Psychopathology Flashcards
Define statistical infrequency
- Abnormal behaviour are rare + diff, found in few people
- eg. IQ : average is 100
- 2% below 70, statistically abnormal so diagnosed w/ intellectual disability disorder
Evaluate statistical infrequency
(+) Real life application - assessment of patient w/ mental disorder is compared w/ statistical infrequency eg. intellectual disability disorder - useful in clinical assessment
(-) Some abnormal behaviour is desirable - eg. IQ of 150 is abnormal but desirable + doesnt require treatment
(-) Not everyone benefits from labels - someone w/ low IQ may be living normal + happy life - -ve effect on their view
Define deviation from social norms
- Abnormal behaviour is someone who deviates from socially created norms, act diff from expectations
- eg. antisocial personality disorder: failure to conform to lawful + culturally normative ethical behaviour, abnormal bc they’re impulsive + aggressive
Evaluate deviation from social norms
(-) Culturally relative - person from 1 culture may label someone as abnormal using their standards eg. hearing voices
(-) Social norms vary over time - eg. homosexuality considered mental disorder but now socially acceptable
(-) Deviance is related to behaviour’s context - eg. wearing few clothes on beach is normal but not at funeral, no clear line btw abnormal deviation + eccentricity
Define failure to function adequately
- Abnormal if they can’t cope w/ everyday life
- Not functioning adequately causes distress + suffering for person + others
- eg. low IQ is statistical infrequency but intellectual disability disorder shows FTFA bc unable to cope w/ everyday life
Evaluate failure to function adequately
(+) Recognises patient’s perspective - acknowledges experience of patient’s is important - useful for assessing abnormality
(-) Some abnormal behaviour can be functional - depression may lead to extra attention for individual, attention is rewarding - incomplete definitions
Define deviation from ideal mental health
- Abnormality is deviating from ideal +ve mental health, defined in terms of Jahoda’s criteria, absence of criteria indicates abnormality
- Criteria: no symptoms of distress, accurate self-perception, self-actualisation, ability to cope w/ stress, realistic view of world, good self esteem + independent
Evaluate deviation from ideal mental health
(+) Comprehensive - covers wide range of criteria for mental health
(-) Culturally relative - Specific to western cultures eg. self atualisation would be considered self indulgent in collectivist cultures
(-) Unrealistic - few people satisfy criteria, so most are abnormal
Define Phobias
An irrational fear of an object or situation
Phobias: behavioural
- Panic - crying, screaming, running away
- Avoidance - avoid phobic stimulus
- Endurance - remains in presence of stimulus but exp anxiety
Phobias: emotional
- Anxiety - unpleasant state of high arousal, unable to relax
- Fear - immediate + unpleasant response, leads to anxiety
- Unreasonable emotional responses - disproportionate to danger posed
Phobias: cognitive
- Selective attention
- Irrational belief
- Cognitive distortions - alters perception of phobic stimilus
Outline the behavioural approach to explaining phobias
- 2 process model
- Classical conditioning - phobias are acquired
- eg. Little Albert: rats + loud noise
- Operant conditioning - phobias are maintained: fear is lowered by avoiding phobic stimulus (-ve reinforcement)
Evaluate the behavioural approach to explaining phobias
(+) Good explanatory power - Provides exp of acquiring phobias, important implications for therapies bc explains y patients need to be exposed
(-) Doesn’t explain the development of all phobias - some cant remember incident leading to development of phobia
(-) Phobia doesn’t always develop after traumatic incident - people bitten by dogs don’t develop phobia. Diathesis stress model- inherit genetic vulnerability + triggered by life events
(-) Cognitive aspects - person who thinks they’ll die in lifts may trigger phobia, irrational thinking involved in development of phobias
Outline systematic desensitisation as a behavioural approach to treating phobias
- Uses counterconditioning to replace fear w/ relaxation
- Based on reciprocal inhibition - cant be relaxed + afraid at same time
- Make anxiety hierarchy - fearful stimuli ordered least to worst frightening
- Taught relaxation techniques - deep breathing + meditation
- Works through hierarchy in relaxed state
- Several sessions - gradual exposure
Evaluate systematic desensitisation as a behavioural approach to treating phobias
(+) Effective - Gilroy followed up 42 patients who had SD for spider phobia in 3 45min sesh, less fearful compared to group w/o exposure
(+) Suitable for diverse range of patients - alt treatments is flooding, not suitable eg.those w/ learning difficulties won’t understand whats happening
(+) Acceptable to patients - doesn’t cause same degree of trauma, low attrition rates
Outline flooding as a behavioural approach to treating phobias
- Single exposure to most feared situation
- Learns relaxation techniques + exposed for 2-3 hrs
- Learn through extinction - patient learns phobic stimulus is harmless
Evaluate flooding as a behavioural approach to treating phobias
(+) Cost effective - quicker than alt techniques
(-) Less effective for some phobias - eg. social phobias have cognitive aspect, cognitive therapies tackle irrational thinking
