Psychopathology A03 Flashcards
What is A03 for the definitions of abnormality
Statistical infrequency
Deviation from IMH
Deviation from social norms
FTF
1️⃣ Statistical Infrequency
✔️ Objective and useful – Provides clear, measurable criteria for diagnosing disorders (e.g., IQ below 70 for intellectual disability).
❌ Cultural relativism – What is statistically rare in one culture may not be in another (e.g., hearing voices is common in some cultures).
2️⃣ Deviation from Social Norms
✔️ Real-world application – Used in diagnosing disorders like antisocial personality disorder.
❌ Subjectivity and change over time – Homosexuality was once seen as abnormal, showing that norms evolve.
3️⃣ Failure to Function Adequately
✔️ Considers individual distress – Focuses on the impact on daily life, making it more humane.
❌ Subjective judgment – Some people may function despite distress (e.g., eccentric but not mentally ill).
4️⃣ Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
✔️ Holistic approach – Covers a broad range of criteria for mental well-being.
❌ Unrealistic standards – Few people meet all of Jahoda’s criteria at all times.
Strengths and weaknesses to the behaviours approach of explaining phobias
1️⃣ Two-Process Model (Classical + Operant Conditioning)
✔️ Empirical support – Watson & Rayner’s Little Albert experiment demonstrated how phobias are learned.
❌ Ignores biological factors – Evolutionary explanations suggest some fears (e.g., snakes, heights) are innate.
Strengths and weaknesses of flooding and SD
2️⃣ Systematic Desensitisation (SD)
✔️ Effective treatment – Research (e.g., Gilroy et al., 2003) shows SD works for specific phobias.
❌ Limited for complex phobias – Less effective for social phobias, which involve cognitive elements.
3️⃣ Flooding
✔️ Cost-effective – Quicker and cheaper than SD.
❌ Ethical concerns – High anxiety levels may cause dropout rates to be high.
Strength and weaknesses of explaining the cognitive approach of depression
1️⃣ Beck’s Negative Triad
✔️ Practical application – Forms the basis of CBT, which is effective for depression.
❌ Doesn’t explain all depression – Some sufferers experience hallucinations or extreme anger, which it doesn’t explain.
2️⃣ Ellis’ ABC Model
✔️ Led to successful therapy – REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy) challenges irrational thoughts.
❌ Ignores biological factors – Depression is linked to low serotonin, which cognitive models don’t consider.
Strength and weaknesses of CBT to treating depression
✔️ Empirical support – March et al. (2007) found CBT was as effective as antidepressants, with 81% of CBT patients, 81% of drug patients, and 86% of combination therapy patients improving.
❌ Relapse rates suggest limitations – Ali et al. (2017) found that 42% of CBT patients relapsed within 12 months, though booster sessions helped prevent relapse.
✔️ Addresses root cause – Unlike drug therapy, CBT tackles negative thought patterns rather than just symptoms.
❌ Requires motivation – Patients with severe depression may struggle to engage with CBT, making drug therapy a better option in some case
Strengths and weaknesses of genetic explanation of OCD
✔️ Family studies support genetic influence – Lewis (1936) found that 37% of OCD patients had parents with OCD and 21% had siblings with OCD, suggesting a hereditary link.
❌ Diathesis-stress model needed – Not all family members develop OCD, implying that environmental factors also play a role in triggering the condition.
✔️ Twin studies provide further support – Nestadt et al. (2010) found 68% concordance in MZ twins compared to 31% in DZ twins, showing a strong genetic basis.
❌ Reductionist – Focusing only on genetics ignores psychological explanations, such as negative thought patterns in CBT models
What are the A03 for the neural explanation of OCD
trengths:
✔️ Supporting Evidence – Neurotransmitters:
• Soomro et al. (2009) found that SSRIs (which increase serotonin) were more effective than placebos, suggesting serotonin plays a role in OCD.
✔️ Supporting Evidence – Brain Structures:
• Brain imaging studies show increased activity in the OFC of OCD patients, supporting the idea that faulty neural circuits contribute to compulsions.
Weaknesses:
❌ Cause vs. Effect Issue:
• Abnormal serotonin levels and brain activity may be a result of OCD rather than the cause, making it difficult to establish causality.
❌ Alternative Explanations:
• Psychological models (e.g., CBT-based cognitive explanations) suggest negative thought patterns contribute to OCD, showing that neural factors alone cannot fully explain the disorder.
❌ Not Universal:
• Some OCD patients have normal serotonin levels, suggesting other biological or environmental factors must also be involved.
A03 for drug therapy
✔️ Effective Treatment – Studies (e.g., Soomro et al., 2009) show SSRIs are significantly more effective than placebos in reducing OCD symptoms.
✔️ Cost-Effective & Accessible – Drug therapy is cheaper and easier to access than CBT, making it a practical option for many patients.
✔️ Works Well with CBT – Combining SSRIs with CBT is more effective than either treatment alone, supporting a biopsychosocial approach.
❌ Side Effects – SSRIs can cause nausea, headaches, and loss of libido, while tricyclics (e.g., clomipramine) have even more severe side effects, leading to high dropout rates.
❌ Not a Long-Term Solution – Symptoms often return after stopping medication, meaning SSRIs manage symptoms rather than curing OCD.
❌ Researcher Bias & Pharmaceutical Influence – Some studies are funded by drug companies, leading to potential bias in result
