psychopathology

Question 1

what are the four definitions of abnormality?

Answer 1

1.statistical infrequency
2.deviations from social norms
3.failure to function adequately
4.deviation from ideal mental health

Question 2

how does statistical infrequency work when defining abnormality?

Answer 2

looks at behaviors through statistics, measuring which behaviors are statistically normal and abnormal. most people will be around the mean of the normal distribution, with rare behavior further away, either above or below the mean

Question 3

positive ao3 for statistical infrequency as a way of defining abnormality

Answer 3

STRENGTH: has real world application, it is used in clinical practice when diagnosing mental illnesses and when assessing the severity of the illness. an example of this can be used for depression to help identify the rare behaviors occurring
STRENGTH: statistical infrequency relies on real data, which is obtained via the general population. people may take tests and quizzes and an average is taken to see what is common and uncommon. this gives the definition validity, as representative information is being used to determine rare and common behaviors in society.

Question 4

negative ao3 of statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality

Answer 4

WEAKNESS: the cut of point for being rare is subjectively determined . it is not clear how far behavior should deviate from the norm to be seen as abnormal. for example some traits of depression may be uncommon so where is the line drawn. this means there may be some bias in deciding the cut off for rare behaviors
WEAKNESS: statistical infrequency ignores cultural factors. what is deemed abnormal in one country may be seen as normal in another. for example, genital retraction is a form of anxiety only found in certain Asian cultures

Question 5

how does deviation from social norms work when defining abnormality?

Answer 5

where a behavior is seen as abnormal if it violates unwritten rules about what is acceptable in a particular society.
the context and the degree of the behavior have to be considered.

Question 6

positive ao3 of deviation from social norms

Answer 6

STRENGTH: can be used to identify developmental norms, for example it is considered normal for a 1 year old to be carried around but it is deemed as abnormal if the person was 40. this means that certain behaviors are seen as more socially normal with different conditions e.g. age
STRENGTH: can be used as a way to identify and get help. if healthy behavior is acceptable as the social norm, a person with a mental illness will be able to recognise that they are acting abnormally and be able to seek help. e.g. seeing the signs of depression and comparing them to social norms to help people actively seek help and not suffer from mental illnesses

Question 7

negative ao3 of deviation from social norms

Answer 7

WEAKNESS: social norms change with time, this means that the behavior that would have been defined abnormal in one era is no longer defined as abnormal in another. e.g. homosexuality. this suggests that the definition is limited if it doesn’t take this into account.
WEAKNESS: mental health professionals would be able to classify anyone who doesn’t follow social norms as being mentally ill. this may lead to abuse of their human rights. this lessens the credibility of this explanation of defining abnormality, as it was being misused.

Question 8

how does failure to function adequately work when defining abnormality?

Answer 8

failure to function adequately is where people cannot cope with the demands of everyday life and as a result causing distress to themselves or others.
e.g. unable to get out of bed each day
e.g. unable to maintain basic standards of nutrition and hygiene

Question 9

what did rosenhan and seligman propose in relation to the idea of failure to function adequately?

Answer 9

behavior may be deemed ‘abnormal’ when it prevents an individual from functioning effictively in their every day life, if someone displays one of the following, they may be seen to be failing to function:
- severe personal distress (frequently crying and unhappiness)
- maladaptiveness (harmful and unhelpful behavior e.g. self harming)
- when a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules (e.g. maintaining eye contact and respecting personal space)

Question 10

positive ao3 of failure to function adequately

Answer 10

STRENGTH: failure to function represents a good threshold for professional help. in any given year, 25% of us experience symptoms of mental disorders to some degree. most of the time we press on, but when we cease to function adequately, people are referred to or seek professional help. this means that failure to function adequately provides a way to target treatment and services to those who need it most.

Question 11

negative ao3 of failure to function adequately

Answer 11

WEAKNESS: failure to function can be normal, in some circumstances most of us cant cope, for example, bereavement. so it is unfair to give someone a label for reacting normally to different situations. on the other hand, failure to function is real regardless of circumstances, a person may need professional help for bereavement. this means it is hard to know when to base a judgement of abnormality on failure to function.
WEAKNESS: it is based on subjective judgement, interpretation on whether someone is in distress and not functioning adequately is open to bias. some may feel a person is in distress and not functioning, another may think they are coping well and are functioning. this means that it is difficult to decide whether or not functioning adequately is a result of abnormality

Question 12

how does deviation from ideal mental health work when defining abnormality?

Answer 12

this occurs when a person does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health

Question 13

what did jahoda propose in relation to deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 13

it was proposed that instead of focusing on abnormality, jahoda looked at what would compromise the ideal mental state of an individual. the criteria includes:
- being able to self actualise
- having an accurate perception of ourselves
- not being distressed
- being able to maintain normal levels of motivation to carry out day to day tasks
- displaying high self esteem

Question 14

what does ideal mental health look like?

