Psychopathology Flashcards
Strength of statistical deviation
All assessments of mental disorders include measurement of how severe their symptoms are compared to the norms. E.g intellectual disability disorder shows hoes there is a place for statically deviation and thus it is a useful part of clinical assessment
What is deviation from social norms
When a person behaves in a way that is different form how they are expected to behave. Social context tells what is ‘correct’ behaviours in particular circumstances
What were the eight criteria Jahoda listed
No symptoms of distress Rational Selfactualise Can cope dress Realistic view of the world Good self esteem and lack of guilt Independent Successfully work, love and enjoy leisure
Limitation of statistical deviation
Unusual characteristics can also be positive and while statistically abnormal they don’t require treatment to return to normal. I.e IQ above 130 is just as unusual but not seen as undesireavle and requiring treatment. Limitation of the concept of statistical deviation and means it should never be used alone to make a diagnosis
Who suggested the critical for ideal mental health
Jahoda
What is deviation from ideal mental health
A different way to look at normality and abnormality is to think about what makes someone normal and psychologically healthy and then identify those who deviate from this ideal
Weakness of deviation from social norms
Culturally relative. Person may label someone from another culture as behaving abnormally using their standards instead of the foreign person. Like hearing voices is acceptable in some cultures but not in the Uk. Creates problems for people from one culture living within a different one
Example of disorder for failing to function adequately
Intellectual disability disorders. As a result of this the person was not able to cope with the demands of everyday living
Example of a deviation from social norm in some cultures
Homosexuality
Example of a statistical deviation
IQS below 70 are statistically abnormal and are diagnosed with intellectual disability disorder (only 2% of people)
What are the three signs Rosenhan and Seligman look for to determine if someone is coping
- when a person doesn’t conform to interpersonal rules like personal space
- when someone experiences distress
- when a persons behabiour is irrational or dangerous
Strength of failure to function adequetly
Attempts to include the experience of the individual. Not entirely satisfactory approach because it’s difficult to assess distress but it acknowledges the experience of the patient is important. Therefore is a useful criterion for sssessing abnormality
Example of the inevitable overlap between deviation from ideal mental health and failure to function adequately
Someone’s inability to keep a job may be a sign of their failure to cope with pressure or as a deviation from the ideal of successful working
Limitation of failure to function adequetly
Subjective judgments. When deciding whether someone is failing to function someone has to judge ehether a patient is distressed or distressing. There are methods to make this objective including checklists such as Global Assessment or Functioning Scale. But the principle remains whether someone has the right to make this judgment.
Strength of deviation from ideal mental health
Covers a broad range of criteria for mental health. Covers most of the reasons someone would seek help from services. The sheer range of factors in Jahodas criteria makes it a good tool for thinking about health
Normal distribution of IQ
Between 85 and 115
Who determined signs to determine if someone is failing to function
Rosenhan and Seligman
Limitation of deviation from ideal mental health
Culturally relative. Some of the ideas in Jahodas classification are specific to Western European and North American cultures. Many collectivist cultures see independence as a bad thing but such traits are typical of individualist cultures and are culturally specific
What is statistical deviation
Defining sbonmormality in terms of statistics - amount of times a behaviour is observed determines whether it’s normal or abnormal
What is failure to function adequately
Inability to cope with everyday life.
What are the four definitions of abnormality
Statistical deviation
Deviation from social norms
Failure to function adequately
Deviation from ideal mental health
Example of a deviation from social norm disorder
Antisocial personality disorder. Formerly psychopathy. They generally lack empathy and ethical behaviour
Strength and weakness of deviation from social norms
Definition had real life application in the case of psychopathy so there is a place for deviation from social norms in thinking about what is normal and abnormal. However there are other factors to consider for example the distress to people with APD Is a failure to function adequetly. So it cns never be the sole reason for defining abnormality
Examples of failing to function adequately
Not being able to hold down a job, maintain a relationship and hygiene
Why are norms specific to the culture we live in
Few behaviours are deemed universally abnormal and therefore definitions relate to cultural context including historical differences
What are the two cognitive approaches to explaining depression
Becks negative triad
Ellis’ ABC model
Why did Beck suggest that some people are more prone to depression
Because of faulty information processing e.g thinking in a flawed way. When depressed we look st the negative aspects of a ditstuion and ignore positives we also tend to blow problems out of proportion and have absolutist thinking
What is a schema
A package of ideas and information developed through experience
What did beck say about depressed people’s schemas
They have negative self-schemas so they interpret all the information about themselves in a negative way
What is the negative triad beck proposed
- negative views of the world
- negative views of the future
- negative views of the self
Strength of Becks theory
Practical application as a therapy. Forms the basis of Cognitivr behavioural therapy. The components of the triad can be easily identified and challenged in CBT. This means a therapist can encourage the patient to test whether the elements of the negative triad are true. Success brcsude it can be used in a successful therapy.
