Psychopathology Flashcards

1
Q

Define deviation from social norms.

A

Abnormal behaviour is classified in this way as any behaviour that goes against societal expectations about how to and not to behave. Often these social expectations are rooted in a desire to make society more pleasant- for example, being polite.

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2
Q

Describe the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of depression.

A

• Emotional- 5 symptoms are required for a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, these include feelings of intense sadness and often worthlessness. But, there are some that report feelings of anger.
• Behavioral- Depressed individuals experience either increased or reduced levels in activity. Sleeping hours may be reduced, whereas others might experience agitation and restlessness. Appetite is also affected with some experiencing diminished appetite and others increased appetite.
Changes in activity levels - lack of energy
Disruption in sleep - insomnia or sleeping too much
Disruption appetite - eating too much or too little
Aggression - towards self or others
• Cognitive- Negative thoughts cause the negative emotions associated with depression.
These thoughts are irrational and include negative expectations and thoughts of worthlessness. In some cases these thoughts can be self-fulfilling- belief that you’ll fail an exam leads to reduced studying that causes failure.

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3
Q

How are phobias initiated through classical conditioning?

A

A neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (that causes fear) so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus to produce a conditioned response- of fear.

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4
Q

Describe systematic desensitisation.

A

This is a treatment for phobias that attempts to replace the association between fear and the phobic stimulus with an association between relaxation and the phobic stimulus (counterconditioning).

This is reciprocal inhibitio - can’t feel afraid and relaxed at same time, one emotion prevents other

Patients are exposed to scenarios that progressively cause more anxiety than the last stage in their hierarchy.

Teach relaxation techniques, focus on breathing + progressive muscles relaxation techniques

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5
Q

Why is systematic desensitisation preferred to flooding?

A

This is because flooding is not a viable form of treatment for all phobic individuals, no matter how effective it is, this is because it can be a highly traumatic form of treatment. Although patients are aware of this before beginning treatment, many find themselves unable to complete the treatment, limiting its overall effectiveness at treating phobias

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6
Q

Describe the diathesis-stress model.

A

The diathesis stress model suggests that certain genes create a vulnerability for mental disorders, and that after an activating event or trauma, mental disorders develop in these individuals.

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7
Q

What is a negative triad?

A

This is a cognitive approach to understanding depression, focusing on how expectations (schema) about the self, world and future lead to depression.

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8
Q

Define failure to function adequately.

A

Abnormality is defined in this way as an inability to cope with everyday life, especially if this is causing the individual or others around them distress. In some instances, the individual may not be aware that their behaviour is causing distress to others, like if they are schizophrenic.

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9
Q

How does the SLT explain phobias?

A

The social learning theory suggests that phobias may be acquired through modelling the behaviour of others. If a child sees an adult react fearfully to a dog, they are likely to imitate the behaviour themself because the behaviour is rewarding- it gets them attention.

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10
Q

Describe the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of OCD.

A

Emotional- Feelings of anxiety and shame are associated with both the obsessions and the compulsions, as they are aware that their behaviour is excessive.
Behavioural- Compulsive behaviours are carried out the alleviate the anxiety caused by obsessions. These are repetitive and unconcealed, and often not connected in any way with the object of their obsession. Some compulsions are carried out in the absence of an obsession.
Cognitive - Obsessive thoughts = persistent and intrusive
Insight into irrationality and excessive behaviour
E.g. germs

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11
Q

How are phobias maintained by operant conditioning?

A

If a behaviour produces a favourable outcome, it is likely to be repeated- in the case of phobic individuals, avoidance of their phobic stimulus reduces anxiety, so they are likely to continue to avoid it. This is an example of negative reinforcement.

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12
Q

How does the cognitive theory explain depression?

A

Depression is due to irrational thinking, and cognitions that are skewed towards negative thoughts.

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13
Q

Define statistical infrequency.

A

Abnormality is defined in this way as behaviour which is extremely rare, or as characteristics not displayed by many people.

