Psychopathology Flashcards
(45 cards)
What are the 4 definitions of abnormality?
1) Deviation from Social Norms
- An unwritten rule of society.
2) Failure to Function Adequately
- not being able to cope with everyday living:
e.g. doesn’t maintain basic hygiene/nutrition
causes distress to themselves or others
they are irrational/unpredictable
behaviour restricts their social/occupational goals
3) Statistical Infrequency
- Numerically rare (less than 2%)
4) Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
- Jahoda argued physical ill-health is judged by a lack of signs of physical health, so mental health should be looked at in the same way.
Evaluate Deviation from Social Norms Definition.
+ Considers the fact that behaviour is context specific
- Era dependent.
- Social Deviancy isn’t always a bad thing so shouldn’t always be seen as abnormal.
- Cultural Bias
Evaluate Failure to Function Adequately Definition.
+ Provides a checklist to assess whether someone is not functioning adequately.
- Doesn’t consider individual differences.
- People can function normally with mental illness.
- Cultural bias
Evaluate Statistical Infrequency Definition.
+ Objective quantitative cut off point
- Fails to distinguish between desirable and non-desirable behaviours.
- Some mental illnesses aren’t statistically rare.
- Cultural Bias
What are the 6 characteristics of Ideal Mental Health?
- Positive Attitude to oneself
- Environmental Mastery
- Autonomy
- Accurate Perception of reality
- Resisting stress
- Self Actualisation
PEAARS
What is autonomy?
Being independent, self-reliant and able to make personal decisions.
Evaluate Deviation from Ideal Mental Health Definition
+ Focuses on what is desirable so provides goals.
- Some of the criteria are vague and difficult to assess so rely on subjective judgements.
- Criteria is over-demanding - few people meet all of it
- Cultural bias
What are phobias?
A type of anxiety disorder. Phobias are uncontrollable, irrational and extreme reactions to an object or situation.
What are the 3 key features of a phobic disorder?
- Reaction is excessive and causes great distress
- Phobia interferes with normal life
- Persists for at least 6 months
What are the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of phobias?
EMOTIONAL
- Anxiety (long-term)
- Fear (immediate)
- Unreasonable emotional response
BEHAVIOURAL
- Panic
- Avoidance
- Endurance
COGNITIVE
- Irrational beliefs
- Selective attention to stimulus
- Cognitive disorders
How are phobias acquired and maintained? (Two process model)
Acquired through classical conditioning.
Maintained through operant conditioning. Negative reinforcement - phobias persist because the person avoids the thing they are frightened of.
Evaluate the Two Process Model to explaining phobias.
+ Practical Applications - e.g. systematic desensitisation - successful treatments
+ There is research to support it - e.g. Little Albert
- There is contradictory research. - e.g. only 2% of individuals with water phobia reported an unpleasant experience with water.
- Alternative explanations of phobias - e.g. biological preparedness (innate fears from evolution)
What are the two main treatments for Phobias? Explain them.
SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION
Gradually exposing a person to their phobic stimulus while using relaxation techniques.
FLOODING
The immediate exposure to their phobic stimulus.
Why does systematic desensitisation work?
Reciprocal inhibition (the idea that we cannot feel two conflicting emotions at once) - fear and relaxation.
What are the stages of SD?
1) Client works out hierarchy of fear from the least to the most frightening.
2) Client learns relaxation techniques
3) Client works through the hierarchy of fear while using relaxation techniques.
What techniques can be used to expose someone to their feared stimulus in SD?
- Visualisation
- Virtual Reality
- Modelling
- Role play
- Actual exposure
Evaluate SD and Flooding.
+ There is research to support SD - e.g. McGrath found about 75% effectiveness for specific behaviours.
+ Research has assessed the long term effects of SD - e.g. patients who received 3 sessions of SD were less fearful of spiders 3 months and 33 months after the treatment than a control group.
+ Research found that flooding and SD are equally effective.
- SD might be preferred to flooding
What is OCD?
An anxiety disorder. Sufferers experience obsessions which lead to compulsions.
Occurs in about 2% of the population.
What are obsessions and compulsions?
OBSESSIONS
Irrational, inappropriate, intrusive thoughts.
COMPULSIONS
Uncontrollable urges to repetitively carry out a behaviour to reduce anxiety.
What are the behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of OCD?
BEHAVIOURAL
- Compulsions
- Hinders everyday functioning
- Social Impairment
EMOTIONAL
- Extreme anxiety felt
- Distress
- Depression
COGNITIVE
- Obsessive thinking
- Selective Attention
- Realisation of inappropriateness
What are the 2 biological explanations for OCD?
GENETIC EXPLANATION
- Genetic transmission from biological parent to child.
- SERT gene affects the transport of serotonin.
- Twin studies
NEURAL EXPLANATION
- caused by abnormal levels of neurotransmitters/abnormal brain circuits
- OCD sufferers have high levels of activity in the orbitofrontal cortex - linked to low levels of serotonin (inhibits the post-synaptic neuron from firing).
Evaluate the Genetic Theory/explanation for OCD
+ Practical applications - e.g. genetic screening of parents.
+ Research evidence examining specific genes - e.g. study of 2 families where 6/7 family members had OCD. They found a mutation in the SERT gene in these members. (However OCD is polygenetic).
- OCD is not only caused by genes - over half the OCD patients studied had a traumatic event in their past - OCD is therefore explained more by Diathesis Stress (environmental triggers combined with gene disposition).
- Children often show dissimilar OCD symptoms to their parents.
Evaluate the Neural explanation of OCD
+ Practical applications - this explanation could be used to help with diagnosis and treatment for OCD - e.g. brain scans and drug treatments.
+ Research evidence - e.g. lower serotonin activity found in OCD patients than controls.
+ Research evidence - increasing levels of serotonin seem to reduce symptoms of OCD (e.g. SSRIs)
- OCD is often co-morbid (combined with other disorders) - e.g. depression - low serotonin levels could be the cause of the depression, not OCD.
State the 2 biological treatments for OCD?
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
and Benzodiazepines (BZs)
