PSYCHOPATHOLOGY EVALUATION

Question 1

strength of statistical infrequency

Answer 1

its used in formal diagnosis and a way of assessing symptom severity.
therefore, shows the value of statistical infrequency in diagnosis

Question 2

weakness of statistical infrequency

Answer 2

infrequent characteristics can be positive however we may view them as abnormal, being statistically infrequent doesn’t always make someone abnormal.
Never sufficient as the sole basis for defining abnormality

Question 3

strength of deviation from social norms

Answer 3

its used in practise eg: defining APD
Therefore, shows the value of deviation in criterion in diagnosis of disorders

Question 4

weakness of deviation from SN

Answer 4

someone from one culture may label someone as abnormal using their standards
Therefore, hard to judge deviation across cultures and situations

Question 5

strength of FTF

Answer 5

definition acknowledges the experience of the patients. Therefore, captures experience of many people and is useful in assessing abnormality

Question 6

weakness of FTF

Answer 6

Hard to tell it its FTF or deviating from social norms. People who live an alternate lifestyle can be seen as behaving weirdly.
If we treat all abnormal behaviours as FTF, we may limit freedom

Question 7

strength of deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 7

range of criteria
therefore this likely covers most reasons someone may seek help
makes the criteria a good tool for thinking about mental health and using it for a diagnosis

Question 8

weakness of deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 8

someone has to judge whether the behaviour is distressing, some patients may not be viewed as suffering
Therefore, the decision is largely subjective to the psychiatrist and may changed based on the judger

Question 9

strength of the two process model (mowrer)

Answer 9

real world application in exposure therapies eg: little albert
explains why these therapies are effective
therefore shows the value of the tpm as it provides treatment

Question 10

weakness of the two process model

Answer 10

doesn’t consider cognitive aspects of phobias eg: irrational thoughts. therefore doesnt explain phobic cognitions
doesnt completely explain

Question 11

strength of two process ( little albert )

Answer 11

LA demonstrates phobias are based of a frightening experience. 73% of people with a fear of the dentist had a negative experience
Therefore, supports association

Question 12

strength 1 of systematic desensitization

Answer 12

a study followed people with a spider phobia, at both 3 and 33 months they were less fearful than a control group.
SD is helpful and increases validity of it as a treatment

Question 13

strength 2 of systematic desensitization

Answer 13

exposure through virtual reality is cost effective and can be used to avoid dangerous phobias
SD is effective in vitro

Question 14

strength of flooding

Answer 14

cost effective as it can work in as little as one session
more people can be treated with the same cost with flooding than SD

Question 15

weakness of flooding

Answer 15

confronting the phobia in this extreme way can cause anxiety. this raises ethical issues. Therefore, therapists avoid due to ethical concerns

Question 16

strength of Becks theory in depression

Answer 16

cohen 2019 study
found people w cognitive vulnerability likely to develop depression
supports theory

Question 17

weakness of becks theory

Answer 17

the theory doesnt explain why people with depression may experimev different feelings eg : extreme anger
the theory doesn’t account for peoples individual symptoms

Question 18

strength of Ellis’ ABC

Answer 18

REBT ( a therapy following ABC model) successfully treats depression and changes thought patterns
This supports the theory

Question 19

weakness of Ellis’ ABC

Answer 19

specific role of cognitive processes are not yet determined.
we dont know if cognitions are a cause or effect of depression
Cannot establish cause and effect between irrational thinking and depression

Question 20

strength of CBT therapy

Answer 20

evidence support
march 2007 found CBT just as effective as drug therapy
cbt should be first choice

Question 21

weakness of CBT therapy

Answer 21

patients need motivation, some cases are so severe that they cannot interact with CBT therapy eg: keeping a journal
cannot be sole basis

Question 22

weakness 2 biological explanations of OCD

Answer 22

the biological explanation states brain dysfunction causes OCD
ONLY CORRELATION
lack of evidence

Question 23

strength of biological explanation for OCD

Answer 23

A review of twin studies found 68% of identical twins shared OCD, as opposed to 31% of non-identical
a person with a family member that has OCD is four times more likely to develop it
supporting the role of genetic vulnerability

Question 24

weakness of the biological explanation to OCD

Answer 24

genetic variation affects vulnerability to OCD however, are also environmental factors which can increase the risk. a study found half of pps with ocd experienced trauma. 

Question 25

define drug therapy

Answer 25

drug therapy aims to inc/ dec neurotransmitter levels in the brain to inc/dec their activity

Question 26

what do SSRI’s do?

Answer 26

prevent serotonin being reabsorbed or broken down in the brain.
This then increases serotonin levels in synapse
compensating for whatever’s going wrong

Question 27

dosage of SSRI’s

Answer 27

20mg, may inc to 60 if no benefit

Question 28

when do we see results from SSRI’s

Answer 28

3-4 months

Question 29

how is SSRI’s and CBT related

Answer 29

the drugs reduce emotional symptoms, meaning they can engage effectively with CBT therapy

Question 30

name the 2 alternatives to SSRI’s

Answer 30

tricylics- older antidepressant. same effect with more severe side effects
SNRI’s- inc serotonin and noradrenaline levels

Question 31

strength of drug therapy as a treatment to OCD

Answer 31

A review of 17 studies found a great reduction symptoms compared to a placebo.
OCD symptoms reduced for about 70% of people taking SSRI
Therefore, drug therapy is affective treatment

Question 32

strength of drug therapy

Answer 32

cheap compared to therapies therefore of good value for the NHS
non-disruptive compared to therapies.
Therefore many doctors and patients prefer drug treatments as it has a positive positive effect on the economy

Question 33

weakness of drug therapy

Answer 33

A small number of people on SSRI get no benefit and experience side-effects.
One in 10 gain weight
One in 100 aggressive
Therefore, peoples quality of life may decline, reducing the effectiveness of the treatment

Question 34

weakness of behaviour approach explaining phobias

Answer 34

large proportion of people cannot establish event that has caused phobia, cant be sole basis

Question 35

strength of behaviour approach explaining phobias

Answer 35

the approach has good explanatory power
explains how phobias are developed and maintained.
this lead to important implications for therapy as it explains that patients need to be exposed to the feared stimulus.

Question 36

strength 2 of becks theory

Answer 36

• real therapies were made from his theory
  therefore it supports and validates: faulty info processing, negative triad etc

Question 37

strength of biological explanation to OCD

Answer 37

One strength of the biological explanation of OCD comes from research from family studies. Lewis (1936) examined patients with OCD and found that 37% of the patients with OCD had parents with the disorder and 21% had siblings who suffered