psychopathology advanced information

Question 1

what is statistical deviation as a definition of abnormality

Answer 1

When an individual has a statistically less common characteristic such as being more intelligent than the rest of the population.

Question 2

what is a strength of the statistical deviation definition of abnormality

Answer 2

Real life application. Helps when assessing patients on wether their behaviour is different from the statistical norm. Then it may help with a diagnosis. Therefore it is a useful part of clinical assessments.

Question 3

what is a limitation of the statical deviation definition of abnormality

Answer 3

Unusual characteristics can be positive. High IQ people would be classed as statistically abnormal but would never need treatment for having an IQ. This means statistical deviation could never be used by itself for diagnosis.

Question 4

what is the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality

Answer 4

Concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society. Standards may vary depending on where we live.

Question 5

what is a strength of deviation from social norms definition of abnormality

Answer 5

Real life application. Can help with the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. Therefore there is a place for Deviation from social norms in thinking about what is normal.

Question 6

what is a limitation of deviation from social norms definition of abnormality

Answer 6

Cultural relativism. Social norms vary wildly between different cultural groups so someone may label someone as behaving abnormally based on their own cultural standards. Such as hearing voices in the UK. Therefore this definition may be less useful for diagnosing people of other cultures.

Question 7

what is the failure to function adequately definition of abnormality

Answer 7

When someone is unable to cope with the demands of everyday life. For example unable to meet basic needs of hygiene and nutrition.

Criteria:
standard interpersonal rules.
severe distress .
irrational or dangerous to themselves or others.

Question 8

what is a strength of failure to function adequately definition of abnormality

Answer 8

Patients perspective. Attempts to include the experience of the patient when trying to diagnose them therefore acknowledging their experience is important. This suggests failure to function adequately is a good way to assess abnormality.

Question 9

what is a limitation of failure to function adequately definition of abnormality

Answer 9

Subjective judgement. For this definition of abnormality a psychologist has to make the final judgement on whether a patient is for example experiencing severe personal distress. Therefore these judgements could vary from person to person which may mean this definition lacks objectivity.

Question 10

what is the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality

Answer 10

Occurs when someone does not meet a set criteria which lists what it takes to to have good mental health.

Jahoda’s criteria:
We self-actualise.
Independent of other people.
Good self esteem and lack guilt.

Question 11

what is a strength of deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality

Answer 11

Comprehensive definition. Covers most of the reasons why someone would seek help for their mental health issues. Therefore the range of factors discussed makes it a good tool for discussing mental health.

Question 12

what is a limitation of deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality

Answer 12

Unrealistically high standard for health. Very few people attain all of Jahodas criteria for mental health and are able to maintain it. Therefore this could mean we are all labelled as abnormal.

Question 13

what is the two process model from the behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Answer 13

Phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning.

Question 14

what is classical conditioning in the behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Answer 14

Involves learning to associate neutral stimulus with something that triggers a fear response like little albert who originally when presented with a white mouse was not afraid however the white mouse was presented alongside a large bang until eventually it became a conditioned stimulus in itself that would produce a conditioned response of fear.

Question 15

what is maintenance by operant condition in the behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Answer 15

Operant conditioning consists of positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.

Negative reinforcement because when a person avoids a phobic situation they produce a desirable consequence and are more likely to do it again therefore maintaining the phobia.

Question 16

what is a strength of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias to do with real world application

Answer 16

Real world application. This explains how phobias are maintained through operant conditioning so exposure to phobic stimulus can help people overcome phobias. Therefore the behaviourist approach gave rise to phobic treatments such as systematic desensitisation.

Question 17

what is a limitation of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias to do with not being applicable to all phobias

Answer 17

Can’t explain development of all phobias. Some phobias may develop not due to the classical conditioning aspect of the two process model. Therefore the behavioural approach may not be the best explanation for phobias.

Question 18

what is a limitation of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias to do with evolution

Answer 18

Evolutionary factors. Some phobias such as that of the dark may have evolved over time in order to keep us safe making it adaptive. This goes against the two process model as there may be more to phobias than conditioning.

Question 19

what is systematic desensitisation in the behavioural approach to treating phobias

Answer 19

Anxiety hierarchy produced for phobia starting with the least anxiety inducing situations and ending with the most.

Patients are taught relaxation techniques such as breathing techniques.

Patients will gradually move up the hierarchy but cannot move up until they are totally relaxed at each stage of the hierarchy.

Question 20

what is flooding in the behavioural approach to treating phobias

Answer 20

Immediate exposure of patient to the phobic stimulus without buildup.