Answer 14

• no symptoms or distress
• have a realistic view of the world
• we self actualise

Question 15

negative ao3 of deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 15

WEAKNESS: the definition has extremely high standards, only a few people will attain all of the criteria so this definition would suggest that we are all abnormal and would therefore need treatment. although this might be good as it makes it clear the ways in which people can benefit from seeking help to improve their mental health. therefore, this definition may only be helpful for some.
WEAKNESS: the criterion’s are subjective, this means that they are based on opinions. for example, being able to cope with stress could be interpreted differently by different people. some people may think they can cope with stress, when others may think that they cant. the criterion’s are not operationalised and it is difficult to do this, because they are not easily measurable. this means that being defined as abnormal is not objective.
WEAKNESS: the six characteristics of positive mental health are unrealistic as most people would find it difficult to achieve all six at at the same time. for example, many people will not reach self actualistaion in their lives, which would suggest that many people are psychologically unhealthy. therefore, everyone could be described as abnormal to a certain extent, which doesn’t help determine a genuine difference between normal and abnormal.

Question 16

what is the definition of a phobia?

Answer 16

an irrational, extreme fear of an object, place or situation, that causes constant avoidance of said object, place or situation. it disrupts your daily life.

Question 17

how do we diagnose phobias?

Answer 17

using diagnostic tools, like the DSM or ICD
- these are manuals that contain all the mental illnesses that we are aware that exist and it contains the symptoms and criteria’s of having a phobia, which is used as a checklist. also contains the duration at which these symptoms must exist.

Question 18

what are the three categories that the DSM recognises phobias in?

Answer 18

1. specific phobia- phobia of an object
2. social anxiety- phobia of a social situation
3. agoraphobia- fear of being outside or in a public space

Question 19

what are the behavioural characteristics of a phobia?

Answer 19

1. panic- may involve the person crying, screaming and running away
2. avoidance- make a lot of effort to avoid coming into contact with the phobic stimulus
3. endurance- when a sufferer remains in the presence of the phobic stimulus but continues to experience high levels of anxiety

Question 20

what are the emotional characteristics of a phobia?

Answer 20

1. fear- immediate and extremely unpleasant response, the anxiety or fear is much greater than ‘normal’

Question 21

what are the cognitive characteristics of a phobia?

Answer 21

1. selective attention to the phobic stimulus- we struggle to look away from the phobic object, we do this so we can react quickly, which is good in some circumstances but not irrational ones
2. irrational beliefs- a person with a phobia may hold unfounded thoughts in relation to the phobic object (not based on facts)
3. cognitive distortions- the perceptions of a person with a phobia, may be inaccurate and unrealistic. (a person with ophidiophobia may see snakes as aliens)

Question 22

what is the behavioral approach to how we develop phobias?

Answer 22

Mowrer and the two process model
- states that we acquire phobias through classical conditioning and we maintain this phobia because of operant conditioining

Question 23

how do we acquire phobias through classical conditioning?

Answer 23

classical conditioning involves learning to associate something of which we initially have no fear (called a neutral stimulus) with something that already triggers a fear response (known as unconditioned stimulus)

Question 24

how did watson and rayner use classical conditioning to produce little albert with a fear of white rats?

Answer 24

the white rat (neutral stimulus) was paired with a loud bang (unconditioned stimulus) which produced fear (unconditioned response). through several associations, little albert then associated the white rat (now a conditoned stimulus) with fear (now a conditioned response)

Question 25

how does operant conditioning lead to the maintaining of phobias?

Answer 25

if you are rewarded for the fear, for example yiu get a hug from your parent, this is positive reinforcement of the fear, which leads to the fear becoming strengthened and it continues. however, negative reinforcement will also reinforce the fear as the individual will avoid the object or situation that they are scared of, this then results in desirable consequences (no fear) so the individual will continue to avoid the phobia. increasing the fear as well as maintaining the fear.

Question 26

positive ao3 on the behavioural approach to the development and maintenance of phobias

Answer 26

STRENGTH: real life application. this approach has led to the development of treatments, for example, systematic desensitisation, this was used on the man who had a phobia of baked beans. it involves gradually exposing them to the things that produce the most fear, helping them slowly realise that theres nothing to be afraid of. this shows the value of the two process model as it shows how phobias are acquired, which can be reversed to cure the phobia. STRENGTH: there to is evidence to support the idea that we acquire phobias through association e.g. little albert, he was presented with a loud bang behind his head everytime a rat was present. this caused him to cry. eventually when he was presented with the rat alone LA showed signs of distress which indicates he had been conditioned to have a fear of rats. this gives the theory credibility, as we have objectively seen how phobias are acquired through conditioning.

