Psychopathology definitions

Question 1

Define ABC model?

Answer 1

Ellis’s explanation for how irrational thoughts affect behaviour A= activating event B= beliefs C=consequences

Question 2

Define agoraphobia?

Answer 2

Irrational fear of being outside or in a public place

Question 3

Define avoidance?

Answer 3

The act of staying away from something (e.g the phobia of object or situation)

Question 4

Define basal ganglia?

Answer 4

The region of the brain involved with coordination of movement that has been linked with OCD

Question 5

Define bezodiazepines?

Answer 5

Anti-anxiety drugs used to treat OCD as they have a quietening affect on the brain and reduce anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts

Question 6

Define bipolar depression?

Answer 6

Condition where a person has periods of elevated mood (mania) as well as periods of depression

Question 7

Define catastrophising?

Answer 7

Cognitive error where you exaggerate a minor setback and turn it into a major disaster

Question 8

Define CBT?

Answer 8

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a commonly used therapy which involves challenging and replacing irrational thoughts

Question 9

Define cognitive bias?

Answer 9

Error in thinking caused by simplified information processing

Question 10

Define compulsion?

Answer 10

An irresistible urge to behave in a certain way

Question 11

Define COMT gene?

Answer 11

Gene which has a variation which results in higher levels of dopamine and this variation is more common in patients with OCD

Question 12

Define counter-conditioning?

Answer 12

Learning a new response to the phobic object/situation e.g replacing fear with relaxation

Question 13

Define cultural relativism?

Answer 13

The idea that cultural norms and values are culture specific and no-one culture is superior to another culture

Question 14

Define deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 14

Not meeting criteria which suggests you are mentally healthy

Question 15

Define deviation from social norms?

Answer 15

A behaviour that deviates from social norms is one that is very different from how we would expect people to behave

Question 16

Define dopamine?

Answer 16

Higher levels of this neurotransmitter have been associated with the compulsions shown by OCD patients

Question 17

Define DSN-V?

Answer 17

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition is the standard classification of mental disorders used in the united states

Question 18

Define empirical dispute?

Answer 18

REBT technique where the therapist seeks evidence for a persons thoughts

Question 19

Define failure to function adequately?

Answer 19

When a person’s behaviour means that they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life

Question 20

Define fear hierarchy?

Answer 20

A list of situations related to the phobic objects/situation arranged in order from the least to most frightening

Question 21

Define flooding (in-vitro)?

Answer 21

Behavioural treatment for a phobia which involves imagines exposure to the phobic object/ situation without being able to escape

Question 22

Define flooding (in-vivo)?

Answer 22

Behavioural treatment for a phobia which involves actual exposure to the phobic object/situation without being able to escape

Question 23

Define hindsight bias?

Answer 23

The way that social norms change over time

Question 24

Define ICD 10?

Answer 24

The 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, produced by the World Health Organisation

Question 25

Define logical dispute?

Answer 25

REBT technique where the therapies disputes the logic of a person’s thoughts

Question 26

Define negative self-schemas?

Answer 26

Negative information we hold about ourselves based on negative past experiences that can lead to cognitive biases

Question 27

Define negative triad?

Answer 27

Three types of negative thinking (self, world and future) that Beck suggested occur automatically in people who are depressed

Question 28

Define obsession?

Answer 28

An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind

Question 29

Define orbifrontal cortex?

Answer 29

A region in the brain which converts sensory information into thoughts and actions - higher activity has been found here in OCD patients

Question 30

Define overgeneralisation?

Answer 30

Cognitive error where you make a sweeping conclusion from a single incident

Question 31

Define REBT?

Answer 31

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy is a type of CBT based on Ellis’s ABC model

Question 32

Define selective attention?

Answer 32

Focusing on one piece of information while ignoring other information viewed as irrelevant

Question 33

Define serotonin?

Answer 33

Neurotransmitter which regulates mood - lower levels are associated with OCD

Question 34

Define SERT gene?

Answer 34

Gene which affects the transport of serotonin, causing lower levels of serotonin which is associated with OCD

Question 35

Define simple or specific phobia?

Answer 35

Irrational fear of an object (e.g spiders) or situation (e.g flying)

Question 36

Define social norm?

Answer 36

The rules of behaviour that are considered acceptable in a group or society

Question 37

Define social phobia?

Answer 37

Irrational fear of a social situation (e.g speaking in public)

Question 38

Define SSRIs?

Answer 38

Antidepressant drugs used to treat OCD which works by preventing the re-absorption and breakdown of serotonin

Question 39

Define statistical infrequency?

Answer 39

A behaviour that is statistically infrequent, does not happen very often

Question 40

Define systematic desensitisation?

Answer 40

A behaviour therapy designed to gradually reduce a phobia through the principle of classical conditioning

Question 41

Define two-process model?

Answer 41

Behavioural explanation for phobias which suggests they are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Question 42

Define uni polar depression?

Answer 42

A major depressive episode that occurs without manic phase