PSYCHOPATHOLOGY EVALUATION Flashcards
strength of statistical infrequency
its used in formal diagnosis and a way of assessing symptom severity.
therefore, shows the value of statistical infrequency in diagnosis
weakness of statistical infrequency
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
strength of deviation from social norms
its used in practise eg: defining APD
Therefore, shows the value of deviation in criterion in diagnosis of disorders
weakness of deviation from SN
someone from one culture may label someone as abnormal using their standards
Therefore, hard to judge deviation across cultures and situations
strength of FTF
definition acknowledges the experience of the patients. Therefore, captures experience of many people and is useful in assessing abnormality
weakness of FTF
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
strength of deviation from ideal mental health
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
weakness of deviation from ideal mental health
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
strength of the two process model (mowrer)
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
weakness of the two process model
doesn’t consider cognitive aspects of phobias eg: irrational thoughts. therefore doesnt explain phobic cognitions
doesnt completely explain
strength of two process ( little albert )
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
strength 1 of systematic desensitization
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
strength 2 of systematic desensitization
exposure through virtual reality is cost effective and can be used to avoid dangerous phobias
SD is effective in vitro
strength of flooding
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
weakness of flooding
confronting the phobia in this extreme way can cause anxiety. this raises ethical issues. Therefore, therapists avoid due to ethical concerns
strength of Becks theory in depression
cohen 2019 study
found people w cognitive vulnerability likely to develop depression
supports theory
weakness of becks theory
the theory doesnt explain why people with depression may experimev different feelings eg : extreme anger
the theory doesn’t account for peoples individual symptoms
strength of Ellis’ ABC
REBT ( a therapy following ABC model) successfully treats depression and changes thought patterns
This supports the theory
weakness of Ellis’ ABC
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
strength of CBT therapy
evidence support
march 2007 found CBT just as effective as drug therapy
cbt should be first choice
weakness of CBT therapy
patients need motivation, some cases are so severe that they cannot interact with CBT therapy eg: keeping a journal
cannot be sole basis
weakness 2 biological explanations of OCD
the biological explanation states brain dysfunction causes OCD
ONLY CORRELATION
lack of evidence
strength of biological explanation for OCD
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
weakness of the biological explanation to OCD
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. 
define drug therapy
drug therapy aims to inc/ dec neurotransmitter levels in the brain to inc/dec their activity
what do SSRI’s do?
prevent serotonin being reabsorbed or broken down in the brain.
This then increases serotonin levels in synapse
compensating for whatever’s going wrong
dosage of SSRI’s
20mg, may inc to 60 if no benefit
when do we see results from SSRI’s
3-4 months
how is SSRI’s and CBT related
the drugs reduce emotional symptoms, meaning they can engage effectively with CBT therapy
name the 2 alternatives to SSRI’s
tricylics- older antidepressant. same effect with more severe side effects
SNRI’s- inc serotonin and noradrenaline levels
strength of drug therapy as a treatment to OCD
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
strength of drug therapy
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
weakness of drug therapy
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
weakness of behaviour approach explaining phobias
large proportion of people cannot establish event that has caused phobia, cant be sole basis
strength of behaviour approach explaining phobias
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.
strength 2 of becks theory
- real therapies were made from his theory
therefore it supports and validates: faulty info processing, negative triad etc
strength of biological explanation to OCD
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
