Psychopathology 2 | characteristics of phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Flashcards
AO1: Behavioural characteristics of phobias
The behavioural characteristics of phobias include panic (e.g. crying, screaming, running away), avoidance (actively avoiding the phobic stimulus), and endurance (remaining in the presence of the phobic stimulus but experiencing high anxiety).
AO1: Emotional characteristics of phobias
Phobias are associated with an excessive and unreasonable fear response. They also involve anxiety (high arousal state) and emotional responses that are disproportionate to the actual danger posed by the stimulus.
AO1: Cognitive characteristics of phobias
Cognitive characteristics include selective attention (focusing excessively on the phobic stimulus), irrational beliefs (e.g. ‘If I see a spider, I will die’), and cognitive distortions (perceiving the phobic stimulus as more dangerous than it actually is).
AO1: Behavioural characteristics of depression
The behavioural characteristics of depression include reduced activity levels (leading to withdrawal from work, education, and social life), disruption to sleep and eating behaviour (insomnia or hypersomnia, increased or decreased appetite), and aggression or self-harm.
AO1: Emotional characteristics of depression
Depression is characterised by persistent low mood (feeling sad or empty), anger (which may be directed at oneself or others), and low self-esteem (feelings of worthlessness or self-hatred).
AO1: Cognitive characteristics of depression
Cognitive characteristics include poor concentration (difficulty making decisions or staying focused), attending to and dwelling on the negative (bias towards recalling unhappy events), and absolutist thinking (viewing situations in black-and-white terms).
AO1: Behavioural characteristics of OCD
The behavioural characteristics of OCD involve compulsions (repetitive behaviours performed to reduce anxiety, such as handwashing or checking) and avoidance (avoiding situations that trigger anxiety, such as dirt or germs).
AO1: Emotional characteristics of OCD
OCD is associated with high anxiety and distress (persistent intrusive thoughts causing extreme stress), guilt and disgust (towards oneself or external factors), and accompanying depression (low mood and lack of enjoyment in activities).
AO1: Cognitive characteristics of OCD
Cognitive characteristics include obsessive thoughts (persistent and intrusive worries), cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions (e.g. excessive prayer or counting), and insight into excessive anxiety (recognising that obsessions and compulsions are irrational but feeling unable to stop them).
AO3: Limitation of focusing on phobia characteristics
Focusing only on the characteristics of phobias does not explain their origin. While the behavioural approach explains phobias through conditioning, some phobias may have an evolutionary basis. This limits its usefulness in developing effective treatments.
AO3: Strength of identifying depression characteristics
Identifying cognitive characteristics of depression has led to effective treatments like CBT. CBT challenges irrational thoughts, helping to reduce symptoms. This highlights the importance of understanding depression for treatment development.
AO3: Limitation of focusing on OCD characteristics
OCD shares cognitive and emotional characteristics with other disorders like Generalised Anxiety Disorder. This makes diagnosis more challenging and can lead to misdiagnosis, resulting in ineffective treatment. A holistic approach is needed for accurate diagnosis.
