Psychopathology Flashcards
what defines psychopathology?
deviant, maladaptive, distress, not merely expectable response to event
give a brief history of psychopathology
demonology/possession accounts were common. treatments included exorcism, trephination, being transfused with animal blood
what did Pinel (1745-1826) argue?
madness was due to ailment of the mind rather than demonic possession . containment rather than treatment (madhouses)
give a brief history of medical treatments for psychopathology
transorbital lobotomy; insulin shock therapy for schizophrenia; electroconvulsive
describe a transorbital lobotomy
needles entered into eye, wiggled around to destroy some tissue, then taken out again
describe insulin shock therapy for schizophrenia
puts them in a coma and ‘shakes up’ mental function
describe electroconvulsive therapy
Still used today; Lots of research on it; Both sides of your brain, nothing to protect you from the convulsion; Short term memory loss, and occasionally loss; Some evidence that is can help depression
describe ‘moral’ treatments
Stressed the understanding of the patient; Offering hope, Encouraging moral responsibility and Engaging in occupational therapy. Non-conformist, religious point of view. Positive view of human nature: like humanist viewpoint later
what is social stigma?
negative attitudes and behaviour in society
what is perceived stigma?
what the sufferer experiences
what can labelling increase?
stigma
how does the media often portray mental illness?
dangerous, murderous, and unpredictable
describe the user/recovery movement
challenging attitudes and recovering respect. originated in the us.
describe the use of psychiatric disorders in language
entered our everyday language eg. OCD and bipolar. also works the other way: depression existed in language before it was used for mental illnesses
describe the gender differences in reporting and diagnosing mental illnesses
women generally more able to notice and report feelings. can under diagnose eg. eating disorders in men, because they don’t appear in the same way as women
what is the most biological way of looking at mental health problems?
medical
describe the medical model to mental illness
was the most dominant theory. genetic or bio cause. medical language such as patient and diagnosis. reductionist. assumes categorical distinction between those who have a disorder and those who don’t. can be stigmatising
describe the psychodynamic approach to mental illness
unconscious conflict between id, ego and superego. defence mechanisms. fixation on early stage of development. idiographic. deterministic. concepts difficult to measure and research (case studies only)
describe the humanistic approach to mental illness
barriers to self-actualisation and realising potential. client centred therapy (Rogers, 40s). unconditional positive regard, empathy and acceptance. widened therapy beyond psychiatry. principles in many modern therapies. not much empirical evidence
describe the behavioural model approach to to mental illness
learned responses to life experiences (classical/operant conditioning). adaptive turned to maladaptive. aims to unlearn associations. supported by evidence. difficult to trace learning causes. treatment may be simplistic and not generalise.
describe the cognitive model
feelings/behaviour caused by thoughts. dysfunctional cognitions. CBT aims to identify, challenge and replace these. widely used and good evidence. not every individual is helped. direction of causality unclear.
describe the biopsychosocial model
a ‘catch all’. binary devising between nature and nurture. you can stress different parts of it
describe the diathesis-stress model
not a competitor to the biopsychosocial model. time span runs along the bottom. developmental psychopathology: factors interacting over time that leads to a diagnosable illness
describe the ICD
international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems. made by the WHO. introduced 1939, currently v10 (yearly)
describe the DSM
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders. made by APA.. introduced 1958, currently DSM-5. used more widely
what does the DSM aim to do?
provide objective and reliable diagnosis
describe Section II of the DSM
diagnostic criteria. each disorder (~300) described with prototypical symptoms. meet set number of criteria to receive a diagnosis. mild/moderate/severe.
describe Section III of the DSM
emerging measures and models. disorder-specific dimensional assessments general cross-cutting assessments to index impairment and track change. alternative models/disorders that need further research
give some strengths of DSM
access to services, resources, and legal considerations. can help people understand that they need not suffer and can be help. acknowledges biopsychsocial factors. some recognition of different seventies and impairment levels
give some weaknesses of DSM
reliability (evidence not perfect). identifies symptoms, not causes. medical model assumed. too many disorders (comorbidity). stigma. categories vs dimensions
