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a level psychology > psychopathology > Flashcards

psychopathology Flashcards

1
Q

What is the genetic explanation of OCD

Include a study XD:(((

A

Some people have a genetic vulnerability to developing OCD due to their genetic make up
Lewis (1936) observed that 37% of his OCD patients had parents with OCD and 21% had siblings with OCD. This suggests that OCD runs in families, and therefore has a biological basis.

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2
Q

Use the diathesis stress model to explain OCD

A

Diathesis- candidate genes associated with OCD e.g. SERT gene
Stress- environmental stressor triggers OCD

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3
Q

What are candidate genes(OCD)
Give an example

A

genes which create vulnerability for OCD. e.g. SERT gene affects transport of serotonin which lowers levels of serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are associated with OCD

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4
Q

OCD is….

A

polygenic. Caused by several genes. Taylor – 230 diff. genes

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5
Q

How is OCD aetiologically heterogeneous?

A

origins of OCD vary from person to person, One group of candidate genes may cause OCD in one person, but a DIFFERENT group of genes may cause it in another.
Different types of OCD may be the result of different genetic variations-hoarding disorder=one group of genes
skin picking=another group of genes

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6
Q

strength of genetic explanation of OCD

A

Research support- Nestadt et al (2010) reviewed previous twin studies and found that concordance rates for identical MZ twins was 68% as opposed to 31% concordance for non-identical DZ twins. suggests that a higher genetic similarity increases risk of OCD. (gene inheritance-having kids)
however, mz twins are treated more similarly than dz twins. they also grow up in the same environments

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7
Q

weakness of genetic explanation of OCD

A

—Too many candidate genes bruv. likeee….
There has been little success in pinning down the specific genes involved in OCD. There are too many possible genes involved so each variation only increases the risk of OCD by a small fraction.
Therefore, the genetic explanation loses its predictive value and is not likely to be of use.

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8
Q

neural explanation of OCD

A

abnormal functioning of neurotransmitters and brain structures causes OCD

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9
Q

role of serotonin in OCD
add research support to support this hypothesis

A

low serotonin causes a low mood.
Pigott et al (1990) - antidepressant drugs that specifically increase serotonin activity reduce OCD; antidepressant drugs that do not target serotonin have little effect on OCD. This suggests that serotonin also plays a role in OCD.

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10
Q

what is the ‘worry circuit’? How does this relate to OCD?

A

Worry circuit- brain structures that deal with regulating and filtering ‘worries’. Worry circuit is faulty in ppl with OCD.
in OCD, the caudate nucleus is thought to be damaged, so it cannot suppress signals from the OFC, allowing the thalamus to become over-excited.
the thalamus sends strong signals back to the OFC, creating a worry circuit, which responds by increasing compulsive behaviour and anxiety. This could explain the repetitive and seemingly senseless rituals performed by obsessive-compulsives.

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11
Q

strength of neural explanation

A

research support—–Menzies et al (2007) used MRI to produce images of brain activity in OCD patients and their Family compared to control group
OCD patients and their close relatives had reduced grey matter in key regions of the brain, including the OFC.

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12
Q

weakness of neural explanation

A

—-weak serotonin explanation. most people with OCD also have clinical depression(co-morbidity) so the low serotonin levels may be due to depression and not OCD.
—Although there is evidence to suggest that serotonin and abnormal brain structures are involved in OCD, we cannot assume this is a ‘cause and effect’ relationship.
It may be that these neural abnormalities are the effect of OCD rather than the cause of it.

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13
Q

How can we use drugs to treat OCD?

A

They Increase the activity of serotonin. Remember: OCD is caused by low levels of serotonin
note: The drugs are all antidepressants

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14
Q

What are SSRIs? How do they work?

A

-Selective Serotonin Re uptake Inhibitors
- Serotonin is released by neurons into synapse. Serotonin chemically conveys a signal from pre neuron to post.s.neuron. Serotonin is then reabsorbed and broken down for reuse.
SSRIs block re-uptake of serotonin so that serotonin remains in the synapse for longer therefore, this stimulate the postsynaptic neuron more. - remember to give examples of the symptoms they reduce

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15
Q

How long does it take for SSRIs to take effect?

