Psychopathology

Question 1

1 biological explanation for OCD

Answer 1

1) neural abnormalities in the brain - Polak et al
Basal ganglia connects with orbitofrontal cortex in a looo, abnormalities in this brain circuit in people with OCD mean primitive behaviours that designed to protect us e.g hand washing get activated repeatedly despite sensory info telling the brain there is no threat
Over activity of the direct pathway that triggers concerns about danger, harm and hygiene, underactivity of an indirect pathway that inhibits compulsive behaviours in response to concerns

Question 2

Polak et al

Answer 2

65 year old man, damage to basal ganglia after a heart attack where his brain was starved of oxygen after this showed compulsive whistling behaviours of the same carnival song for 5-8 hours a day for 16 years, worse when tired, reduced with drugs

Question 3

2 definitions of abnormality

Answer 3

1) statistical infrequency
Rarely seen in the general population e.g OCD only occurs in 2% of the population

2) deviation from social norms
Seems as socially unacceptable behaviour e.g walking through town naked

Question 4

Behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Answer 4

1) Mowrers 2 process model (classical and operant conditioning)
Evidence for CC - Watson&Rayner
Evidence for OC - Mower

Question 5

Mowrers 2 process model

Answer 5

First the person associates the phobic object with fear due to a frightening experience. This involves classical conditioning. Secondly the person learns to avoid the phobic object as this reduces the fear when they are away from the object. This involves operant conditioning. The reduction in fear reinforces their avoidance for the object

Question 6

Watson & Rayner

Answer 6

Evidence for classical conditioning
11 month boy little Albert with a white rat, showed no fear. Scared Albert every time the rat appeared by making a loud noise, quickly showed fear & associated the rat with fear

Question 7

Mower

Answer 7

Evidence for operant conditioning
Conditioned rats to fear the sound of a buzzer by pairing the buzzer with an electric shock. Put the rat in a cage where it could escape from the shock if it jumped over the barrier when the buzzer sounded. The rats quickly started to jump over the barrier whenever they heard the buzzer, suggesting this ‘jumping’ had been negatively reinforced by the reduction of fear

Question 8

Cognitive approach to explaining depression

Answer 8

Ellis’ ABC model

Becks cognitive approach - negative schema, cognitive errors, biased memories

Question 9

Becks cognitive approach

Answer 9

1) negative schema - negative spectacles, which make the person see events in a negative and pessimistic way, developed in childhood as a result of parents who are neglective, abusive or highly critical
2) cognitive errors - catastrophising, always assuming the worst will happen, applying a negative filter- only pay attention to negative info and ignores positives
3) biased memories - remembering negative events from their lives and find it difficult to recall positive events

Question 10

Evidence for biased memories

Answer 10

Clark & Teasdale
Tested depressed patients for memories of events that had happened in their lives. Those whose depressed moods were in the morning found their memories more negative in the morning than the evening, suggesting that depressed moods cause biases in memory which contribute towards recalling more negative events which would then worsen depression

Question 11

2 biological explanations of OCD

Answer 11

1) neural abnormalities - polak et al
2) genes - nestadt
OCD is polygenic, caused by many genes not just one, twin studies - identical twins share 100% of DNA so if OCD is due to genes then both twins should have it if one does

Question 12

Nestadt

Answer 12

Concordance rate of MZ twins was 68% and DZ twins 31% showing a higher concordance rate in MZ twins as they are more genetically similar

Question 13

6 factors to define ‘ideal mental health’ Jahoda

Answer 13

1) positive attitudes to yourself
2) accurate perception of reality
3) resistance to stress
4) autonomy
5) mastery
6) self actualisation

Question 14

Define a phobia

Answer 14

A persistent, intense or irrational fear of certain objects or situations (specific, social or agoraphobia)

Question 15

Symptoms of a phobia

Answer 15

Emotional - feelings of intense fear
Behavioural - go to great lengths to avoid it
Cognitive - show distorted thinking of the phobic stimulus

Question 16

Define depression (unipolar)

Answer 16

Depress mood most/all of the day and a diminished interest in pleasure in activities

Question 17

Symptoms of depression

Answer 17

Emotional - low mood
Behavioural - sleep problems
Cognitive - distorted negative thinking

Question 18

Define depression (bipolar)

Answer 18

Periods of depressed moods with periods of mania e.g excess elated moods

Question 19

Define OCD

Answer 19

An anxiety disorder in which the person experiences persistent intrusive thoughts that they find extremely unpleasant and upsetting, the person may have an uncontrollable urge to engage in behaviours to try to stop the thoughts/ prevent the feared event

Question 20

Symptoms of OCD

Answer 20

Emotional - intense anxiety/feelings of panic when intrusive thoughts occur
Behavioural - avoidance behaviours
Cognitive - repetitive and intrusive thoughts/images

Question 21

Behavioural treatments for phobias

Answer 21

Systematic desensitisation

Flooding

Question 22

Systematic desensitisation - Wolpe

Answer 22

Patient trained in deep muscular relaxation, draw up fear hierarchy gets into relaxed state, asked to imagine the first step on the fear hierarchy until they feel no fee, then move onto the next step then real life
:) GILROY 45 patients with spider phobia 1of3 treatments
1) computer aided vicarious exposure
2) therapist delivered live exposure
3) relaxation placebo
Severity measured pre, post and 3 month
Both more affective than placebo

Question 23

Flooding - Wolfe

Answer 23

Case study of a girl afraid of driving, she was driven around for 4 hours until her intense anxiety reduced and she over came her phobia