Abnormal Psychology (L12) Flashcards
(45 cards)
1
Q
How are mental illnesses diagnosed?
A
- US used the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM)
- Europe used the ICD-10 classification
2
Q
Major depressive disorder: what is the DSM IV criteria?
A
- Feeling sad and helpless every day for weeks at a time
- Feeling suicidal, have sleep problems, feel worthless, have low energy, problems with concentration, can’t imagine being happy again
3
Q
Major depressive disorder
A
- Peters et al. proposed that absence of happiness was a more reliable symptom than an increase in sadness
- Rottenberg et al. showed that depressed patients react normally to sad or distressing images but rarely smile at comical ones
- Childhood depression rates are equal for boys and girls until age 14, when depression becomes more prevalent in the female population
- It is more common to have episodes of depression separated by periods of normal mood than to have long-term episodes (Klein)
- The more often you experience an episode the easier it is to have another one (Post + Silberstein)
4
Q
Major depressive disorder: genetics
A
- 33-45% heritability
- No one gene shows a strong link to depression
- Genetic link may be masked by different onset types
- Early onset: high probability (40-50%) of other relatives with depression and other mood disorders
- Late onset: high probability of relatives with circulatory problems
5
Q
Major depressive disorder: serotonin uptake transporter gene
A
- Regulates ability of axons to reabsorb serotonin
- Individuals with short form of gene showed marked environmental effect on the probability of developing depression
- BUT same gene increases emotional activity across a range of positive and negative emotions (not specific to depression)
6
Q
Major depressive disorder: Borna disease
A
- A viral infection in farm animals that produces periods of frantic activity as well as lethargy (similar to bipolar disorder)
- Borna disease has been found in 5% of the normal population but depression is present in about 1/3rd of cases
- Viruses might be predisposing factor in the development of depression
7
Q
Major depressive disorder: hormones
A
- Cortisol linked to stress which is in turn linked to depression
- Some women experience depression after giving birth (due to change in ovarian hormones)
- Decline in testosterone in older men also lined to increased probability of depression
8
Q
Major depressive disorder: hemispheric factors
A
- Depressed people have decreased activity in left and increased activity in right prefrontal cortex
- May be biological predisposition rather than a predictive factor
9
Q
Seasonal affective disorder
A
- Form of depression where episodes occur in winter due to reduced levels of light
- Treated with a bright light
- Possible link with vitamin D deficiency
10
Q
Name the 4 main types of antidepressant drugs?
A
- Tricyclics
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
- Atypical antidepressants
11
Q
Antidepressant treatments: tricyclics
A
- Block transporter proteins that reuptake serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline
- Prolongs the presence of neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft
- Also block histamine and acetylcholine receptors and some sodium channels
- Cause side effects such as drowsiness, dry mouth and heart irregularities respectively so are not suitable for long-term use
12
Q
Antidepressant treatments: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
A
- Similar to tricyclics but specific to serotonin
- Milder side effects to tricyclics but similar treatment outcomes
- Newer versions block reuptake of serotonin and noradrenaline
13
Q
Antidepressant treatments: monoamine oxidase inhibitors
A
- Block the enzyme monoamine oxidase which metabolizes catecholamines and serotonin to render them inactive
- By blocking this enzyme there is more of the neurotransmitter available for release
14
Q
Antidepressant treatments: atypical antidepressants
A
- Dopamine and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors
- St John’s Wort is a non-prescription drug has been argued to have similar effect to antidepressant prescription drugs
15
Q
Antidepressant treatments: electroconvulsive therapy
A
- Electrically induced seizures
- Used in cases of severe depression where drug treatments have failed
- Side effects include transient memory loss (reduced if confined to the right hemisphere)
- Alters the expression of more than 100 genes in the hippocampus and frontal lobes
16
Q
Antidepressant treatments: exercise
A
- Exercise can have antidepressant effects, especially in older adults
- Best effects when combined with other treatments/dietary changes
17
Q
Bipolar disorder
A
- Individuals vary between two poles: mania and depression
- Mania is periods of restless activity, excitement, laughter, self-confidence and loss of inhibition
- Bipolar I disorder: people with full blown episodes of mania
- Bipolar II disorder: people with milder episodes of mania
- People also have attention problems, poor self-control and problems with verbal memory
18
Q
Bipolar disorder: genetics
A
- Highest rate of heritability among mental disorders
- Two genes identified that appear to increase the probability of bipolar II
- Genetic link between major depression and bipolar disorder (Lui et al.)
