(Correlational data)

A

One weakness of the cognitive explanations of depression is that the majority if research is based on correlational data
This suggests that the research is unreliable as it doesn’t establish cause and effect meaning a deeper insight into the cognitive explanations of depression cant be gained
This weakens our acceptance of the cognitive explanations of depression

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14
Q

AO3
Cognitive explanations of depression
(Reductionist)

A

One weakness of the cognitive explanation of depression is that it has been considered reductionist as it doesn’t focus on the biological side of depression
This is because the explanations only focus on nurture not nature
Biological explanations of depression suggest that depression is due to low serotonin which suggests the cognitive explanation is over simplified
Therefore this weakens our acceptance of the cognitive explanations of depression as it is reductionist

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15
Q

AO3
Evaluation of CBT
1st weakness

A

One major weakness of whether CBT is appropriate or not is the time and cost associated with CBT
CBT requires multiple sessions unlike drug therapy which can be done just once
This means CBT is time consuming and costly which is a big problem for patients

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16
Q

AO3
Evaluation of CBT
2nd weakness
(Skill level of therapist)

A

One weakness of CBT is that it is down to the skill level of the therapist themselves. CBT is only effective provided the therapist is well trained and able to form collaborative relationship with the patient
This suggests if the therapist is not well trained they cant fix the patients depression
This weakens our acceptance of CBT as it is dependent on the skill level of the therapist

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17
Q

AO3
Evaluation of CBT
1st strength

A

One strength of CBT is that there are no side effects like when you take drugs
This means there are no unwanted side effects which could harm the patient
This strengthens our acceptance of use of CBT as there are no side effects

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18
Q

AO3
Evaluation of CBT
2nd strength

A

One strength of CBT is that it is seen to treat the root causes of depression which is psychological in nature, unlike drugs which mask the problem and not actually treat it
CBT has lower relapse rates than other treatments

19
Q

Characteristics of OCD

A

Behavioural:
Compulsion - Behaviours are performed repeatedly in order to reduce anxiety
Avoidance - resist actions to avoid being in a particular situation
Social impairment - Not participating in enjoyable social activities

Emotional:
Anxiety
depression

Cognitive:
Obsessions
Hypervigilance

20
Q

Outline the biological explanations of OCD

A

Genetic explanations suggest OCD is transmitted through specific genes and there is a biological basis for the disorder

Grootheest et al (2005) conducted a meta analysis of over 70 years worth of twin studies into OCD. He concluded that OCD did appear to have a strong basis with genetic influence ranging from 45-65% within children

21
Q

Which 2 genes influence OCD

A

COMT - Regulates and causes higher dopamine production, may contribute to OCD as it has been more commonly found in sufferers of OCD than non-sufferers

SERT - Affects transportation of serotonin and causes lower levels of serotonin

OCD is polygenic - there are over 230 potential genes affecting it

22
Q

Outline the neural explanation of OCD

A

Imbalance of neurotransmitters
Low serotonin is thought to cause obsessive thoughts. The low level of serotonin is likely due to it being removed to quickly from the synapse before it has transmitted a signal to the post synaptic neuron

23
Q

Evidence for serotonin levels influencing OCD
(Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

A

Research from Piggot et al (1990) found that anti depressant drugs which increase serotonin activity have been found to reduce obsessive tendencies and symptoms in patients. Other types of antidepressants which do not increase serotonin activity have been found to be ineffective which suggests low levels of serotonin is linked to the disorder

24
Q

Outline and discuss one biological explanation for OCD (6)

A

One biological explanation for OCD is the neural explanation.
This explanation suggests that OCD is due to an imbalance of neurotransmitters like serotonin.
For example, Piggot et al found that antidepressant drugs which increase serotonin levels have been found to reduce obsessive tendencies and symptoms. This suggests that OCD is due to low levels of serotonin to begin with.
Therefore this strengthens our acceptance of the neural biological explanation of OCD as there is supporting research

25
Q

AO3
Evaluation of OCD drug therapy
(Doesn’t cure it )

A

One weakness of the use of drug therapies for OCD is that they don’t actually cure OCD, rather they mask the symptoms of a biological disorder rather than cure it. CBT has been shown to be effective in treating OCD, unlike the drug therapy which just masks the symptoms. This weakens our acceptance of the use of drug therapy to treat OCD

26
Q

AO3
Evaluation of OCD drug therapy
(1st strength - effectiveness)

A

Research evidence shows drug therapy are effective compared to placebos in the treatment of OCD.
Somro et al reviewed 17 studies of the use of SSRI’s with OCD patients and found these drugs were effective in ‘reducing symptoms’ of OCD up to 3 months after treatment
This indicates OCD must be biological in origin as SSRI’s work by targeting serotonin in the brain by increasing its levels
Therefore strengthening our acceptance of SSRI’s in the treatment of OCD

27
Q

AO3
Evaluation of OCD drug therapy
(2nd strength)

A

One strength of OCD drug therapy is that drugs are cheap to manifacture.
For example, unlinke CBT drugs are cheap but CBT is costly as it requires multiple sessions and is time consuming, however drugs are cheap and only need to be taken once.
This strengthens the use of drug treatment to treat OCD

28
Q

Outline the diathesis stress model

A

Traumatic event—————–> Depression
(genes)

-According to the diathesis stress model, certain genes leave some people more likely to suffer a mental disorder but it is not certain
-Certain environmental stressors are necessary to trigger the condition
-The model proposes that behavior is a result of both genetic and environmental factors, meaning it takes the view of biology + environment—–> interactionist approach