(-) Traumatic - high attrition, time + money wasted
Define depression
Mental disorder characterised by low mood + low energy levels
Depression: behavioural
- Reduced energy levels
- Disruption to sleep + eating behaviour
- Aggressive behaviour
Depression: emotional
- Lowered mood - feeling worthless
- Anger
- Low self esteem
Depression: cognitive
- Poor conc levels
- Adding to + dwelling on -ve
- Absolutist thinking
Outline Beck’s cognitive theory of explaining depression
- Due to faulty info processing
- Roots lying in traumatic childhood experiences, developing -ve schema
- Depressed people have -ve self schema - interpret info about themselves in -ve way
- Negative triad: world, future + self
Evaluate Beck’s cognitive theory of explaining depression
(+) Supporting evidence - Grazoili et al assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability + depression before + after birth. High vulnerability most likely suffer post natal depression
(+) Practical application - forms basis of CBT, -ve triad challenged in CBT
(-) Doesn’t explain all aspects of depression - some suffer hallucinations + delusions they’re zombies
Outline Ellis ABC model to explaining depression
- Depression arises from irrational thoughts
- Activating event
- -ve event triggers irrational beliefs eg. musterbation‘must always succeed’, utopianism
- When beliefs triggered, there are emotional + behavioural consequences: depression
Evaluate Ellis ABC model to explaining depression
(+) Practical application - forms basis of CBT, challenges irrational thoughts
(-) Doesn’t explain all aspects of depression - some suffer hallucinations + delusions they’re zombies
(-) Ignores biological exp - low levels of serotonin in depressed people
Define CBT
Treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques. Cognitive therapy challenges -ve thoughts also includes behavioural techniques such as behavioural activation
Outline Beck’s cognitive therapy
- Identify automatic thoughts about -ve triad
- Thoughts challenged by being set hw (patients as scientists) used in futures sesh to disprove -ve automatic thoughts
Outline Ellis’ rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)
- Aims to turn irrational to rational thoughts
- D - dispute irrational beliefs
- E - effects of disputing
- Focuses on vigorous arguement to dispute: logical (follow facts), empirical (evidence) + pragmatic
Define behavioural activation
Encourage patients to be more active + engage in enjoyable activities
Evaluate the cognitive approach to treating depression
(+) Effective - March et al compared effect of CBT w/ AD in 327 depressed teens, after 36 weeks, 81% CBT, 81% AD + 86% CBT + AD sig improved
(-) Individual diff influences effectiveness - Less suitable for when people’s irrational thoughts are rigid, so severe they need AD first
(-) Emphasises importance of cognition - minimises importance of circumstances eg. someone suffering abuse needs to change situation
Define OCD
Condition characterised by obsessions and/or compulsive behaviour
OCD: behavioural
- Compulsive behaviour - repetitive + reduces anxiety
- Avoidance - situations that trigger anxiety
OCD: emotional
- Anxiety - obsessive thoughts are unpleasant
- Depression
- Irrational guilt + disgust - over minor moral issues + self
OCD: cogntive
- Obessive thoughts - exp 90% of sufferers
- Insight into own excessive anxiety
Outline the genetic explanations to explaining OCD
- Lewis observed 37% patients w/ OCD had parents w/ OCD + 21% had siblings w/ OCD - runs in families
- Candidate genes: 5HT1-D implicated in efficiency of transport of serotonin across synapses
- Polygenic: several genes involved (230)
- Aetiologically hetrogeneous: group of genes causes OCD in 1 person but other set of genes in another person
Evaluate the genetic explanations to explaining OCD
(+) Supporting evidence - Nestadt reviewed twin studies + found 68% MZ shared OCD as opposed to 31% DZ
(-) Too many candidate genes identified - 230 genes - provides little predictive value
(-) Ignores env factors - not born w/ OCD but learnt from env
Outline neural explanations to explaining OCD
- Explained by reduction in functioning of serotonin system - NT that regulates mood, low = normal transmission of mood-relevant info btw neurones doesn’t take place
- Hoarding disorder associated w/ impaired decision making due to abnormal brain functioning of lateral frontal lobes - responsible for decision making
- Left parahippocampal gyrus associated w/ unpleasant emotions + functions abnormally in sufferers
Evaluate neural explanations to explaining OCD
(+) Supporting evidence - AD work purely on serotonin system, inc NT levels reduces OCD symptoms
(-) Correlation doesn’t mean causation - bio abnormalities could be result of OCD than cause
Outline the biological approach to treating OCD
- SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants
Evaluate the biological approach to treating OCD
(+) Effective - Soomro et al reviewed 17 studies comparing SSRIs to placebo, all showed better results than placebo
(+) Cost effective + non-disruptive - psychological therapies are time consuming, SSRIs can be taken any time
(-) Side effects - SSRI: headaches + insomnia, tricylic: hallucinations + irregular heartbeat, causes patients to stop taking it
(-) Evidence is unreliable - evidence favouring drug is biased bc sponsored by drug companies who don’t report all evidence