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14
Q

How does the biological theory explain OCD?

A

OCD is caused by abnormal levels of dopamine and serotonin, and a non-functioning worry circuit in which signals about potentially worrying things from the OFC are not suppressed by the caudate nucleus.

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15
Q

Describe the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of phobias.

A

• Emotional- Anxiety associated with phobic disorders, and is triggered by the presence of the phobic stimulus. The level of anxiety caused by the stimulus is often out of proportion to the actual threat posed by it.
• Behavioural- Phobic individuals often avoid all situations that could potentially involve their phobic stimulus. But the response of freezing in the face of their stimulus is also common. Phobias interfere with the individual’s daily life, distinguishing phobias from normal fears.
• Cognitive- The thoughts of a phobic individual are irrational and the anxiety they cause is not reduced by reasoning. The individual is aware that their thoughts are irrational, distinguishing between phobias and disorders like schizophrenia.

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16
Q

How is depression treated using the cognitive approach?

A

How is depression treated using the cognitive approach?
It’s treated using CBT which is a combinati@n of cognitive therapy (changing maladaptive thoughts and beliefs) and behavioural therapy (a way of changing behaviour in response to those thoughts and beliefs).

17
Q

Briefly describe the case of Little Albert.

A

In this study by Watson and Rayner (1920)*3 fear of fluffy white objects was conditioned in young baby. Initially, the white objects began as a neutral stimulus (NS), garnering no response from the baby. An unconditioned stimulus (UCS) banging a steel rod by the baby’s ear produces an unconditioned response (UCR) of fear in the baby. Through pairing the NS and the UCS, a conditioned response of fear was produced by the baby, the NS became the conditioned stimulus and produced a fear response even in the absence of the UCS.

18
Q

How is OCD treated using the biological approach?

A

This involves the treatment of mental disorders by administering drugs to reduce the symptoms of the disorder. This involves using SSRIs to increase the levels of serotonin in the body.

19
Q

Define deviation from the ideal mental health.

A

*
It was recognised by Jahoda, that when assessing for physical illnesses, we look for the absence of physical health. Jahoda concluded that the same should be done for mental illnesses. As a result, abnormality is defined in this way as displaying the absence of the ideal mental health criteria set by Jahoda

20
Q

Why is the deviation from ideal health definition criticised?

A

The issue with this definition is that the criteria it is founded on is unrealistic, it is very unlikely that any one individual will display all of the traits suggested by Jahoda all of the time.

21
Q

Jahodas criteria

A

High self esteem
Self actualisation - being able to reach full potential
Able to cope stressful situations
Being independent of others
Accurate perception of reality
Successfully work and love

22
Q

Genetic explanations OCD

A

Ocd = polygenic
COMT gene regulates prod of DA
Variation of gene more commonly found in ocd patients than non ocd

SERT affects transport of serotonin thus lowering lvls

23
Q

Neural explanations for OCD

A

Abnormal lvls of neurotransmitters
High lvls of DA in ppl with OCD
Supp from animal study given DA and displayed stereotypes movements of OCD

Low lvls serotonin associated
Supp from antidepressants drugs that inc serotonin lvls reduces OCD symptoms

Abnormal brain circuit

24
Q

Bio treatments for OCD

A

Drug therapy
Commonly used - antidepressants
Depp and ocd both related to low lvls serotonin
Low lvls also implicated in worry circuit
Antidepressants also red anxiety
SSRIs inhibit selectively re absorb serotonin
Thus inc in serotonin

Antidepressants: Tricyclics
Blocks protein that allows reabsorption of serotonin
More serotonin in synapse
Thus next impulse is quicker
Tricyclics target more than one neurotransmitter but have more side effects so alternative to SSRIs

Anti-anxiety drugs
Benzodiasepines = used to reduce anxiety
Slow down CNS by enhancing GABA neurot.
GABA quietens the brain