29
Q

AO3
Outline one strength of the biological explanations of OCD
(support from genetic explanations)

A

-One strength of the biological explanations of OCD is that there is support for genetic explanations of OCD
-Researchers found that those with a first degree relative with OCD are 5x more likely to develop OCD themselves
-This supports the notion that OCD is due to genetics as there is supporting research
-Therefore this strengthens our acceptance of the biological explanation of OCD

Counter:
Concordance rates between Mz twins are only 70-80% meaning 20-30% is due to other factors such as the environment

30
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of the biological explanations of OCD
(Reductionist)

A

One weakness of the biological explanation to OCD is that it doesn’t take into account environmental factors.
For example, research has found that over half the OCD patients in a sample had traumatic events in their past, and that OCD was more severe in those with more than one trauma.
This suggests that OCD cannot be entirely biological in origin, suggesting we should focus on the environmental factors
This weakens our acceptance of the theory

31
Q

Definition of a phobia

A

Persistent fear of a specific stimulus

32
Q

Emotional characteristics of phobias

A

Anxiety and fear
Fears are excessive and unreasonable
The feeling of anxiety/worry
Fear is out of proportion to the actual danger posed

33
Q

Behavioural characteristics of phobias

A

Panic, crying, running away, screaming, fainting
Avoidance behaviours

34
Q

Explain the two-process model of phobias

A

The unconditioned stimulus causes an unconditioned response (fear)
This unconditioned stimulus is paired with a neutral stimulus to produce a conditioned fear response. Now whenever the individual sees the NS they become scared. NS has become the conditioned stimulus

35
Q

Outline the little Albert case study (Watson and Rayner)

A

-Watson & Rayner researched to support one stage of the two-process model of phobias

-Little Albert initially had no strong response to the rat, making it a neutral stimulus.

-Watson and Rayner repeatedly presented Little Albert with a white rat, followed by a loud scary noise

-Found that Albert would get scared just from seeing the rat after the loud noise had been paired with the white rat. (Acquired phobia through classical conditioning. Associated NS with UCS)

36
Q

AO3
Outline one strength of the behaviourist explanation of phobias
(research support)

A

One strength is that there is research support for the Two-process model from Barlow and Durand
He found that when he asked people who had a fear of driving, 50% of them remembered a traumatic event which caused this far, furthermore, they reinforced this avoidance behaviour by not driving since their traumatic event
This coincides with what the theory states. People acquire the phobia through classical conditioning (pairing NS with UCS) and then it is maintained via operant conditioning (avoidance behaviour is negatively reinforced). Therefore this strengthens acceptance of the model as there is supporting research

37
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of the behaviourist explanation for phobias
(Incomplete)

A

One limitation of the behaviourist explanation of phobias is that some phobias are not caused by traumatic events. This suggests there are other factors involved in the acquisition of phobias.
Instead, we may have evolved to have phobias of certain stimuli that were threatening to us in the past, suggesting phobias may be genetically determined
This weakens acceptance of the behaviourist explanation as it doesn’t account for how all phobias are acquired, there may be other ways in which people can acquire phobias

38
Q

Explain ‘flooding’

A

The patients is exposed to their worst fear all in one go and is forced to remain until the anxiety has gone

39
Q

Outline the 3 stages of systematic desensitisation

A

-Relaxation - Muscle relaxation, deep breathing. This helps them become more relaxed

-Hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations - Patient and therapist build a list of increasingly anxiety-provoking situations with the feared object. Starting from least to most

-Exposure - Patient Is exposed to feared stimuli in a relaxed state. When the patient can stay relaxed in the lower levels of phobic stimulus they move up the hierarchy. Treatment is successful when the patient can stay relaxed in situations high in the anxiety hierarchy

40
Q

Outline AO1 of systematic desensitisation

A

-Behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through the principles of classical conditioning
-A newly learned response to the phobic stimulus is acquired. Phobic stimuli is paired with relaxation, instead of anxiety
-Learning of a different response is called counter-conditioning
-It is impossible to be relaxed and anxious simultaneously, so one emotion prevents the other. This is called reciprocal inhibition
-Patient has to work with a therapist

41
Q

AO1
Flooding

A

-Immediate exposure to the stimulus
-No gradual build-up
-No option of avoidance behaviour
-Fear becomes ‘extinct’
-Conditioned phobic stimulus no longer produces a fear response
-Important for patients to give consent
-Patients should be given the choice to withdraw at any point

42
Q

AO3
Evaluation of Systematic Desensitisation
(Research)

A

One strength of SD is that there is supporting research from Gilroy et al.
The research followed 42 patients who were treated for arachnophobia in three 45-minute SD sessions and a control group was treated via relaxation, but without exposure. Gilroy found that at both 3 and 33 months, patients in the SD experimental group were less fearful of spiders than the control group. This research illustrates that exposure is a key element in treating phobias, which supports the explanation of SD as a treatment for phobias in the short run and long run

43
Q

AO3
One weakness of systematic desensitisation
(Effectiveness)

A

One weakness of SD is that it may not be effective at treating all phobias. Ohman et al suggested SD may not be effective for innate/biological phobias which have an evolutionary survival component e.g. fear of heights. This suggests SD is effective in tackling some phobias and not all thus weakening our acceptance of SD as a treatment of phobias

Psychology Topics 1-8 paper 1 and 2 (8 decks)

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