A

3-4 months. At this point, symptoms of OCD reduce.

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16
Q

what are the alternatives to SSRIs? Explain how one of these works….

A

-Tricyclics- older type of anidepressant that acts on the serotonin system and has the same effect as SSRIs. It has MORE SEVERE side effects than SSRIs.
-SNRIs

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17
Q

What do you do if a patient does not respond to SSRIs? 3 things ….>

A

-Increase dose of drug
-combine with other drugs(Tricyclics, SNRIs)
-use CBT (psychological treatment)

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18
Q

2 strengths of bio approach to treat OCD

A

-cost efffective drugs and non disruptive in personal life
most drugs are cheap

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19
Q

weaknesses of bio approach to treat OCD

A

-Drugs may have serious side effects e.g loss of libido, mood swings and heart related problems–interferes with personal life

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20
Q

What are the two cognitive approaches to explaining depression

A

-Beck’s Negative Triad
-Ellie’s ABC model

21
Q

What is faulty information processing? (Beck’s Negative Triad)

A

Selective attention to the negative aspects of situations.
-Thoughts affect emotions and then behaviours

22
Q

What is a negative schema(Beck’s Negative Triad)

A

Negative view of self( self-schema) acquired during childhood due to parental/peer rejection, harsh criticism etc.
affect how we interpret any new information relevant to us and interpret information about oneself in a negative way.

23
Q

outline Beck’s Negative triad

A

-Negative view of self—-confirms negative self-schema of depressed person-low self esteem
-Negative view of world—-reduces hope
-Negative view of future—– reduces hopelessness=depression
these 3 key elements enhance depressive feelings

24
Q

Ellis proposed that depression is due to…..
this is….

A

irrational thinking
thoughts that distort reality and reduce happiness.

25
Q

Outline Ellis’s ABC model
(explains how irrational thinking leads to a depression)

A

-Activating event- negative external event that activates irrational thoughts
-Beliefs- irrational beliefs. ‘Musturbation’= belief we must always succeed and be perfect
-Consequences– emotional and behavioural consequences ie. depression

26
Q

Strength and weakness of Beck’s Negative triad

A

-Highlights the importance of cognitive factors in the development of depression.
Practical applications in the development of successful cognitive therapies for depression.(CBT) due to good understanding of cognitive vulnerability
-Evidence tends to be correlational. It is unclear if negative thinking leads to depression or if depression results in negative thinking.

27
Q

weaknesses of Ellis’s ABC model

A

-Overlooks the role of biological factors that may contribute towards depression.

-Implication is that the individual is somehow to blame for their depression because it is their thought processes contributing to it.
- Assumes that depression is the result of negative life events, however some have depression which are not traceable to life events. Cannot treat or explain all types of depression
-real world application-development of rational emotive behavioural therapy(REBT)

28
Q

what is CBT?

A

A psychological therapy that combines behavioural and cognitive approaches. It takes a problem-solving approach towards depression and aims to empower the client by replacing irrational thoughts with more positive ones.

29
Q

outline Beck’s CBT

A

-directly challenge the thoughts from the negative triad
-clients are set homework ie. keeping a diary/log of events which can be later used as evidence in the future to counteract the clients irrational thoughts

30
Q

outline Ellis’s REBT

A

uses ABCDE model. D-dispute and E -effect
therapist helps client identify their irrational beliefs and they engage in a vigorous argument to challenge these beliefs. argument may be empirical(disputing if there is evidence against the belief) or logical( disputing whether the thought is logical).
The intended effect is to change the irrational belief and break link between negative life events and depression

31
Q

behavioural activation is…

A

encourage the depressed client to be more active and engage in sociable activities that have been shown to elevate mood.e.g.exercise and being with nature these are strategies that replace the irrational thoughts

32
Q

strengths of CBT(and REBT)

A

-evidence to show effectiveness in treating depression
March et al compared CBT to antidepressant drugs and found and a combination of both. Findings showed that CBT was just as effective on its own and even more effective when combined with drugs. CBT is recognised and recommended by NHS and is also cost effective.

