chapter 5: psychopathology Flashcards
(29 cards)
definitions of abnormality (statistical infrequency)
- real-world application (S)
- very useful
- used in clinical practice, as formal diagnosis and as a way to assess the severity of an individual’s symptoms
- example is the Beck depression inventory
- shows the value of the statistical infrequency criteria
definitions for abnormality (statistical infrequency)
- unusual characteristics can be positive (L)
- infrequent characteristics can be positive as well as negative
- someone with a very high IQ isn’t considered abnormal
- examples show that being unusual or at one end of a psychological spectrum does not make someone abnormal
definitions of abnormality (deviation from social norms)
- real-world application (S)
- used in clinical practices
- key defining characteristic of antisocial personality disorder is the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical behaviour
- signs of the disorder are all deviations from social norms
- has value in psychiatry
definitions of abnormality (deviation from social norms)
- cultural and situational relativism (L)
- a person from one cultural group may label someone from another group as abnormal using their standards
- experience of hearing voice is the nor for some cultures but abnormal for some
- difficult to judge deviation from social norms across different situations and cultures
definitions of abnormality (failure to function adequately)
- represents a threshold for help (S)
- represents a sensible threshold for when people need professional help
- many people press on in the face of fairly severe symptoms
- criteria means that treatment and services can be targeted to those who need them most
definitions of abnormality (failure to function adequately)
- discrimination and social control (L)
- easy to label non-standard lifestyle choices as abnormal
- some people may just choose to deviate from social norms
- some people might have alternative lifestyles, like those who live off-grid, or favour high risk lifestyles
- these people are at risk of being labelled abnormal
definitions of abnormality (deviation from ideal mental health)
- a comprehensive definition (S)
- includes a range of criteria
- an individual’s mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals
- provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves
definitions of abnormality (deviation from ideal mental health)
- may be culture bound (L)
- different elements are not equally applicable across a range of cultures
- some of Jahoda’s criteria for ideal mental health are firmly located in the context of the US and Europe
- what defines success in our lives is different for every culture
behavioural approach to explaining phobias:
- real-world application (S)
- two-process model has application in exposure therapies
- idea of avoidance is important to understand the maintenance of phobias
- identifies a means of treating phobias
behavioural approach to explaining phobias:
- cognitive aspects of phobias (L)
- does not account for the cognitive aspects of phobias
- phobias are not simply avoidance of the phobic stimulus
- does not offer an explanation for phobic cognitions
behavioural approach to explaining phobias:
- phobias and traumatic experiences + counterpoint (S+L)
- link between bad experiences and phobias
- Little Albert study illustrates this
- confirms of the association between stimulus and UCR leading to the development of the phobia
- not all phobias arise due to bad experiences though
- not all frightening experiences lead to phobias
- association is not as strong
behavioural approach to treating phobias (systematic desensitisation)
- evidence of effectiveness (S)
- evidence for effectiveness
- Gilroy et al followed up 42 people who had SD for spider phobia
- SD group was less fearful than a control group
- SD is actually helpful
behavioural approach to treating phobias (systematic desensitisation)
- people with learning disabilities (S)
- some people requiring treatment may also have learning disabilities
- they often struggle with cognitive therapies that require complex rational thought
- flooding may be traumatic
- SD is appropriate for people with learning disabilities
behavioural approach to treating phobias (flooding)
- cost-effective (S)
- highly cost-effective
- clinically effective and not expensive
- flooding can one work in one session, SD requires many
- more people can be treated with flooding
behavioural approach to treating phobias (flooding)
- traumatic (L)
- highly unpleasant experience
- confronting a phobic stimulus provokes tremendous anxiety
- raises the ethical issue for psychologists
- high attrition rates
cognitive approach to explaining depression (Beck’s negative triad)
- research support (S)
- existence of supporting research
- in a review Clark and Beck concluded that cognitive vulnerabilities were more common in depressed people, and actually preceded depression
- confirmed in a more recent prospective study by Cohen et al
cognitive approach to explaining depression (Beck’s negative triad)
- real-world application (S)
- applications in screening and treatment for depression
- Cohen et al concluded that assessing cognitive vulnerability allows psychologists to screen young people
- can also be applied in cognitive behaviour therapy
- makes people more resilient to negative life events
cognitive approach to explaining depression (Ellis’s ABC model)
- real-world application (S)
- treatment of depression
- evidence by David et al shows that REBT can both change negative beliefs and relieve the symptoms of depression
cognitive approach to explaining depression (Ellis’s ABC model)
- reactive and endogenous depression (L)
- only explains reactive depression and not endogenous depression
- depression due to activating events is called reactive
- endogenous depression is not traceable to life events and so cannot be explained by the ABC model
- partial explanation
cognitive approach to treating depression:
- evidence for effectiveness (S)
- March et al compared CBT to antidepressant drugs
- CBT was just as effective when used on its own and more so when used alongside antidepressants
- cost-effective too
cognitive approach to treating depression:
- suitability for diverse clients (L+S)
- lack of effectiveness for severe cases and for clients with learning disabilities
- people may not be able to pay attention to what is happening in a CBT session
- complex rational thinking involved in CBT may be unsuitable for people with learning disabilities
- recent evidence that challenges this
- psychologists concluded that CBT was as effective as antidepressant drugs and behavioural drugs
- when used appropriately CBT is effective for people with learning disabilities
cognitive approach to treating depression:
- relapse rates (L)
- high relapse rates
- concerns over how long the benefits last
- Shehzad Ali et al assessed depression in 439 clients every month
- 42% of clients relapsed into depression within six months
biological approach to explaining OCD (genetic explanations)
- research support (S)
- strong evidence base
- twin studies found that 68% of identical twins shared OCD as opposed to 31% of non-identical twins
- person with a family member diagnosed is around four times more likely to develop it
biological approach to explaining OCD (genetic explanations)
- environmental risk factors (L)
- OCD does not appear to be entirely genetic in origin
- environmental risk factors can also trigger or increase the risk of developing OCD
- Cromer et al found that over half the OCD clients in their sample had experienced a traumatic event in their past
- OCD is also more severe in those with one or more traumas
