Psychopathology Flashcards

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1
Q

4 types of abnormality:

A

1 - Statistical infrequency
2 - Deviation from social norms
3 - Failure to function adequately
4 - Deviation from ideal mental health

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2
Q

Statistical Infrequency:

A

Not matching the average, either being below or above. E.g. a high iq is statistical infrequency because it’s above. Bell curve. Less common characteristic.

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3
Q

Deviation from Social Norms:

A

Not matching the social norms. E.g. having a hobby which may seem extreme such as sky diving

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4
Q

Failure to Function Adequately:

A

Not being able to function properly and not being able to keep up with day to day tasks, e.g. personal hygiene, maintain a job, maintain a relationship

Rosenhan, Seligman (1989) questions to determine whether someone is failing to function adequately:

  • When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules
  • When a person experiences severe personal distress
  • When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
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5
Q

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health:

A

When someone doesn’t meet the criteria of ideal mental health.

Jahoda (1958) criteria of ideal mental health:

  • no symptoms or distress
  • being rational and being able to perceive our self accurately
  • self-actualise (strive to reach our potential)
  • can cope with stress
  • realistic view of the world
  • good self-esteem and lacking guilt
  • being independent from other people
  • successfully work, love and enjoy leisure
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6
Q

Statistical Infrequency AO3:

A

Strength - Real World Application:
P - Strength of statistical infrequency is its usefulness
E - Used in diagnosis
E - For example, Beck’s Depression Inventory, a score of 30+ indicates severe depression
L - Therefore, show’s the value and usefulness of statistical infrequency

Weakness - Unusual Characteristics can be Positive
P - Limitation of statistical infrequency is that unusual characteristics can be positive
E - An average IQ is 100, having an above average IQ of 130 wouldn’t be considered as abnormal by most people. But it is abnormal according to statistical infrequency.
E - similarly, having a low score on a BDI test wouldn’t be abnormal, but is considered abnormal according to statistical infrequency.
L - Therefore, a weakness of statistical infrequency is that unusual characteristics can be considered positive

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7
Q

Failure to Function Adequately AO3:

A

Strength - Represents a Threshold for Help
P - Strength of failure to function adequately, represents a threshold for help
E - Most people have symptoms of a mental disorder to some degree, around 25% of people in the UK experience a mental health problem.
E - However, some people face severe symptoms, this is where they search for medical advice, when they’re failing to function adequately.
L - therefore, a strength of failure to function adequately is that it represents a threshold for help

Weakness - Discrimination and social control
P - Weakness of failure to function adequately is, discrimination and social control.
E - difficult to determine when someone is failing to function adequately when they deviate from social norms.
E - e.g. people who have high risk leisure activates (sky-diving)
L - therefore, a weakness of failure to function adequately is discrimination and social control.

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8
Q

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health AO3:

A

Strength - A Comprehensive Definition
P - strength of deviation from ideal mental health, a highly comprehensive definition.
E - Jahoda’s concept of ‘ideal mental health’ covers a range of distinguishing mental health.
E - This means that a person’s mental health can be discussed meaningfully with professionals.
L - Therefore, a strength of deviation from ideal mental health is that it is a comprehensive definition.

Weakness - May be Culture Bound
P - Weakness of deviation from ideal

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9
Q

Phobia:

A

An irrational fear of an object or situation

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10
Q

Behavioural Characteristics of Phobias:

A

APE
A - Avoidance
P - Panic
E - Endurance

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11
Q

Emotional Characteristics of Phobias:

A

FEA
F - Fear
E - Emotional response is unreasonable
A - Anxiety

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12
Q

Cognitive Characteristics of Phobias:

A

IB, SA, CD
IB - Irrational Beliefs
SA - Selective Attention
CD - Cognitive Distortions

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13
Q

Depression:

A

A mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels.

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14
Q

Behavioural Characteristics of Depression:

A

Al, DSE, A
Al - Activity Levels
DSE - Disruption to sleep and eating
A - aggression and self-harm

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15
Q

Emotional Characteristics of Depression:

A

Lm, A, Ls
Lm - Lowered mood
A - Anger
Ls - Lowered self-esteem

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16
Q

Cognitive Characteristics of Depression:

A

Pc, A, At
Pc - Poor concentration
A - attending to dwell on the negatives
At - absolutist thinking

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17
Q

OCD:

A

Obsessions and compulsive behaviour

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18
Q

Behavioural Characteristics of OCD:

A

CaR, CrA, A
CaR - Compulsions are repetitive
CrA - Compulsions reduce anxiety
A - Avoidance

19
Q

Emotional Characteristics of OCD:

A

AD, Ad, GD
AD - Anxiety and distress
Ad - Accompanying depression
GD - Guilt and disgust

20
Q

Cognitive Characteristics of OCD:

A

O,Cs,I
O - Obsessive thoughts
Cs - Cognitive Coping Strategies
I - Insight into excessive anxiety

21
Q

Two-Process Model (phobias explanation):

A

Acquire a fear - Classical Conditioning
- Watson, Rayner (1920), little albert - explain classical
conditioning with little albert

Maintain a fear - Operant Conditioning
- Mowrer, avoid an unpleasant situation - negative
reinforcement

22
Q

Two-Process Model AO3:

A

Strength - Real-World Application

  • exposure therapies - systematic desensitisation
  • prevent avoidance behaviour, treats phobia
  • supports TPM

Weakness - Cognitive Aspects of Phobia
- only focuses on behavioural aspects, not cognitive
aspects
- people hold irrational beliefs about phobic stimulus,
cognitive