33
Q

weaknesses of CBT

A

-high relapse rates. it is effective in tackling the symptoms of depression but may not be long term. Studies show that 42% of clients relapsed into depression 6 months after a one year treatment of CBT
-different client preferences-some may want their trauma gone completely and immediately, and some may not like the long sessions
- lack of effectiveness in severe cases and those with learning disabilities. Some are too distressed to engage with the homework, cannot motivate themselves and may not pay attention in the sessions. may not be suitable for a diverse range of clients

34
Q

what is the behavioural explanation of phobias?

A

phobias are learnt via stimulus-response interactions
-two process model

35
Q

two process model

A

-explains how phobias develop due to two processes
-classical conditioning and operant conditioning
classical conditioning explains how phobias are acquired and operant conditioning explains how phobias are maintained

36
Q

how are phobias acquired by classical conditioning?
(two process model)

A

occurs during traumatic incident. Neutral stimulus(something we do not usually fear) is associated with unconditional stimulus(something that naturally produces a fear response) neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus, which generates a conditioned response
example— little albert experiment-
white rat(NS) associated with loud noise(US) which produced UR(fear/crying). white rat became CS which gave CR(fear) (overtime)

37
Q

how are phobias maintained by operant conditioning?
(two process model)

A

-when someone is faced with a phobia they escape/avoid it to reduce their anxiety. they are more likely to repeat the behaviour of avoidance/escaping again. shows how phobia is maintained by negative reinforcement

38
Q

. strengths of two process model
(behavioural explanation of phobias)

A

-application to therapy specifically exposure therapies. shows the benefit in being exposed to the phobic stimulus because phobias are maintained by avoiding the phobias stimulus. when the avoidance is prevented, it cures the phobia
- Research support- Barlow and Durand found that 50% of pps could recall a traumatic event that had caused their driving phobia. Many of them had not driven since the event. supports classical and operant conditioning.

39
Q

weaknesses of two process model
(behavioural explanation of phobias)

A
  • cannot explain how some ppl have phobias without traumatic experiences. suggests that phobias aren’t acquired via classical conditioning. not all traumatic experiences lead to phobias
    -cannot explain why we are more likely to become conditioned to some things more than others. we are predisposed to acquire phobias of things that would have been dangerous during our evolutionary past (e.g. poisonous animals, the dark, enclosed spaces). Suggests that some phobias are genetically determined. However, we are not predisposed to fear other, more dangerous things (like cars) as they are more recent in our history.
    Therefore, we are less likely to develop phobias of some things over others.
  • It does not consider cognitions. Although the explanation can explain the behavioural and emotional characteristics of phobias, it does not explain the cognitive aspects. It cannot explain why phobics develop irrational thoughts and hypervigilance(assessing potential threats around you) Therefore, it does not fully explain the experience of phobic individuals.
40
Q

the 2 behavioural treatments of phobias

A

flooding
systematic desensitisation

41
Q

outline systematic desensitisation

A

counter conditioning + reciprocal inhibition
= anxiety hierarchy-reflects least to most feared stimulus situation
= relaxation techniques
= gradual exposure to phobic stimulus using anxiety hierachy

42
Q

counter conditioning

A

phobic stimulus is paired with relaxation instead of anxiety

43
Q

reciprocal inhibition

A

one emotion prevents another

44
Q

outline flooding

A

immediate exposure to phobic stimulus
patient quickly learns that phobic stimulus is harmless.
extinction—stops conditioned stimulus from producing a conditioned response

45
Q

evaluate systematic desensitisation

A
46
Q

evaluate flooding

A

-cost effective
cheaper and quicker for patient
-treatment is traumatic for patients
has high drop out rates
unsuitable for people with severe phobias

47
Q

types of phobia

A

social phobia
agarophobia
specific phobia (of specific stimulus)

48
Q

what does it mean when someone is maladaptive?
state the definition of abnormality

A

unable to cope with everyday life
failure to function adequately

a level psychology (10 decks)

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