Psychopathology

Question 1

Psychopathology

Answer 1

The scientific study of mental disorders.

Question 2

Depression

Answer 2

A mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy, sleep and eating disruption, aggression and self-harm, anger, low self-esteem, absolutist thinking, poor concentration, dwelling on the negative.

Question 3

Phobia

Answer 3

An irrational fear of an object or situation Characteristics i.e. panic, avoidance, endurance, anxiety, unreasonable responses, cognitive distortions, irrational beliefs, selective attention to stimulus.

Question 4

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Answer 4

A condition characterised by obsessions and/or compulsive behaviour, avoidance, anxiety and distress, accompanying depression, guilt and disgust, cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions and insight into excessive anxiety.

Question 5

Faulty Information Processing

Answer 5

When depressed we attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore positives. We also tend to blow small problems out of proportion and think in ‘black and white’.

Question 6

Cognitive Approach to Treating Depression

Answer 6

Beck’s cognitive behaviour therapy, Ellis’ rational emotional behaviour theory (REBT) and behavioural activation.

Question 7

Types of Phobia

Answer 7

Specific (e.g. animal, environmental, atypical, situational, blood/injection), social (extreme fear of embarrassment in social situations) and agoraphobia (fear of open/public spaces AKA the outside.

Question 8

Negative Self Schema

Answer 8

A self-schema is the package of information we have about ourselves so if we have a negative self-schema we interpret all info about ourselves in a negative way.

Question 9

Irrational Thoughts

Answer 9

In Ellis’ model and therapy, these are defined as thoughts that are likely to interfere with a person’s happiness. Such dysfunctional thoughts lead to mental disorders such as depression.

Question 10

Ellis’ ABC Model

Answer 10

Ellis proposed that depression occurs when an activating event (A) triggers an irrational belief (B) which in turn produces a consequence (C).

Question 11

Drug Therapy

Answer 11

Treatment involving drugs i.e. chemicals that have a particular effect on the functioning of the brain or some other body system. In psychological disorders such drugs usually affect neurotransmitter levels.

Question 12

Failure to Function Adequately

Answer 12

Occurs when someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living. A definition of abnormality.

Question 13

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)

Answer 13

REBT extends the ABC model to an ABCDE mode. D stands for dispute and E for effect. Central technique of REBT is to identify and dispute irrational thoughts.

Question 14

Systematic Desensitisation

Answer 14

A behavioural therapy designed to reduce an unwanted response to a stimulus. Involves drawing up an anxiety hierarchy, relaxation, and exposure.

Question 15

Behavioural Approach to Treating Phobias

Answer 15

Systematic desensitisation and flooding

Question 16

Flooding

Answer 16

A behavioural therapy in which a phobic patient is exposed to an extreme form of a phobic stimulus in order to reduce anxiety triggered by that stimulus.

Question 17

Beck’s Cognitive Theory

Answer 17

Suggested three parts to this cognitive vulnerability. Faulty information processing, negative self-schemas and the negative triad.

Question 18

Cognitive

Answer 18

Refers to the process of thinking -knowing; perceiving, believing.

Question 19

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health

Answer 19

Occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health. A definition of abnormality.

Question 20

Biological Approach to Treating OCD

Answer 20

Include drug treatments such was anti-depressant drugs (e.g. SSRI’s, MAOI’s, tricyclics) and anti-anxiety drugs (e.g. benzodiazepines).

Question 21

Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression

Answer 21

This approach is focused on how our mental processes affect behaviour. Theories include Beck’s theory and Ellis’ ABC model.

Question 22

Biological Approach to Explaining OCD

Answer 22

A perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body. There are genetic explanations and neural explanations.

Question 23

Genetic Explanations

Answer 23

Genes make up chromosomes and consist of DNA which codes the physical features of an organism and psychological features. Genes are transmitted from parents to offspring.

Question 24

Neural Explanations

Answer 24

The view that physical and psychological characteristics are determined by the behaviour of the nervous system. There are neurochemical and neuroanatomical explanations.

Question 25

Neuroanatomical Explanations

Answer 25

OCD is the result of hypersensitive basal ganglia and orbitofrontal cortex. Caudate nucleus normally surpasses signals from the pre-frontal cortex but in OCD the signals are not switched off. This then alerts the thalamus which sends a message back to the orbitofrontal cortex.

Question 26

Neurochemical Explanations

Answer 26

OCD is due to high levels of dopamine and low levels of serotonin.

Question 27

Statistical Infrequency

Answer 27

Occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic. A definition of abnormality.

Question 28

Emotional

Answer 28

Ways in which people feel.

Question 29

Behavioural Approach to Explaining Phobias

Answer 29

A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning. Two process model of acquisition by classical conditioning and maintenance by operant conditioning.

Question 30

Behavioural

Answer 30

Ways in which people act.

Question 31

Watson and Rayner -Little Albert Study

Answer 31

Became scared of white rats due to classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Example of the two-process model in action.

Question 32

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Answer 32

A method for treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques.

Question 33

Behavioural Activation

Answer 33

Therapists may also work to encourage a depressed patient to be more active and engage in enjoyable activities. This will provide more evidence for the irrational nature of beliefs.

Question 34

GAF Scale

Answer 34

Global assessment functioning scale.

Question 35

DSM-5

Answer 35

The manual used by psychiatrists to diagnose mental disorders.

Question 36

Diathesis Stress Model Explaining Phobias

Answer 36

Genetic vulnerability + trigger = phobia. Alternative explanation to behavioural for phobias.

Question 37

Deviation from Social Norms

Answer 37

Concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards in a community or society. A definition of abnormality.

Question 38

Negative Triad

Answer 38

Three kinds of negative thinking that contributed to becoming depressed: negative views of the world, the future and the self.