Psychopathology Flashcards
What are the definitions of abnormality
- statistical in frequencies
- deviation from social norms
- failure to function adequately
- Deviation from ideal mental health
Positive evaluation of statistical infrequencies as a definition of abnormality
+ compare easily
+ Makes it more objective and quantitative
+ Obvious and quick way to define abnormality
+ Real life application : is relatively easy to determine abnormality using psychometric tests developed using statistical methods
+ Most patients with a mental disorder will undergo some kind of measurement of their symptoms in comparison to the norm
Negative evaluation for statistical infrequencies as a definition of abnormality
- reductionist - does not take account of the
- Depends where you are in the world will affect statistics
- Desirability of behaviour - many behaviours are rare but considered highly desirable (high IQ, great athletic ability). It is difficult to know how far you have to deviate from the average to be considered abnormal?
- Benefits of a label - someone who is living a happy and fulfilled life may not benefit from a leaflet regardless of how ‘abnormal’ they may be considered. In fact a label of ‘abnormal’ could be detrimental not helpful.
- Some things that statistically frequent can still be treated as abnormal. For example depression.
Positive and negative evaluation for deviation of social norms as a definition of abnormality
+ helps us to diagnose people with certain illnesses
- Social norms is vague different norms change across countries and areas and change with time
Evaluation of failure to function adequately as a definition of abnormality
Rosenham and Seligman (1989)
+ Comes from own person can be useful to tell if you need help
- own perspective so it could by psycho symptomatic or bias
- Who decides what is an acceptable level of functioning - deciding whether someone is distressed or distressing is subjective. Some patients although they may say that they are distressed may be judged as not suffering.
- Someone with depression, anxiety or psychopath or can be considered abnormal but can function in society well.
What are the 5 diagnosis points that someone can use to show failure to function adequately
1) Dysfunctional behaviour - behaviour which goes against the accepted standards of behaviour
2) Observer discomfort - behaviour that causes someone to be uncomfortable
3) Unpredictable behaviour - impulsive behaviour that seems uncontrollable
4) Irrational behaviour - behaviour that is unreasonable and illogical
5) Personal distress - being affected by emotion to an excessive degree
What is PRAISE - Jahoda
Six categories that help to identify if someone is of ideals mental health
Personal growth Reality perception Autonomy Integration Self attitudes Environmental mastery
Evaluation for Jahoda’s PRAISE model
+ Comprehensive - covers a broad range of criteria. This covers all aspects of mental health and makes us aware of all the different factors which can affect our mental health.
- cultural relativism - autonomy is valued in western individualistic cultures where community values are more important
- Difficult if not impossible to meet all the criteria therefore is everyone mentally unhealthy
- E.g. self actualisation - sadly, very few people reach their full potential
- Possible benefits of stress - do we perform better when we are stressed to a criteria level
What is a phobia
An anxiety disorder that interferes with daily living
It is an instance of irrational fear that produces a conscious avoidance of the feared object or situation
- Marked as a persistent fear of a specific object or situation
- Exposure to the phobic situation nearly always produces a rapid anxiety response
- Fear of the phobic object or situation is excessive
- The phobic stimulus is either avoided or responded to with great anxiety
- The phobic reaction interfere Significantly with the individuals working or social life, or he/she is very distressed about the phobia
what is DSM
- used to classify disorders using defined diagnostic criteria
- includes a list of symptoms that can be used as a tool for diagnosis
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What is a specific phobia
A fear of objects or situations. There are 5 sub types
1 - animal 2 - environmental dangers 3 - blood-injection- injury 4 - situational 5 - ‘other’
What is agoraphobia
- the fear of ope spaces, using public transport, being in an in closed space, waiting in line, being in a crowd or not being at home.
- it is specifically liked to the fear of not being able to escape o find help if an embarrassing situation arises
- it often involves sufferer avoiding the situation to avoid distress
- it may develop as a result of other phobias, because the sufferers afraid that they will come cross the source of their fear
What is social anxiety disorder
This is the fear of being in social situations. It is usually don to the possibility of being judged or being embarrassed.
What are the three types of Phobia under DSM
1) specific phobia
2) agoraphobia
3) social anxiety disorder
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias
- Anxiety and fear of the phobic stimulus
- unreasonable emotional response that is disproportionate to the danger
What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias
- Avoiding social situations because they cause anxiety. This happens especially if someone has a social anxiety disorder or agoraphobia
- altering behaviour to avoid the feared object or situation and trying to escape if it is encountered
What are the physical characteristics of phobias
- activation of fight or flight response when the feared object or situation is encountered or thought about. This involves a real ease if adrenaline, increased HR and breathing, and muscl tension
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias
- Selective attention - hard to look away from the stimulus
- Irrational beliefs - social phobia - ‘if I blush I am weak’ increases pressure on person to perform in social situations
- Cognitive distortions - perceptions of the stimulus are distorted.
What are the 5 diagnostic criteria for Phobias
1) There is significant prolonged fear of an object or situation which last more than six months
2) Experience and anxiety response if they’re exposed to the phobic stimulus
3) phobias are out of proportion to any actual danger
4) sufferers go out of their way to avoid the phobic stimulus
5) The phobia disrupts their lives
The behavioural approach to phobias states
That all phobias are learnt through operant or classical conditioning
Explain the two-process model for how phobias are maintained
1) people develop phobias by classical conditioning
2) once somebody has developed a phobia it’s maintained through operant conditioning
E.g. people get anxious around the phobic stimulus and avoid it. This prevents the anxiety which acts as the negative reinforcement
Strengths of the behavioural explanation for phobias
1) Barlow and Durand study. Showed that 50% of people with a fear of driving had been in a serious car accident. This shows classical conditioning caused her phobia.
2) behavioural therapies are very effective at treating phobias by getting the person to change their response to the stimulus this suggests they treat the cause of the problem.
3) Once a patient is prevented from practicing their avoidance behaviour, the behaviour ceases to be reinforced and it declines.
Weaknesses of the behavioural approach to phobias
- An incomplete explanation of phobias
- some people don’t know why they fear something
- the behaviourist approach does not take into account the cognitive spectrum of phobias
The two process model explains ,sing sine cells of phobias in terms of avoidance
What are the two behavioural therapies that can be used to treat phobias
Systematic desensitisation
Flooding
