Psychopathology Flashcards
Depression
Persistant state of low mood ( severe and for prolonged periods )
Most common mental illness
Also called unipolar disorder
Cognitive (depression)
Blaming yourself Feeling guilty Negative thoughts Suicidal thoughts Difficulty remembering
Behavioural (depression)
Reduced activity levels
Avoiding social situations
Self harm
Sleeping too much/little
Emotional (depression)
Feeling low for prolonged periods Helpless No pleasure in doing things you used to enjoy Restless Agitated Irritable Angry
Postnatal depression
More serious than ‘baby blues’
Lasts a long time
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Seasonal pattern of depression usually related to winter
Bipolar disorder
Aka manic depression
Periods of depression & high mood
Leads to over-ambitious schemes, harmful behaviour and few or no inhibitions
Issues with diagnosis of depression
Cultural differences - culturally biased and lack validity
Admitting that you’re suffering - more acceptable in western individualistic societies
Unreliable
Gender bias in research and literature, mostly by male doctors
Alpha bias-make females look weaker
Beta bias-minimise how bad men look
Consultants are more likely to diagnose women
Features of Becks negative triad model (depression)
Negative views about self
Negative views of the world
Negative views of the future
Faulty thinking and unrealistic expectations
Negative schemas
Perceptions generalised
Ellis’s ABC model (depression)
ACTIVATING EVENT
triggered the emotional reaction
BELIEF
irrational assumptions that tries to explain why the even happened (how the event is interpreted)
CONSEQUENCES
negative emotions that the event has caused
Evaluation of ABC model and Negative triad model (depression)
+ experimental design with high reliability/validity
+ basis for developing effective treatments
+ acknowledges the role of negative thoughts and schemas
+ other studies prove that people have irrational thought patterns
- doesnt explain all aspects e.g. being angry when depressed
- cause and effect cant be established
- doesnt explain the manic phases in bipolar disorders
Phases of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
Identify & assess
- source of the negative thoughts
- how they deal with situations
Challenge
- gather data about how accurate their negative beliefs are
Change
- change negative beliefs into positive thoughts
- changes future behaviour
Aim to boost self confidence
Evaluation of CBT
+ effectively treats patients
+ superior to no treatment
+ it’s as effective as anti-depressants
+ relapse rates are lower that with other treatments
- not an overnight process
- less effective for people suffering severely, works better when paired with anti-depressants
What is an obsession
Unwelcome thoughts/images/worries/doubts
Feel mental discomfort/anxiety
What is a compulsion
Repetitive activities to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsession
Cognitive (OCD)
Unwelcome thoughts/images/urges/doubts
Behavioural (OCD)
Repetitive behaviours to try and control the obsession
Emotional (OCD)
Feel anxious and agitated
Cant share them with others
Any relief felt is short lived
Most common obsessions (OCD)
Unwanted thoughts about harm/aggression
Unwanted sexual thoughts
Unwanted blasphemous thoughts
Issues with the diagnosis of OCD
- symptoms are relative to peoples cultures
- social caste system in india
- cut off between normal/abnormal behaviours
- symptoms are similar to other disorders
- negative effects socially if youre labelled with having OCD
Biological approach towards OCD
Behaviour is inherited from our parents
Based on genotype
Carey & gottesman - 87% concordance in identical twins for having OCD, 47% in non-identical
Mice lacking the sapap3 gene showed characteristics of OCD
Neuroanatomical explanations for OCD
Nervous system and role of neurons
CNS and PNS
basal ganglia is linked to OCD, disturbance within it will effect the junction between the neocortex and the limbic system
Hypersensitivity in basal ganglia leads to repetitive motor behaviours
Neurochemical explanations for OCD
Chemical imbalances and the role of hormones
Disruption of SNS leads to chemical imbalances, OCD patients respond well to drugs that regulate this area
Low levels of serotonin and OCD are linked
Evaluation of biological approach for OCD
+ objective and observable
+ scientific validity/reliability
+ lead to development of successful treatments
+ meta-analysis has found strong evidence of links
- genetic studies dont have a 100% concordance rate so environmental factors must also come into play
- behavioural approach suggests a child will learn by observing parents with OCD, therefore biological is a reductionist
- ignores social/cultural
How does drug therapy work for OCD
Increase the levels of serotonin
Need to be on them for at least 12 weeks before behaviours decrease
Reduce uptake and slow transmission
Evaluation of using drugs to treat OCD (SSRI’s)
+ easily tolerated and safe for older people
+ non-addictive
+ quick and cheap compared to CBT
+ easier option than talking to a therapist
+ better than not doing anything
- possible side effects, pass within a few weeks
- up to 12 weeks before benefits are noticed
- only treats symptoms and not cause so relapse is likely
- best when used with CBT
What is a phobia
Irrational fear of something
Can become a maladaptive fear when it interferes with a persons daily routine
Phobias (cognitive)
Expectation of pending harm
Persistent irrational fear
Phobias (behavioural)
Desire to avoid/escape the situation
Symptoms of panic e.g. crying, shaking
Phobias (emotional)
