Wk1 Flashcards
What are 2 views on the causes of abnormal behaviour?
Relativist (variation across/due to cultures) Absolutist (bio factors)
What are some elements of abnormality?
Personal suffering Maladaptiveness Irrationality level of emotional distress interference in daily functioning Deviations from norm Observer discomfort/ violation of moral standards
What do mental disorders involve? 3
Present distress Disability (impaired function Significant risk of suffering or loss of freedom
What concerns are relevant to defining abnormal behaviour? 3
Is behaving different bad? Does it impact the individual or others? Duration
Was drapetomania a legitimate illness?
No, slaves are bad in the first place
What is the trade off for having a clinical label?
Stigma and discrimination due to carrying it with you (employment/social) But, accurate diagnoses can facilitate effective treatment and support
What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?
Number of new cases vs active cases, in a time period
What is lifetime prevalence?
The proportion of everybody that has been affected at any point in their lives
Australian who attempt suicide every day
100
How seriously should we take mental health (economically)?
More burden than cancer and infectious disease
how did Hippocrates classify mental disorders and view their causes?
Mania, Melancholia, Phrenities (Brain-fever). They had natural causes: imbalance in essential fluids (blood, Phlegm, Yellow & Black bile)
what happened to views of psychopathology in the Middle Ages, after the Roman Empire fell?
Dominance of religion precluded popularity of supernatural views Evil forces, and devils
How did the renaissance change views of psychopathology?
A more humane view of the mentally ill returned - Weyer, the first physician to specialise in mental illness treatment People looked for effective treatments
What was moral treatment in the 19th century?
Recognition of individual rights
What inspired the modern search for biological causes?
Syphilis. It led to general paresis (emotional/personality changes & cognitive impairment. People looked to biology.
Why did somatic treatments come to the forefront in 20s and 30s?
A biological model of causes, suggested biological treatments, like fever therapy, insulin coma therapy, lobotomy etc.
What happened in the psychoanalytic revolution?
Mesmer used hypnosis, Breuer added hypnosis + catharsis. Freud refined this to just catharsis (via free association).
What came out of the psychoanalytic revolution?
- Psychological factors affect behaviour 2. Talking treatment more effective than harsh physical/moral treatments 3. Behaviour influenced by thoughts, impulses, and wishes (which we aren’t aware of) 4. Non-psychotic disorders are worthy of treatment
What principles (2) underlie the biopsychosocial model of abnormal behaviour?
- Each individual is unique, with many different factors combined obfuscating any specific model 2. Diathesis-stress framework
What are 3 aspects of the current view of psychopathology?
- Behaviour is viewed within context 2. Scientist practitioner approach 3. Holistic, multidisciplinary approaches
What is the purpose of classification?
Enables clinicians to diagnose Facilitates communication, research, treatment selection
What is a key issue with classification?
Categorical vs dimensional approaches. Is it that you have it or you dont, or that you have something to some degree.
What are criticisms of a classification approach?
Classification is irrelevant because it ignores information/loses individual info Problems with reliability and validity of diagnoses Diagnostic bias Distinct entity vs continuum approach
What are three aspects of labelling controversy in the DSM?
They: shape perceptions cause prejudicial treatment foster self-fulfilling prophecies
What is the rosenhan experiment and how did it make a laughing stock of the psychiatric profession?
Phase 1: Phase 2:
What are approaches to tests? 8
Projective tests (like Rorschach) Personality inventories (MMPI, Eysenck, California etc) Inventories: affective, social skills, cognitive Intelligence tests Neuropsychological Neurological (EEG and CAT scans) Behavioural (self-monitoring, etc) Physiological (SCR, HR, EMR)
