Psychopathology Flashcards
Statistical infrequency
Someone is mentally abnormal when their mental condition is very rare to the population. It is judged using stats, comparing the individuals behaviour to the rest of the population
What does the normal distribution curve show
A populations average spread of specific characteristics.
Mean, median and mode are the highest points
Failure to function adequately
Defined as abnormal if they cannot cope in this daily lives.
E.g ability to interact with the world and meet their challenges
What are Rosenhan and Seligmans features of failure to function
(5)
Maladaptive behaviour
Personal anguish
Observer discomfort
Irrationality
Unconventionality
What is maladaptive behaviour
When individuals behave in ways that go against their long term interests
What is personal anguish
When the individual suffers from anxiety and distress
What is observer discomfort
When the individuals behaviour causes distress to those around them
What is irrationality
When it is difficult to understand the motivation behind the individuals unexpected behaviour
What is unconventionality
Behaviour that doesn’t match what is typically expected by society.
Deviation from social norms
Social norm: expectation of behaviour that can vary from culture to culture and change over time
People who deviate from these social expectations may be seen as abnormal or deviants
Deviation form ideal mental health
Marie Jahodas definition focuses on ways to improve and become a better person rather than dysfunctional.
What are Jahodas 6 features of ideal mental health
- Environmental mastery
- Autonomy
- Resistance to stress
4.self-actualisation
5.positive attitude towards oneself
6.accurate perception of reality
What is environmental mastery
The ability to adapt and thrive in new situations
What is autonomy
The ability to act independently nad trust in ones own abilities
What is resistance to stress
The internal strength to cope with anxiety caused by daily life
What is self-actualisation
The ability to reach ones potential through personal growth.
What is positive attitudes towards ones self
Characterised by high self-esteem and self -respect
What is accurate perception of reality
The ability to see the world as it is without being distorted by personal biases
What is a phobia
An extreme and irrational fear of objects
What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias
Avoidance
Panic
Failure to function
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias
Anxiety
Fear
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias
Irrational thoughts
Reduced cognitive capacity
Depression
A mood disorder defined bay. Consistent and long-lasting sense of sadness
What are the behavioural characteristics of depression
Reduction in activity level
A change in eating behaviour
An increase in aggression
What are the emotional characteristics of depression
Sadness
Guilt
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression
Poor concentration
Negative schemas
OCD
Obsessions which are constant, and intrustive thoughts that cause high anxiety levels.
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD
Compulsions
Avoidance
Social impairment
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD
Anxiety
Depression
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression
Obsessions
Selective attention
Hypervigilance
What is the behaviourist approach to explaining phobias
That behaviour is learn t from interacting with the environment
The 2 process model: phobias are learnt through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning.
Explain the process of classical conditioning
A phobic object starts out as a neutral stimulus (NS). It causes a neutral response (NR). An unconditioned stimulus (UCS) produces an unconditioned fear response (UCR).
An association is formed when a neutral stimulus (NS) is paired with the unconditioned stimulus (UCS). The object then becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) now producing a conditioned responses (NR) aka fear
Explain operant conditioning
Form of learning
Occurs through learning the consequences of our actions.
What are the 2 behaviourist approaches to treating phobias
Systematic desensitisation (SD)
Flooding
Explain the 4 steps included with systematic desensitisation
- Therapist teaches the client relaxation techniques like breathing exercises
- Client creates an anxiety hierarchy
- Client is exposed to each level of the anxiety hierarchy starting the bottom
- When the client can hold it without fear, they have overcome the phobia
Explain flooding
Immediate and full exposure to the max level.
Causes extreme panic
Therapists job is to stop the client from escaping the situation.
Feat= energy= exhausted.
If they leave beforehand, the phobia would be reinforced.
What is a schema
Cognitive approach to explaing depression
Mental framework based on experiences.
Allow us to quickly process large amounts of sensory information.
We can make automatic assumptions and responses
What is becks negative triad
Cognitive approach to explaining depression
The self, the world, the future
Can lead to avoidance, social withdrawal and inaction.
Develops in childhood
Can lead to cognitive distortions.
Explain Ellis’s ABC model
Cognitive approach to explaining depression
Activating event
Belief
Consequence
How to treat depression
Explain Becks CBT
Patient is seen as a scientist. They generate and test hypothesis about the validity of their irrational thoughts.
They will realise they do not match with reality.
Thought catching: identify irrational thoughts coming from the negative triad of schemas.
Homework tasks: keeping a diary of thoughts.
Can also take part in activities the sufferer used to enjoy
Explain Ellis’s REBT as a way of treating depression
Rational emotive behaviour therapy.
Development of Ellis’s ABC model adding D for dispute and a E for effort.
Client should perform a behaviour they are afraid of doing infront of others. Sows client they can act against their negative thoughts
What is the difference between Becks’s CBT and Ellis’s REBT models
CBT: helps the client to figure out the irrationality of their thoughts themselves by acting as a scientist.
REBT the therapist explains the irrationality of the thoughts directly to the patient through dispution
Explain the biological approach as a way oof explaining OCD
Can be due to faulty physical processes
DNA inherited from your parents
Affects 1 in 50 people
Explain the genetic approach as a way of explaining OCD
Inherited from parents
There are around 230 candidate genes that are found more frequently in people with OCD.
Suggests that OCD is polygenic
What is the neural explanation of OCD
Biochemical causes an imbalance of neurotransmitters
Low serotonin= cause obsessive thoughts
Explain drug therapies as a way of treating OCD
SSRIs
Antidepressant drugs such as SSRISs
Called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
Can take 3-4 months to reduce symptoms and for some patients they are not effective.