Intense feelings of dread, terror and panic
Out of proportion
What is an agoraphobia
Intense fear of being in a place that is difficult to leave
E.g. Lifts, home, crowded space
What is a social phobia
Fear of social interaction with others
E.g. talking to people, speaking in public
What is a specific phobia
Specific to object or situations
E.g. animals, heights, blood
Issues with the classification and diagnosis of phobias
- tests were designed in one country, imposed etic
- assumption that there is no difference between cultures
- lacks reliability
- not consistent across cultures
- sometimes present with other mental health issues
- patients often misdiagnosed
Behavioural approach towards phobial
Learned through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
Simple learning
Little Albert (Watson and Rayner)
White rat -> neutral stimulus
Rat given back to albert and a sudden loud noise was made
Albert cried because it was an unpleasant experience
Eventually, Albert would cry when he saw the rat
He had been conditioned to cry at white rats, but also white, furry things
He developed a phobia for things that are white and furry
Mowrers two process model
People are positively rewarded for avoiding contact with the object or situation as they dont experience the fear/anxiety response
Evaluation of behavioural approach for phobias
+ mowers model gives an insight into the development of phobias as people dont want to experience the negitive effects again
+ has face validity, idea of drive-reduction
+ scientific experimental methods
- underlying emotions thats are to do with natural fear responses, biological approach
- many people experience negative situations but dont develop phobias
- replications of little albert havent produced the same results
Steps of systematic desensitisation
80-90% success rate after 25-30 sessions
Relaxation - physically relax
Anxiety Hierarchy - find what theyre most/least scared of
Exposure - patient relaxes and introduced to least feared response, until they can relax in most feared response
In vitro / in vivo
Vitro - imagine the situation
Vivo - actually exposed to the situation
What is Flooding (phobias)
Immediate exposure to phobia
Initially distressed, reduces after a while
Realises the distress has reduced and the fear is unfounded and no longer a problem
Gilroy et al - effectiveness of systematic desensitisation
APFC
A - investigate effectiveness P - 42 patients with phobia of spiders Half given relaxation treatment Half had three 45min sessions Tested for phobia after 3 months and 33 months later F - systematic group were less fearful C - its an effective long term treatment
Evaluation of systematic desensitisation
+ effective for specific phobias
+ less stressful, gradual exposure
+ ethical as patient has control
+ positive effects last longer
- has a high dropout rate which effects validity
- time consuming and expensive
- not effective for everyone
- misdiagnosis means the therapy wont be effective
Evaluation of flooding
+ realise the phobia is harmless
+ cost-effective treatment
- classed as dangerous, serious medical complications even death
- ethical issues due to extreme anxiety levels
What is statistical infrequency?
Individual has less common characteristics
Based on facts/numbers
E.g. compared to the rest of the population
Strengths and limitations of statistical infrequency
+ objective, no opinion or bias
+ makes sense for the definition of abnormality
+ whole picture/population
- some traits arent undesirable e.g. being a genius
- some behaviours arent rare but are still abnormal
- norms vary between cultures
What is deviation from social norms?
Behaviour that is different to the unwritten rules/ social norms of society
E.g. laughing at a funeral
Strengths and limitations of deviation from social norms
+ flexible depending on age/situation
+ society is ordered
- some people are eccentric rather than abnormal e.g. wearing outgoing clothes
- some people would be classed as criminals rather than abnormal
- norms depend on culture
- ## societys norms change over time
What is failure to function adequately
A person is abnormal is they’re unable to cope with the demands of everyday life
Basic inability to manage life
7 criteria of failure to function adequately
- Personal distress
- Maladaptive behaviour (prevented from achieving life goals)
- irrationality and incomprehensibility (no reason for behaviour)
- unpredictability and loss of control (inappropriate for a situation)
- observer discomfort (others feel uncomfortable)
- violation of moral standards ( breaking laws etc)
Strengths and limitations of failure to function adequately
+ checklist of 7 practical criteria
+ matches sufferers perceptions as they believe they need help
- who decides what an acceptable level is
- context of behaviour
- some people can control their disorders and function adequately
- some people only meet one of the criteria
- cultural differences
What is deviation from ideal mental health
List of criteria that makes us normal
Jahoda’s criteria
Jahoda’s criteria for deviation from ideal mental health
- positive attitudes towards the self
- self actualisation of ones potential
- resistance to stress
- personal autonomy
- accurate perception of others
- adapting to the environment
Strengths and limitations of deviation from ideal mental health
+ focused target for normal behaviour
+ practical checklist
+ feelings/emotions taken into account
+ positive approach
- who decides the level that is ‘ideal’
- very feel people reach self actualisation and are content with themself
- positive benefits of stress
- context of behaviours
