abnormal psychology

Question 1

what is abnormal psychology

Question 2

what does abnormal mean in psychology?

Answer 2

a deviation from ideal mental health

Question 3

what are the 3 things that justify normal

Answer 3

1.statistical frequency
2.violation of social norms
3.deviation from ideal mental health

Question 4

what is abnormal psychology referred to?

Answer 4

psychopathology

Question 5

what disorders does abnormal psychology include?

Answer 5

1.anxiety disorders
2.obsessive-compulsive disorders
3.post-traumatic stress disorder 4.mood disorders
5.personality disorders, schizophrenia
6.delusional disorders
7.substance use disorder
8.dissociative disorders
9.impulse control disorders.

Question 6

aetiology of stress and what events can this include?

Answer 6

triggered by ‘stressors’ that are often unanticipated and out of one’s control
Events such as romantic break-ups, political conflict, hectic work schedules, chronic illness and other circumstance can lead to stress.

Question 7

psychoneuroimmunology

Answer 7

study of how psychological factors can influence the immune system

Question 8

The transactional modal of stress(Lazarus and Folkman 1984)

Answer 8

suggested that an individual’s capacity to cope and adjust to life challenges and issues is influenced by transactions (or interactions) that take place between the individual and their environment

Question 9

what is the transactional modal of stress experienced by ?

Answer 9

appraisal

Question 10

in the transactional modal of stress, what are the 2 stages of appraisal that people go through when undergoing stress?

Answer 10

1.persons primary appraisal
2.persons secondary appraisal

Question 11

what is primary appraisal?

Answer 11

-they evaluate the situation to decide if it is relevant to them
-they evaluate whether it will bring about the possibility of gain or harm
-they evaluate whether it will bring about the possibility of gain or harmIf -it is relevant, they decide if it is positive or dangerous
-if they perceive it as dangerous they will move onto secondary appraisal

Question 12

what is secondary appraisal?

Answer 12

person then decides if they have the ability to cope with the situation – usually by examining the balance of situational demands (such as risk, uncertainty or difficulty etc.) and their perceived resources (including social support, expertise etc.
-if they perceive that demands outweigh resources they experience negative stress, after which they start to engage in coping strategies

Question 13

what 2 coping styles does the transactional modal of stress have?

Answer 13

1.problem focused
2.emotion focused

Question 14

what does a problem focused approach involve?

Answer 14

attempting to deal with the situation itself to change it into something of less concern

Question 15

what does an emotion focused approach involve?

Answer 15

-changing our relationship with the situation in a way which reduces the stress it causes

Question 16

what can an emotion focused approach lead to?

Answer 16

involve denial, avoidance or cognitively re-framing the meaning of the event

Question 17

in the transactional modal, what are the 2 coping strategies?

Answer 17

1.adaptive
2.maladaptive

Question 18

what is a adaptive response?

Answer 18

beneficial because they either tackle the stressor directly or the way it is perceived

Question 19

what is an maladaptive response?

Answer 19

helps ameliorate the stress in the short-term but can exacerbate the problem in the long term by adding more stressors to one’s life.e.g drinking alcohol

Question 20

what is a mindfulness

Answer 20

psychotherapy approach:developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn to use Buddhist principles and cognition management in a more secular, Westernised approach to help people manage stress

Question 21

what is the main subtype of mindfulness?

Answer 21

Mindfulness-based stress reduction

Question 22

anxiety disorder

Answer 22

haracterised by excessive anxiety and constant worry that have been present for more than 6 months.

Question 23

2 bodily symptoms of anxiety disorder

Answer 23

1.feeling on edge
2.muscle tension

Question 24

social anxiety disorder

Answer 24

referred to as social phobia, is a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations. More specifically, the fear and anxiety is induced by the thought of being watched, judged or rejected by others i.e. of being negatively evaluated

Question 25

what is the age of onset for social anxiety disorder?

Answer 25

teenage years.

Question 26

symptoms of social anxiety disorder

Answer 26

elevated heart rate, nausea, and sweating, and individuals may experience full-blown attacks when confronting a feared situation

Question 27

causes of social anxiety disorder

Answer 27

Triggering memories of public humiliation or embarrassment
Overprotective parents
History of being bullied
Limited socialisation
Genetic factors

Question 28

what 2 treatments is given for social anxiety disorder?

Answer 28

1.benzodiazepines
2. psychotherapy

Question 29

what do behavioural approach for anxiety disorder?

Answer 29

Behavioural approaches tend to focus on behaviour change, namely relaxation techniques to manage GAD symptoms

Question 30

what is cognitive behavioural approach ?

Answer 30

focus on automatic thinking. First, clients are instructed to pay attention to any factors in their daily life that trigger anxiety responses as well as identify their worries.
-they are then encouraged to question and diminish the perceived severity or ramifications of the worries they have
-Patients are then asked to develop alternative, less anxiety-arousing assumptions or interpretations, these will be applied to real life

Question 31

Bipolar disorders

Answer 31

group of mood disorders that cause extreme shifts in mood, energy, and behaviour

Question 32

what episodes do people with bipolar disorder experience?

Answer 32

both dramatic “highs,” called manic episodes (or mania), and “lows,” called depressive episodes.

