Psychpathology Flashcards
Outline stats deviation and deviation from social norms
Normal - behaviours we see regularly
Abnormal - behaviours that do not occur frequently
A persons thinking or behaviour would be considered abnormal if it was found to be numerically rare/ uncommon
Normal IQ score - 70-130+
Abnormal IQ score - 70 or below (intellectual disability disorder)
Each culture, country and social group have their normal behaviour.
Antisocial personality disorder:
Absence of prosocial behaviour and failure to conform with lawful and cultural normative ethical behaviour.
Evaluate stats deviation and deviation from social norms.
LIMITATION - The main objective for definitions of abnormality is to be able to diagnose people and get treatment. However it doesn’t distinguish between desirable/undesirable behaviour. An IQ of 130+ is abnormal but desirable.
STRENGTH - Most mental illness diagnosis are based on a scale. This means we can see what’s normal and abnormal (autism spectrum)
LIMITATION - Cultural relativism - you can’t generalise to other cultures.
LIMITATION - Stigma around mental health
Outline failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health.
Failure to function adequately- when a person is unable to cope with everyday life. Rose hand and Seligman: No longer conforms to social rules Severe personal distress Irrational behaviour Intellectual disability disorder Less than 70 + not being able to function adequately. Jahoda: Rational, realistic Actualise, achieve goals Independent No distress Stress free, successful, self esteem
Evaluate failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health.
LIMITATION - Subjective judgements - A psychiatrist needs to make judgements.
LIMITATION - Social norms can change throughout cultures/situations.
STRENGTH - Jahoda covers a lot of areas which people typically report when dealing with mental health disorders.
LIMITATION - Jahoda No one can be like that all the time. Everyone would be abnormal.
Phobia characteristics
Behavioural: Panic, Avoidance
Emotional: Anxiety, unreasonable responses
Cognitive: selective attention, Irrational beliefs
Depression characteristics
Behavioural: low activity levels, disruption to sleep/ eating
Emotional: lowered mood, anger
Cognitive: Poor concentration, absolutist thinking.
OCD characteristics
Behavioural: Compulsions, avoidance
Emotional: Anxiety, guilt + disgust
Cognitive: obsessive thoughts, insight
Outline the behavioural approach to explaining phobias
Little Albert study: Bell ---> unhappy, rabbit ---> happy Bell + rabbit---> unhappy Rabbit ---> unhappy Maintenance by operant conditioning: Negative reinforcement: A person learns to avoid the object and so therefore avoids negative emotions.
Evaluate the behavioural approach to explaining phobias
LIMITATION - Protection from harm
LIMITATION- Not all bad experiences lead to phobias
STRENGTH - Easily applied to therapy as it explains why people need to be exposed.
Outline behavioural treatments for phobias
Systematic Desensitisation:
Anxiety hierarchy, relaxation techniques, exposed to objects and they are calm , reciprocal inhibition, move up hierarchy.
Flooding:
Patient is exposed to stimulus’ all at once and not allowed to leave
Evaluate behavioural treatment for phobias
STRENGTH - Gilroy et al 42 patients, archnaphobia, 2 groups: systematic desensitisation, and relaxation. SD were calmer at 3+33 months.
STRENGTH- research support, reported well to SD 75%. This means Vivo treatments and better than inverto.
LIMITATION - a medical professional has to be present as its so traumatic
LIMITATION - children cant do it
Outline cognitive approach of depression
Faulty information process- everything is negative.
Becks cognitive triad of depression:
You have to be happy with yourself, future and world.
Ellisis ABC model:
Activating events, Beliefs, consequences.
Evaluate the cognitive approach of depression
STRENGTH - ABC model, lead to effective treatments.
STRENGTH - ABC model, Depressed patients are more likely to make errors in logic. Therefore supporting irrational beliefs.
STRENGTH- TRIAD, Grazoli and terry - 65 pregnant women. Those women judged to be in high cognitive vunribility are more likely to suffer with post natal depression.
LIMITATION - Jarret says the triad does not explain some symptoms such as cortard syndrome.
Outline the cognitive treatment for depression
REBT - is an action orientated psychotherapy. Teaches the individual to challenge, identify and replace irrational thoughts with healthy ones.
Empirical argument + logical argument
CBT - Client based therapy, client identifies their own unhelpful beliefs and then proves them wrong. Builds a relationship with therapist.
Both challenge irrational beliefs
Evaluate the cognitive treatment for depression
STRENGTH- REBT after 27 sessions, 90% of patients had a reduction in symptoms.
LIMITATION - Antidepressants work just as well as CBT. After 36 weeks the CBT and antidepressants group both had 81% reduction in symptoms.
LIMITATION - CBT less suitable for those with high levels or irrational beliefs.
LIMITATION - Anti depressants - higher success rate, quicker and cheaper.
Outline the biological approach to OCD.
Lewis observed that 37% of his OCD patients had a parent with OCD and 21% with a sibiling. OCD= genetic. They are believed to interfere with serotonin in the brain causing symptoms. OCD is polygenetic which means there can be multiple candidate genes.
Neural explanations:
Some psychologists believe OCD sufferers have reduced serotonin levels. Reduced seretonin levels leads to impaired mental functions and decision making.
Evaluate the biological approach to OCD
LIMITATION - Identical twins share 100% of DNA. However there is only a 68% chance of them both having OCD.
LIMITATION - Cromer found that OCD was triggered by a traumatic event.
STRENGTH - Antidepressants that increase serotonin levels.
LIMITATION - Nature vs nurture.
Outline the biological treatment of OCD
Drug therapy:
To have normal serotonin levels all receptor sites must be hit. OCD patients not all are hit. SNRI blocks the reputake so they are hitting the sites.
Drug therapy aims to reduce/increase the levels of neurotransmitters to reduce/increase the activity.
Can be used alongside CBT
Tricyclics- work the same way as SNRIS but have severe side effects
SSRIS - increase levels of seretonin as well as non adrenaline. Secondary treatment for those who doesn’t respond to SNRIS. Block the reputake
Evaluate the biological treatment of OCD
STRENGTH - Cheaper than OCD
STRENGTH - Easy to take
STRENGTH - Quick
LIMITATION - Side effects
