psychopathology AO1 Flashcards
emotional characteristics of phobias
anxiety/fear
behavioural characteristics of phobias
—->panic - shortness of breath/high heart rate
—->avoidance - effort to avoid the phobic stimulus
cognitive characteristics of phobias
—-> irrational thought process - doesn’t respond to evidence even I fear is proven to not be bad
—-> cognitive distortions - thoughts about phobic stimulus are distorted
emotional characteristics of depression
—-> sadness - empty, worthless
—-> avolition - loss of motivation
behavioural characteristics of depression
—-> reduction in energy
—-> insomnia/ increased sleep
—-> appetite changes
cognitive characteristics of depression
—-> negative thoughts
—-> poor concentration
—-> memory bias - remembering unhappy events easily
emotional characteristics of OCD
—-> anxiety and distress
—-> embarrassment and shame
behavioural characteristics of OCD
—-> compulsive behaviours
—-> avoidance - avoid situations which trigger obsessions and compulsions
cognitive characteristics of OCD
—->obsessive thoughts - 90% people get this
—-> sufferer is aware these obsessive thoughts are irrational.
(DOA) statistical infrequency
occurs when an individual has a les common characteristic. top or bottom 2% of the population
(DOA) deviation from social norms
sees any behaviour which differs from that society expects as abnormal. passed on through socialisation. social norms can change over time and across cultures.
(DOA) failure to function adequately
abnormally judged as unable to deal with the demands of everyday living.
-distress and anxiety
-observer discomfort
-stops them from working
-stops keeping hygienic
-causing them or others harm
-dangerous behaviour
behavioural approach to explaining phobias
suggests that the keys to understand development are observable behaviour and external stimuli in the environment. behaviourism.
(BATEP) skinner’s famous research
-rat pressed lever to get food (positive reinforcement)
-rat moved off grid when light was red to avoid being shocked (negative reinforcement)
-OPERANT CONDITIONING - learning through consequences
(BATEP) Watson’s famous research
little Albert was conditioned to be scared of w white rat when it was paired with the sound of a gong. phobia generalised to all white fluffy objects.
-CLASSICAL CONDITIONING - learning through association
(BATEP) mowrer’s two process model (1960)
phobias acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
(BATEP) how are phobias initiated
unconditioned stimulus + neutral simulus –> conditioned stimulus
(BATTP) what is flooding
involves exposing the patient to the phobic stimulus straight away. patient is kept in this situation until anxiety has worn off.
(BATTP) what is systematic desensitisation
works by using counter conditioning. phobic person makes a fear hierarchy. patient taught relaxation methods and relax through the hierarchy until they are at the most stressful.
(CATED) what is Aaron beck’s theory
-faulty informational processing causes depression
-negative bias
-believes people with depression have negative schemas
(CATED) Ellis’s abc model
thinks irrational thinking is how some people react differently to stress and adversity
A- adversity or event to which there is a process
B- belief about why the situation occurred
C- consequence - feelings and behaviour the belief now causes external event is blamed for the unhappiness being experienced.
(DOA) deviation from ideal mental health
absence of signs of good mental health used to judge abnormally. jahoda (1958)
-accurate perception of reality
-positive attitude to himself
-self actualisation
-resistance to stress
-environmental mastery
-independent
(BATEOCD) (GE) who is a key researcher for genetic explanations and what did he find
Nestadt et al (2000) found 1st degree relatives of OCD sufferers had higher chance of developing the disorder. 12% chance compared to only 3% for control group ppts.
(BATEOCD) (GE) what is the COMT gene
COMT gene breaks down dopamine. If COMT gene mutates it can cause low levels of the COMT enzyme meaning higher levels of dopamine.
(BATEOCD) (GE) what’s is the SERT gene
Creates protein which removes serotonin and recycles it. When mutation creates too much of the protein, serotonin levels go down. (Depression is low serotonin)
(BATEOCD) (GE) interactionist approach / diathesis stress model
Certain genes leave some people more likely to suffer mental disorder but this isn’t certain
(BATEOCD) (NE) what does serotonin do
regulates mood. low levels of serotonin associates with OCD.
(BATEOCD) (NE) what does dopamine do
maintains interest and motivation. high dopamine levels maintains compulsive thoughts which leads to OCD.
(BATEOCD) (NE) what is the worry circuit
1- OFC sends worry signal to thalamus
2- on the way to the thalamus, the caudate nucleus is supposed to suppress important signals
3- If caudate nucleus is damaged then thalamus is alerted too often and causes compulsions
(BATTOCD) what does SSRI stand for
Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (main brands are prozac and sertraline). 1st line treatments. They cause serotonin to go back up the neurone and blocks receptors therefore serotonin can’t go back to the pre - synaptic neurone
(BATTOCD) what does SNRI stand for
Seratonin and noradrenaline reputake. Brand - clomipramine. block the transporter mechanism that re absorbs both serotonin and noradrenaline. 2nd line treatment as they have side effects.
(BATTOCD) role of noradrenaline in OCD
When noradrenaline levels are low, a person may have anxiety and compulsions. We don’t know how fully involved but there is evidence for link
(BATTOCD) what is benzodiazepines and which neurotransmitter does this work on
Commonly used to reduce anxiety. GABA is the inhibitory neurotransmitter and calms the activity of neurons.