19
Q
Bipolar disorder: treatments
A
- Lithium salts, valproate and carbamazepine
- Appear to reduce the number of AMPA glutamate receptors in the hippocampus (linked with mania)
- Block the synthesis of arachidonic acid that is produced when the brain is inflamed
- Bipolar patients show increased gene expression associated with inflammation
- Arachidonic acid is countered by omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood = eating seafood decreases risk of bipolar disorder
- The intensity of mood swings can be reduced by encouraging a healthy sleep cycle in a quiet, dark room
20
Q
Schizophrenia
A
- ‘Split-mind’ between emotion and cognition
- 1% of the world suffer with schizophrenia at some point in their lives
- More severe and earlier onset in men
21
Q
Schizophrenia: symptoms
A
- Positive symptoms are behaviours that are present but should be absent: delusions, hallucinations, disorganised speech and grossly disorganised behaviour
- Negative symptoms are behaviours that are absent but should be present: emotional and social withdrawal, apathy and poverty of speech
22
Q
Schizophrenia: genetics
A
- As the genetic link increases so does the probability of developing schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia is more common in their biological family than their adopted one for adopted schizophrenic children
- Higher incidence of schizophrenia in adopted children whose biological parents have schizophrenia (genetic) and have a disordered adoptive family (environmental)
23
Q
Schizophrenia: prenatal and neonatal environment
A
- Risk is elevated by poor nutritional intake by mother, premature birth, low birth weight, exposure of mother to extreme stress and head injuries during childhood
- 5-8% more likely to develop schizophrenia if born in winter due to nutrition, viral infection
24
Q
Schizophrenia: toxoplasma gondii
A
- Infants infected with toxoplasma gondii have impaired brain development (impairs memory, leads to hallucinations and delusions)
- Adults with a diagnosis of schizophrenia are more likely to have had a pet cat in childhood
- Blood tests also show higher concentration of toxoplasma antibodies in schizophrenics than in the general population
25
Schizophrenia: brain abnormalities
- Schizophrenia is associated with larger than average brain ventricles and less than average grey matter and white matter in the brain
- Weaker connections between prefrontal cortex and other brain areas
- May be caused by excess of dopamine activity
26
Schizophrenia: treatments
- Antipsychotic and neuroleptic drugs are used to treat schizophrenia
- Block dopamine synapses (elevated dopamine is a key symptom in first episodes)
- Narcotics such as PCP inhibit glutamate receptors and in high doses mirror schizophrenic symptoms (lower release of glutamate and fewer number of receptors in prefrontal and hippocampus seen in schizophrenia)
27
The medical model
The conceptualisation of psychological abnormalities as diseases that have symptoms, causes and possible cures
28
Physiognomy
The theory that mental disorders could be diagnosed by facial features
29
Neurosis
A condition that involves anxiety but in which the person is still in touch with reality
30
Psychosis
A condition in which the person experiences serious distortions of perception and thought that weaken their grasp on reality
31
The biopsychosocial model
- Incorporates biological, psychological and environmental factors
- Biological: genetic influences, biochemical imbalances, structural abnormalities of the brain
- Psychological: maladaptive learning and coping, cognitive biases, dysfunctional attitudes and interpersonal problems
- Environmental: poor socialisation, stressful life circumstance and cultural and social inequities
32
The diathesis-stress model
- Suggests that a person may be predisposed to a mental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress
33
Consequences of labelling
- Psychiatric labelling conjures bias in the general public
- A labelled person views themselves self negatively and may develop defeatist attitudes which may reduce their effort to work towards their recovery
34
Generalised anxiety disorder
- A disorder characterised by chronic excessive worry accompanied by 3 or more of the following symptoms…
- Restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disturbance
- Occurs more frequently in lower socioeconomic groups and is twice as common women
- Stressful experiences play a role
- Treated using benzodiazepines (class of sedative drugs that stimulate GABA)
35
Phobic disorders
- Anxiety is evoked only in a certain well-defined situation
- Social disorder: an irrational fear of scrutiny by other people leading to avoidance of social situations
- Specific phobias: animals, situations, natural environments, situations blood and injury
- Some heritability
- Abnormalities in serotonin and dopamine
- Abnormally high levels of activity in the amygdala
- Can be classically conditioned
36
Panic disorder
- Characterised by recurrent attacks of severe anxiety (panic) which are not restricted to any particular situation and are therefore unpredictable
- Symptoms: shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness, depersonalisation, derealisation and a fear that one is going crazy/about to die
- Panic attacks may be traceable to the fear of fear itself
37
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Obsessive thoughts produce anxiety, and the compulsive behaviours are performed to reduce it
- The compulsions are intense, frequent and experiences as irrational and excessive
- Attempt to supress these actions can increase the frequency and intensity of the obsessive thoughts
- The most common obsessions involve contamination, aggression, death, sex, disease, orderliness and disfigurement
- Heightened neural activity in the caudate nucleus (involved in the initiation of intentional actions)
38
Post traumatic stress disorder
- Appears after a person lives through an experience so threatening and uncontrollable that they are left with feelings of terror and helplessness
- Characterised by recurrent reliving of the trauma as intrusive memories or flashbacks
39
Dissociative identity disorder
- 'Multiple personality disorder’
- The presence within an individual of two or more distinct identities that at different times take control of the individual’s behaviour
- The host personality is usually unaware of the alters
- More prevalent in women and individuals with a history of severe childhood abuse and trauma
40
Dissociative amnesia
The sudden loss of memory for significant personal information
41
Dissociative fugue
The sudden loss of memory for one’s personal history, accompanied by an abrupt departure from home and the assumption of a new identity
42
Dysthymia
A disorder that involves the symptoms of depression only less severe and longer lasting
43
Major depressive disorder: psychological factors
- Helplessness theory: individuals who are prone to depression automatically attribute negative experiences to causes that are internal (their own fault), stable (unlikely to change) and global (widespread)
- Depressed individuals’ judgements and memories are negatively biased
- The Werther effect: increase of suicide rates following the publication of a suicide story (copycat suicide)
- Depression realism theory: non-depressed individuals insulate themselves against negativity by adopting a positive attributional style, whereas people with depression are more realistic
44
Schizophrenia: psychological factors
- Development of and recovery is dependent on the family environment
- Relapse is more likely with emotional intrusiveness and excessive criticism directed towards the patient by their family
45
Antisocial personality disorder
- A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others
- Diagnostic signs include illegal behaviour, deception, impulsivity, physical aggression, recklessness, irresponsibility and a lack of remorse for wrongdoing
- times more likely in men than women
- The terms sociopath and psychopath describe people with APD who are especially cold hearted, manipulative and ruthless
- Psychopaths who are shown negative emotional words show less activity in the amygdala and hippocampus than non-criminals (they are less sensitive to fear)
