psychopathology Flashcards
What are the definitions of abnormality
-deviation from social norms
-failure to function adequately
-Statistical Infrequency
-Deviation from ideal mental health
What is “deviation from social norms” in defining abnormality?
Abnormality is defined by behavior that deviates from societal norms and expectations, suggesting it is inappropriate or undesirable. wrihayuvgfewvfhdsghvw
What does “failure to function adequately” mean in abnormality?
This is when an individual is unable to cope with everyday life, showing distress, dysfunction, or inability to perform everyday tasks.
What is “statistical infrequency” in defining abnormality?
Abnormal behaviour is rare or infrequent within a population, often measured using standard distribution (e.g., IQ scores).
What is “deviation from ideal mental health” in defining abnormality?
Abnormality occurs when an individual fails to meet the criteria for ideal mental health, such as self-actualization, autonomy, resisting stress, environmental mastery, positive attitude to self and accurate perception of reality
What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?
Avoidance of the phobic stimulus, panic attacks, and endurance
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?
Intense fear, anxiety, and distress
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
selective attention, irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions
What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
Decreased activity levels, fatigue, social withdrawal, changed sleep and eating patterns and poor hygiene.
What are the emotional characteristics of depression?
lowered self esteem, Persistent sadness, constant poor mood ,high levels of anger, hopelessness, and anhedonia (loss of interest in activities).
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?
High anxiety and distress, due to intrusive and unwanted obsessions and the need to perform compulsions.
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
absolutist thinking, selective attention to negative events, poor concentration, and pessimism about the future.
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?
Repetitive compulsive behaviours like hand-washing or checking, aimed at reducing anxiety from obsessive thoughts.
What is the two-process model of phobias?
Phobias are learned through classical conditioning (association) and maintained by operant conditioning (avoidance behaviour).
What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?
Obsessive, intrusive thoughts and an overwhelming need to perform rituals to reduce anxiety.
What is systematic desensitization in treating phobias?
A treatment where patients are gradually exposed to the phobic stimulus in a controlled way, while practicing relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety.
What is a hierarchy in systematic desensitization?
A list of feared situations, starting from the least to most frightening, used in gradual exposure.
What is flooding in treating phobias?
What is flooding in treating phobias?
A: A treatment where the person is exposed to the phobic stimulus in its most frightening form, without gradual steps, to provoke immediate anxiety and then extinguish the fear.
How do genetic explanations explain OCD?
OCD can be inherited, with genes influencing the likelihood of developing OCD. Family studies suggest a genetic component to the disorder
What is Beck’s negative triad in depression?
A cognitive theory that depression is caused by negative thoughts about the self, the world, and the future.
What is Ellis’s ABC model in explaining depression?
A model that suggests depression is caused by irrational beliefs (Activating event, Beliefs, Consequences) that lead to negative emotional outcomes.
What is CBT in treating depression?
A therapy that involves identifying and challenging irrational thoughts and replacing them with more realistic, balanced thoughts to reduce depressive symptoms.
What are neural explanations for OCD?
OCD may be caused by abnormalities in brain circuits, particularly in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and caudate nucleus, which control decision-making and anxiety.
How is drug therapy used to treat OCD?
Drugs like SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are used to increase serotonin levels in the brain, helping to reduce OCD symptoms by improving mood and regulating anxiety.
What are some limitations of systematic desensitization?
- relies on the client’s ability to be able to imagine the fearful
situation. Some people cannot create a vivid image and thus SD is not effective.
-may be effective in therapeutic sessions but not in real life
What is the difference between unipolar and bipolar depression?
Unipolar depression involves periods of low mood without manic episodes, while bipolar depression involves mood swings between depressive episodes and periods of mania or hypomania.
What are some limitations of flooding as a treatment for phobias?
It is highly distressing, not suitable for all individuals (e.g., children or those with severe anxiety), and the high anxiety during treatment may lead to dropouts.
What are common cognitive distortions in depression, according to Beck?
Overgeneralization, catastrophizing, personalization, and filtering (focusing on the negatives while ignoring the positives).
What is comorbidity, and how does it relate to OCD?
Comorbidity refers to the presence of one or more additional mental health disorders alongside OCD. Common comorbid conditions include depression, anxiety disorders, and tic disorders.
What is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) in treating OCD?
ERP involves exposing the individual to the source of their obsession while preventing the compulsive behaviour, helping them to confront anxiety and reduce the need for rituals over time.
What are some common side effects of SSRIs in treating OCD?
Side effects may include nausea, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, headaches, and increased anxiety during the initial stages of treatment.
How do SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) work to treat OCD?
SSRIs increase the levels of serotonin in the brain by preventing its reuptake, helping to regulate mood and reduce the frequency and intensity of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of systematic desensitization?
Strengths: Effective for a range of phobias, well-established, less traumatic than flooding.
Weaknesses: Time-consuming, requires patient cooperation, may not work for complex or deep-rooted phobias.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in treating depression?
Strengths: Effective for many individuals, long-lasting results, empowers patients by helping them change their thought patterns, empirical data support March(2007)
Weaknesses: Can be expensive and time-consuming as it takes 16-20 sessions, may not work for those with severe depression or low motivation.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of flooding as a treatment for phobias?
Strengths: Can lead to quick results, very effective for certain simple phobias.
Weaknesses: Highly distressing, requires careful monitoring, not suitable for everyone.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of drug therapy (e.g., SSRIs) for OCD?
Strengths: Can be effective in reducing symptoms, easy to administer, and can be used alongside therapy.
Weaknesses: Side effects, potential for relapse once medication is stopped, doesn’t address underlying causes of OCD.
How is comorbidity relevant in phobias?
People with phobias often experience other anxiety disorders, like generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder, making it harder to treat the phobia alone.
How does comorbidity relate to depression?
Depression often co-occurs with other disorders like anxiety, substance abuse, and eating disorders, which can complicate treatment and diagnosis
What is the strength of deviation from social norms
It doesn’t impose a western view on abnormality so it is not ethnocentric
What is the weakness of deviation from social norms
-norms can vary overtime
-It is inappropriate to to define someone who has moved to a different culture as abnormal according to the new cultural norms
What is the strength of failure to function adequately
-respects the individual and there own experience
What is the limitation of failure to function adequately
- FFA might not be linked to abnormality but to other factors. Failure to keep a job
may be due to the economic situation not to psychopathology.
-Cultural relativism – what is considered adequate in one culture might not be so in
another.
-only includes people who cannot cope
What is the strength of statistical infrequency
it evaluated patients objectively
What is the weakness of statistical infrequency
- Not all traits are negative e.g. high IQ and the use of statistical infrequency is that it creates a poor stigma
-there are common mental health issues such as anxiety
What is strength to deviation from ideal mental health
-Holistic approach, which gives a complete understanding of a person so they can have more personalised treatments
-it suggests how it can be overcome
What is the weakness to deviation of ideal mental health
- strict criteria as its hard to achieve all the requirements
- The criteria are subjective and not operationalised, so being defined as abnormal is
not objective - These ideas are culture-bound, based on a Western idea of ideal mental health:
cultural relativism