Strength - Phobias and Traumatic experiences
- Jongh et al. (2006), 73% of people who had fears of
dentistry had experienced a traumatic event

23
Q

Treatment of Phobias:

A
  • Systematic Desensitisation

- Flooding

24
Q

Systematic Desensitisation:

A
  • Anxiety Hierarchy - making a list of the patients
    phobic stimulus, increasing in severity
  • Relaxation - mental imaging, (happy place), breathing
    techniques. Leads to reciprocal inhibition - can’t have multiple feelings at once
  • Exposure - client exposed to phobic stimulus
25
Q

Systematic Desensitisation AO3:

A

Strength - Evidence for Effectiveness
- Gilroy et al. (2003)
- spoke to 42 people who undertook SD for spiders
- 33 months later they were less fearful than a control
group

Strength - People with Learning Disabilities
- people with learning disabilities struggle with
cognitive therapies
- they get stressed with the severity of flooding
- SD is more suitable

26
Q

Flooding AO3:

A

Strength - Cost Effective
- cheaper, only requires one session whereas SD
could require 10

Weakness - Traumatic
- Schumacher et al. (2015), participants rated flooding
as more stressful than SD, ethical issues, flooding has
a higher dropout rate than SD.

27
Q

Flooding AO3:

A

Strength - Cost Effective
- cheaper, only requires one session whereas SD
could require 10

Weakness - Traumatic
- Schumacher et al. (2015), participants rated flooding
as more stressful than SD, ethical issues, flooding has
a higher dropout rate than SD.

28
Q

Beck’s Negative Triad (depression explanation):

A

Three:
(1967)
- Faulty information processing (focus on the negatives)
- Negative self-schema (negative package of ideas
about self)
- Negative triad: negative view of the world, negative
view of the future, negative view of the self

29
Q

Ellis’ ABC Model (depression explanation):

A

(1962)
A - Activating event (e.g. ending of relationship)
B - Beliefs (musturbation, always must perfect)
C - Consequences (triggers depression)

30
Q

Beck’s Negative Triad AO3:

A

Strength - Research Support
- Beck and Clark (1999) found that cognitive
vulnerabilities are more common in people with
depression, and they also precede it.
- Confirmed by Cohen (2019) 473 adolescents

Strength - Real-world application
- Can be used in diagnosis, showed by Cohen
- Cohen et al. found that negative triad preceded
adolescents with depression.

31
Q

Ellis’ ABC Model AO3:

A

Strength - Real-world application
- Can be used in treatment of depression,
- Used in REBT (rational emotive behaviour therapy),
arguing with patient
- David et al. (2018)

Weakness - Reactive and Endogenous Depression
- Only explains reactive depression, not endogenous
depression
- Endogenous depression (Depression without a
traceable causing event)

32
Q

Depression Treatment (CBT):

A

Treating depression with both cognitive and behavioural techniques.

  • defining the problems
  • using CBT to deal with the problems
33
Q

Beck’s Cognitive Therapy:

A

Built off Beck’s Negative Triad

Challenge the relativity client’s negative beliefs, also

34
Q

Ellis’ rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT):

A
ABC + DE
A - Activating event
B - Beliefs
C - Consequences
D - Dispute
E - Effect

Arguing with client about their irrational beliefs

35
Q

OCD Explanations:

A

Genetic explanations

Neural explanations

36
Q

Genetic Explanations (OCD explanation):

A

Candidate Genes - genes inherited from your parents which make you more vulnerable to OCD

OCD is polygenic - OCD is caused by many different genes

Different types of OCD - One group of genes may cause OCD in one person, and a different group of genes may cause OCD in another person (aetiologically heterogeneous)

37
Q

Neural Explanations (OCD explanation):

A

The Role of Serotonin - serotonin (neurotransmitter) regulates mood, if someone has low levels of serotonin then they will have a low mood.

Decision-Making Systems - abnormal functioning of the lateral parts of the frontal lobe.

38
Q

Genetic Explanations AO3:

A

Strength - Research Support
- evidence shows people are vulnerable to OCD.
- Nestadt et al. (2010), 68% of MZ twins shared OCD
compared to 31% of DZ twins.

Weakness - Environmental Risk Factors
- OCD not entirely genetic
- Cromer et al. (2007) over half her clients had
experienced a traumatic event

39
Q

Neural Explanations AO3:

A

Strength - Research Support
- antidepressants which work on serotonin reduce
OCD symptoms.

Weakness - No unique neural system

  • many people with OCD also have clinical depression
  • disruption to serotonin
40
Q

Drug Therapy (OCD Treatment):

A

SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)
Combination of SSRIs with other treatments (CBT)
Alternative to SSRIs (SNRI - serotonin nonadrenaline reuptake inhibitors, tricyclics)

41
Q

SSRI (OCD Treatment)

A
  • antidepressant drug
  • blocks vesicles from releasing serotonin, increases
    amount of serotonin in synaptic cleft, more serotonin
42
Q

Combining SSRIs with other treatments (OCD Treatment)

A
  • SSRIs combined with CBT
  • SSRIs reduce anxiety and allow patient to focus on
    CBT treatment
43
Q

OCD Treatment AO3:

A

Strength - Evidence of effectiveness

  • improves people’s quality of life
  • compared to placebos, SSRIs perform better

Strength - Cost-effective and non-disruptive

  • drugs can be mass produced
  • therapy is expensive

Weakness - Serious side-effects
- have serious side-effects on some people:
indigestion, blurred vision, loss of sex drive