When the conditioned stimulus(dog) is presented without the unconditioned stimulus(being bitten) occurring the the conditioned response(fear) will no longer occur. Process called extinction.

Patient must give fully informed consent due to how unpleasant the therapy is.

Question 21

what is a strength of systematic desensitisation to do with accessibility

Answer 21

Suitable for a diverse range of patients. People with learning difficulties may not understand flooding or properly go through cognitive therapy. Therefore this therapy is accessible for everyone and can by extension help everyone.

Question 22

what is a strength of systematic desensitisation to do with supporting research

Answer 22

Supporting research. Gilroy found that 42 patients with arachnophobia who were treated with SD compared to a control group that weren’t at 3 and 33 months the SD group were reported as being less fearful. Therefore it is an effective treatment.

Question 23

what is a strength/limitation of flooding to do with cost effectiveness

Answer 23

Cost effective. Sometimes only one long session is required to cure a patient of their phobia. However may not be cost effective because due to how traumatic the treatment is patients may drop out therefore if they leave before treatment is finished it is a waste of money.

Question 24

what is a limitation of flooding and systematic desensitisation to do with not removing the cause

Answer 24

Treatments do not remove the cause. Therefore after removal another phobia could appear in its place. However many behaviourist psychologists believe it does not happen due to mixed evidence.

Question 25

what is a limitation of flooding to do with being traumatic

Answer 25

Traumatising. The process of overwhelming exposure to a phobic stimulus is very distressing. Therefore patients may drop out of the treatment.

Question 26

what is the genetic part of the biological explanation of OCD

Answer 26

Lewis(1936) 37% of OCD patients had parents with OCD which shows the genetic vulnerability.

Candidate genes are involved in producing symptoms of OCD e.g 5HT1D

OCD is polygenic with up to 230 genetic variations.

Origin has different causes in different people.

Question 27

what is the neural part of the biological explanation of OCD

Answer 27

Low levels of serotonin which regulates mood linked to OCD. Therefore normal transition of mood relevant information does not take place.

Impaired decision making systems in lateral frontal lobes.

Parahippocampal gyrus functions abnormally.

Question 28

what is a strength of the genetic part of the biological explanation of OCD to do with supporting research

Answer 28

Supporting research. Nestsadt found 68% of monozygous twins shared OCD compared to 31% of dizygous twins. This strongly suggests a genetic influence on OCD.

Question 29

what is a limitation of the genetic part of the biological explanation of OCD to do with too many candidate genes

Answer 29

Too many candidate genes. Each gene only increases the risk by a fraction. This limits how useful this explanation is to developing treatment due to it being too broad.

Question 30

what is a strength of the neural part of the biological explanation of OCD to do with antidepressants

Answer 30

Antidepressants. Antidepressants that increase serotonin are effective in reducing OCD symptoms. Therefore this suggests an association between serotonin and OCD.

Question 31

what is a limitation of the neural part of the biological explanation of OCD to do with brain structure

Answer 31

Result rather than cause. Abnormal brain function may be a result of OCD rather than a cause. Therefore we should not assume these abnormal brain structures cause OCD.

Question 32

what are the biological treatments for OCD

Answer 32

SSRI (selective serotonin reputake inhibitor) prevent reabsorption and breakdown of serotonin therefore increasing its levels in the synapse.

Build up of serotonin in the synapse compensates for whatever is wrong with the serotonin system. Takes three to four months to have an effect on symptoms. Available as liquid or tablet.

Usually coupled with CBT treatments as patient will respond better.

SNRIs alternative work on noradrenaline as well.

Question 33

what is a strength of the biological treatment of OCD to do with little effort

Answer 33

Drug therapy requires little effort. Patients just have to take the drug and wait until their symptoms disappear and don’t have to engage with tough psychological treatment. Therefore it may be a more pleasant experience for patients.

Question 34

what is a strength of the biological treatment of OCD to do with cost effective

Answer 34

Drug therapy is cost effective. In the UK where the NHS is publicly funded a way for it to provide treatment at a lower cost is beneficial. Therefore the funds can be spent on other aspects of the NHS.

Question 35

what is a limitation of biological treatments for OCD to do with side effects

Answer 35

Side effects of SSRIs. Side effects can include nausea and headaches. This may mean taking SSRIs is a unpleasant experience for the patients. This in turn may lead to the patient stopping taking the medication.

Question 36

what is a limitation of biological treatments for OCD involving unreliable evidence

Answer 36

Unreliable evidence. Research done on drugs is sponsored by drug companies who do not report all the evidence. This means patients may be taking drug treatments based on bias evidence.