Limitation of becks theory
Does not explain all aspects of depression as it is a complex disorder. Some people are deeply angry and he can’t explain this. Some people suffer buzzare beliefs like Cotard Syndrome (believing they are a zombie). So his theory is not a comprehensive account of depression and cannot always explain all cases of depression
What is the simplified version of Ellis’ ABC MODEL
A stands for activating event
B stands for beliefs
C stands for consewuences
What is an activating event
We get depressed when we experience negative events and there trigger irrational beliefs, events like failing a test may ‘activate’ irrational beliefs
What is the belief we must always succeed called
Musterbation
What is I-can’t-stand-it-itis
The belief that it is a disaster when things don’t go smoothly
Why is the belief that the world must always be fair and just
Utopianism
When an activating event triggers irrational beliefs what happens
There are emotional and behavioural consequences r.g depression
Strength of Ellis’ ABC model
Practical applications in CBT. The idea that by challenging irrational negative beliefs a person can reduce their depression is supported by research - Lipsky.this in turn supports the basic theory because it suggests that the irrational beliefs had some role in depression.
Weakness of ELlis’ ABC model
Cognition may not cause all aspects of depression. Both explanations share the idea that cognition causes depression - closely tied with the concept of cognitive primacy. This is not necessarily always the case. Other theories see emotions stored like physical energy and which emerge some time after their causal event. Casts doubt on the idea that cognitions are always the root cause of depression.
What is cognitive primacy
The idea that emotions are influenced by cognition
Limitation of Ellis model (partial)
Partial explanation. No doubt that some cases of depression follow an activating events. Psychologists call this reactive depression and see it as different from the kind of depression that arises without an obvious cause. This means that the explanation only applies to some kinds of depression and is therefore only a partial explanation.
What is one of the central aims of Becks CBT
Patient and therapist to work together to clarify the patients problems. Also to identify whether there is any negative or irrational thoughts relating to the triad. Once identified the pertinent takes an active role in their own treatment
What is referred to as ‘patient as scientist’ in Becks CBT
When the patient is set homework such as to record when they enjoyed an event or when someone was nice to them
How does recording psoive information about their life help the patient in Becks CBT
In future sessions if patient sassy no one is nice to them the therapist can produce this evidence to prove they are incorrect
What is Ellis’ therapy called
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)
What does REBT do to the ABC model
Extends it to an ABCDE model - D stands for disbute and E for effect. The technique of REBT is to identify and challenge irrational beliefs
What is the hallmark of REBT
Vigorous argument. A patient may talk about how unlucky their life is and a REBT therapist would identify this as Utopianism and challenge it as an irrational belief
What is an empirical argument
Involves disbuting whether there is evident to support the irrational belief
What is a logical argument
Involved disputing whether the negative thought actually follows from the facts
What is behavioural activation based on
Based on the idea that as individuals become depressed they tend to engage in increasing avoidance and isolation which serves to worsen their symptoms
What is the goal of behavioural activation
The goal of treatment is to work with depressed individuals to gradually decrease their avoidance and isolation and increase their engagement in activities that have been show to improve moods like exercise
What is a strength of CBT
Effective. There is lots of evident to support the effectiveness of CBT for depression. March compared CBT with antidepressant drugs and found 81% of the CBT group improved and 81% of the drugs improved. Shows it is just as effective as medication and helpful along side it as well. Suggest there is a good case for making CBT the first choice of treatment in public health care systems like the NHS