Question 33

antecedents(factors) that trigger bipolar symptoms

Answer 33

-not enough sleep
-antidepressant
-alcohol drug misuse
-pregnancy hormone
-change in seasons

Question 34

2 treatments for bipolar

Answer 34

1.combination of medication 2.psychotherapy, also called “talk therapy

Question 35

2 medications for bipolar disorder

Answer 35

1.mood stabilisers
2.antipsychotics

Question 36

major depressive disorder

Answer 36

commonly known as Depression, is classified as a mood disorder and is characterised by low mood that lasts for a long time span

Question 37

what is difference between depression and grief

Answer 37

1.Depression :self-loathing or lowered (sometimes loss of) self-esteem, while grief usually does not.
2. grief: positive affective states and happy memories of the deceased typically accompany feelings of emotional pain. In major depression, the feelings of sadness are usually constant

Question 38

how can depression affect everyday life?

Answer 38

reduce a person’s self-management ability in terms of health-protective behaviour (e.g. medical adherence, good diet, physical activity) or adoption health-risk behavoiours (e.g. use of cigarettes or alcohol)

Question 39

what are the 3 factors of aetiology of depression?

Answer 39

1.predisposing factors
2. precipitating factor
3.perpetuating factors

Question 40

predisposing factors

Answer 40

genetic factors, physical health, personality and social support. There may be a hereditary risk in individuals developing depression or another condition which then triggers depression

Question 41

precipitating factor

Answer 41

often adverse life events. Bereavement is a common example. However, not everyone with depression has experienced adverse life events and not everyone experiencing such events becomes depressed

Question 42

perpetuating factors

Answer 42

factors that sustain an illness such as depression.
-These can be external to an individual i.e. ongoing life events and circumstances or their environment.
-internal, for instance personality traits that inhibit decisions or behaviours that can ameliorate depressive states, an inability to form close relationships, a tendency to be helpless and hopeless, an inability to tolerate change and loss of control, and feelings of loneliness.

Question 43

endogenous depression

Answer 43

refers to depression that originates due to ‘faulty’ or suboptimal physiology (Shorter, 2007), essentially a purely biological cause

Question 44

exogenous depression

Answer 44

caused by external factors which can include societal (poverty, racism or sexism) or situational factors (job loss or marital dissatisfaction

Question 45

what treatments are there for depression?

Answer 45

1.medication
2.self-help resources
3.be conducted as a web/app-based resource; a self-help manual or physical activity
4.talking therapies
5.alternative therapies:Art therapy, Mindfulness, ecotherapy

Question 46

obsessive compulsive disorder

Answer 46

obsessions or compulsions where people spend an inordinate amount of time undergoing obsessive thoughts and practicing compulsive behaviours where they feel overwhelmingly compelled to carry out certain actions

Question 47

what are obsessions in obsessive compulsive disorder?

Answer 47

unwanted and intrusive thoughts keep coming back, no matter how much an individual tries to ignore or suppress them.
-Their very persistence can lead to an even stronger conviction that they might be true, or might come true, if the person does not take action to prevent them

Question 48

what are compulsions in obsessive compulsive disorder?

Answer 48

responses to obsessions. Once an obsession surfaces, the individual may feel compelled to take action to relieve the anxiety and distress the obsession causes or to keep that obsessive thought from coming true.

Question 49

4 categories of OCD

Answer 49

1.Checking, such as light switches, ovens, car handbrakes, alarm systems, ovens, or locks, or thinking ones has a medical condition like pregnancy or schizophrenia
2.Contamination, a fear of objects that might be unsanitary, dirty or a compulsion to clean
3.Symmetry and ordering, the need to have objects organised and positioned in a very specific way
4.Ruminations and intrusive cognition, an obsession with a pattern of thought. Occasionally, these thoughts may be violent or disturbing, posing risk to one’s self or others

Question 50

what treatments are available for OCD?

Answer 50

1.psychological therapy:cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps individuals face their fears and obsessive thoughts without “putting them right” through compulsions

2.medicine – usually a type of antidepressant medicine called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which can help by altering the balance of chemicals in the brain

Question 51

what schizophrenia

Answer 51

impact thought processes, emotions, and behaviour.

Question 52

what do positive symptoms refer to in schizophrenia

Answer 52

might see or hear things that others do not or believe things that other people do not

Question 53

what do negative symptoms refer to in schizophrenia

Answer 53

For example, losing motivation to do things in their daily life or engage in hobbies or becoming withdrawn

Question 54

the early stage of illness in schizophrenia?

Answer 54

the prodromal phase- during this phase their sleep, affect (emotions), motivation, communication and ability to think clearly might change.

Question 55

what is the difference between schizophrenia and psychosis?

Answer 55

describes experiencing the world in a different way. Psychosis often entails the positive symptoms of schizophrenia i.e. seeing or hearing things that are not there, or believing things that other people do not believe.

Question 56

what can schizophrenia cause

Answer 56

it can cause psychosis

Question 57

gender bias in schizophrenia

Answer 57

Critics of classification systems for these disorders argue that diagnostic criteria such as “excessive emotionality” unfairly targets women, who through the result of how society socialises women to behave

Question 58

ethnocentrism

Answer 58

important concept in the study of intergroup relations and has relevance when considering diagnosis of psychopathologic conditions