Pyschopathology

Question 1

CBT strengths

Answer 1

Cuijpers et al
Meta analysis of studies looking at the outcome of diff treatments for depression
Found CBT>no treatment. And CBT with drug therapy>CBT
David et al
Looked at REBT, Becks Cog. Therapy and antidepressant drug therapy - they were all found to be equally effective BUT after 6 months, REBT was more effective in the long run
De Rubeis et al
CBT was more cost effective than drug treatment

Question 2

CBT Limitations

Answer 2

15% variance in outcome is due to the therapist (bad therapist = less effective)
Ruhe et al
Low seretonin in depression patients so drug therapy may be best
Ignores other causes e.g. Abusive partner, overly critical boss
Expensive and long
£40-60 per session for around 27 sessions
Unethical
Tells the patient it is their faults- may cause self blame/guilt

Question 3

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

Answer 3

Blocks reabsorption of serotonin into presynaptic cell

Increases available serotonin in synapse

Question 4

Tricyclic antidepressants

Answer 4

Blocks reabsorption of serotonin and noradrenaline

Question 5

“Other drugs”

Answer 5

Used on patients who don’t respond to SSRI and tricyclic antidepressants
E.g. Antipsychotic drugs which reduce activity of dopamine

Question 6

Drug Therapy Strengths

Answer 6

Soomro et al
17 trials of SSRI compared to placebo- in all studies SSRI>placebo in reducing symptoms
50-70% respond well to SSRI
Cheaper than psychological alternatives
SSRI combined with CBT - best at reducing symptoms

Question 7

Drug Therapy Weaknesses

Answer 7

30-50% don’t respond well to SSRI
Symptoms may be reduced but patient is not completely cured
Less appropriate when there is a clear psychological cause e.g. Trauma
There are side effects- may lead to them no longer taking medication

Question 8

Neural

Brain structure

Answer 8

Orbitofrontal cortex
Overactive in OCD sufferers
Indicates high worry signals

Caudate nucleus
Not functioning normally
Fails to switch of worry signals

Reduces the ability to control behaviour so the sufferer is compelled to continue their behaviour

Question 9

Neural

Brain structure evaluation

Answer 9

+
Saxena et al
Brain scans of OCD sufferers show overactivity in orbitofrontal cortex and caudate nucleus
-
May be a symptom of OCD rather than a cause
There are other explanations e.g. 2 process model

Question 10

Neural

Neurotransmitters

Answer 10

Seretonin and dopamine are associated with OCD and the interplay between the two trigger OCD
High dopamine - Causes compulsive behaviour
Low serotonin - Causes obsessions

Question 11

Neural

Neurotransmitters evaluation

Answer 11

+
Szechtman et al
Drugs that increase dopamine cause repetitive behaviour in animals similar to OCD sufferers
Led to drug treatments with the correct balance of neurotransmitters
-
May be a symptom not a cause
Low serotonin and high dopamine is also found in people with depression so not a specific explanation

Question 12

Genetic

Family studies

Answer 12

Nestadt et al
First relatives of OCD sufferers - 11.7% probability of suffering
No relation to OCD sufferers - 2.7% probability of suffering
Miguel et al
Identical twins have a concordance rate to suffer of 53-87%

Question 13

Genetic

Family studies evaluation

Answer 13

+
High concordance rates suggesting the genetic component is strong
-
If OCD was only caused by genes, the concordance rate should be 100%
Ignores environmental factors e.g. Observation/reinforcement

Question 14

Genetic

Candidate genes

Answer 14

Specific genes increase vulnerability to OCD
COMT gene - increases dopamine (commonly found in OCD sufferers)
SERT and 5HT1- D beta gene - influences the regulation of serotonin (involved in the development of OCD)

Question 15

Genetic

Candidate genes evaluation

Answer 15

+
Taylor
230 genes could cause OCD - supports that OCD is polygenic (caused by multiple not single genes)
-
230 is a large number, suggesting each gene only has a small influence
Ignores environmental factors

Question 16

Cognitive explanations evaluation strengths

Answer 16

Boury et al
Depressive students misinterpreted facts/situations and felt hopeless
Temple-Wisconsin study
Students who got 17% on negative thinking test later became depressed
Led to cognitive behavioural therapies

Question 17

Cognitive explanation evaluation Limitations

Answer 17

May be an effect not a cure
Blames patient - ethically wrong
Ignores bio factors
Irrational beliefs
- evidence supporting depressives are more accurate in their judgement so it’s wrong to say depression comes from irrational thinking

Question 18

Behavioural approach to explaining phobias evaluation Strengths

Answer 18

Watson and rayner
Little Albert - given fear of rats via classical conditioning
Dinardo et al
60% of dog phobics recalled a scary experience with them
Application to society
Led to treatments

Question 19

Behavioural approach to explaining phobias evaluation weaknesses

Answer 19

Dinardo et als
Individual difference
Control group of non dog phobics - 60% had a scary experience but no phobia
Not detailed explanation
Fails to explain why some phobias are more common eg dogs > traffic
Ignores cog/bio factors
Eg irrational beliefs or genetic vulnerabilities

Question 20

SD evaluation

Answer 20

McGrath et al
75% responded to SD
(But not 100% effective)
Capafons
Aerophobics undergone SD showed less fear compared to control
Gilroy
Spider phobics taught relaxation showed less fear compared to control
Suitable for many
No ethical objections

Question 21

Flooding evaluation

Answer 21

Wolpe
Agrophobic girl, kept in back of car for 4 hours, her fear eventually fell
Studies show effectiveness for 9 years
CHOY et al - flooding > SD
Craske et al - no difference in effect between SD/flooding
Wolpe - no long term data of effectiveness
Shipe - only 0.2% suffer from side effects
Ethical issues justified with informed consent
High drop out rates
Involves traumatising patients