Psychopathology (definitions) Flashcards
Specific phobias
Phobias of objects or situations, such as the fear of snakes
Social anxiety
Phobias of social activities, such as public speaking
Agoraphobia
The fear of being outside/in public places
Generalisation
When the same response occurs when in contact with a stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimuli, e.g. a fear of rats leading to a fear of all small animals
Systematic desensitisation
A treatment for phobias in which the phobic is gradually exposed to their fear. It uses classical conditioning to relearn a new response to the fear.
Flooding
A treatment for phobias in which the phobic is immediately exposed to their fear in extreme conditions. It prevents negative reinforcement by making the phobic face their fear.
Major depressive disorder
A severe but often short-term case of depression
Persistent depressive disorder
A long term or recurring case of depression
Negative schema
Negative thoughts and beliefs developed in childhood as a result of a negative experience such as bullying, poor parenting, or physical/emotional abuse. Examples include ‘no one likes me’ and ‘life is pointless’.
Irrational beliefs/thoughts
Any belief that distorts reality in a way that interferes with our ability to be happy
Global assessment of functioning
An assessment guide for mental health which uses a scale of 1-100, 1 being the worst mental health state and 100 being the best.
A compulsion
A behaviour you feel like you need to do
An obsession
A cognition which you are constantly aware of
Statistical deviation
Behaviours/cognitions which are rare/vary from the average (the top or bottom 2.28%)
Deviation from social norms
Behaviour/cognitions which are socially unacceptable
Failure to function adequately
The inability to function in everyday life
Deviation from ideal mental health
Failing to meet criteria for normal mental functioning
False positive
Behaviour which is normal, but would be considered abnormal by a particular definition of abnormality
False negative
Behaviour which is abnormal, but would be considered normal by a particular definition of abnormality
Phobia
An irrational fear of an object or situation
Depression
A mental disorder characterised by low mood and energy levels
Behavioural characteristics
Ways in which people act
Emotional characteristics
Ways in which people feel
Cognitive characteristics
Ways in which people think
OCD
A disorder characterised by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours
Behavioural activation
Encouraging a depressed patient to be more active and engage in enjoyable activities