Question 27

negative ao3 on the behavioural approach to the development and maintenance of phobias

Answer 27

WEAKNESS: the two process model doesn’t account for cognitive aspects of phobias. it only focuses on avoidance of behaviours and ignores cognitive responses, which plays a big part in phobias. people hold irrational beliefs about phobic objects. this means the two process model does not completely explain the symptoms of phobias. WEAKNESS: not all phobias are formed from negative experiences. some common phobias occur in populations which very few people have any experience of them, let alone traumatic experiences. also not all frightening experiences cause phobias, such as social learning theory, where we model behaviour on objects.

Question 28

what are the two treatments of phobias?

Answer 28

1. systematic desensitisation 2. flooding

Question 29

what is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 29

when you gradually expose someone to the things they hate most about the certain phobia. rate the fear on a scale of 0-100. go through each stage and only progress onto next stage when you are entirely comfortable with the situation.

Question 30

what does systematic desensitisation rely on?

Answer 30

relies on the principle of classical conditioning, to help someone get rid of a fear by pairing relaxation with the phobic object

Question 31

positive ao3 of systematic desensitisation

Answer 31

STRENGTH: real life application, evidence to support it works. gilroy et al followed up 42 patients who had SD for spider phobia in three-45 minute sessions. at both three and 33 months, the SD groups were less fearful than the control group treated by relaxation without exposure. this shows that systematic desensitisation is an effective treatment to curing phobias, as it shows that anxiety was reduced around the phobia. STRENGTH: cost effective method, due to systematic desensitisation using virtual reality in sessions. for example if you have a phobia of heights, you could work this on the virtual world, rather than going up to tall buildings, which could cost a lot of money. this would mean less sessions may be needed, as you can tackle this issue quickly and safely. this means more people can be treated with this treatment, which helps society.

Question 32

negative ao3 on systematic desensitisation

Answer 32

WEAKNESS: doesn’t work for everyone. if the patient cannot relax to move onto the next stage, the treatment will not be successful. some patients may not get past the first part of the hierarchy list. for example, someone who has fear of spiders may not be able to move past seeing spiders in a jar, even with the help of relaxants, the treatment relies on people being able to relax. this means that systematic desensitisation may not be an effective treatment. WEAKNESS: not applicable to all phobias. systematic desensitisation is effective in treating phobias, but less effective in treating phobias such as agoraphobia (fear of open spaces). this is because agoraphobia is more complex and involves cognitive aspects, which systematic desensitisation does not address. making a hierarchy list for agoraphobia is complicated, and difficult to work through. this means systematic desensitisation does not work for all phobias and other cognitive therapies may be more beneficial.

Question 33

what is flooding?

Answer 33

when a patient is given full immediate exposure of your feared object, without gradual exposure. it involves forced, prolonged exposure to the actual stimulus that provoked their original trauma.

Question 34

what is the physical effect of flooding?

Answer 34

body responses by increasing your heart rate, blood pressure and adrenaline. this is preparing your body to deal with this phobia. your body cannot last this way so you would have no choice but to calm down. through continuous exposure, anxiety levels decrease.

Question 35

what do both systematic desensitisation and flooding use?

Answer 35

- in vivo (actual exposure) - in vitro (imaginary exposure)

Question 36

positive ao3 for flooding

Answer 36

STRENGTH: there is evidence to support that flooding works, Wolpe (1973) took a girl who was scared of cars on a drive until she calmed down and it is said that the procedure worked. she was extremely upset to begin with then she calmed down. this shows that her body could not remain in an alarmed state, to which she calmed down and the fear of cars disappeared. STRENGTH: flooding can be seen to be cost effective. flooding essentially takes a shorter amount of time compared to systematic desensitisation. for example, flooding can work in one session, whereas SD can take multiple sessions as the person needs to go through each stage, to achieve the same result. this means that more people can be treated.

Question 37

negative ao3 of flooding

Answer 37

WEAKNESS: flooding is less effective for some types of phobias. it is good at treating simple, specific phobias, but not as good at treating complex phobias like social phobias. this may because social phobias have a strong cognitive aspect. this means that flooding may be ineffective for more complex, cognitive phobias. WEAKNESS: flooding is more traumatic for patients, you are making the patient face their phobia face on, when they have been avoiding it for a long time. this causes a high amount of distress an may be something the patient struggles with. this may cause less people to try flooding as they are too scared, this could waste time and money.

Question 38

define depression?

Answer 38

a mood disorder, where the person feels very down all of the time

Question 39

what are the categories of depression?

Answer 39

1. major depressive disorder 2. persistent depressive disorder 3. disruptive mood disorder 4. premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Question 40

what is major depressive disorder

Answer 40

severe but often short term depression of low mood

Question 41

what is persistent depressive disorder?

Answer 41

long term and re-occurring depression including sustained major depression

Question 42

what is disruptive mood dysregulation disorder?

Answer 42

childhood temper tantrums

Question 43

what is premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Answer 43

disruption to the mood prior to and/or during menstruation

Question 44

what are the behavioral characteristics of depression?

Answer 44

1. reduced activity levels 2. disruptions to sleep and eating behaviors- may experience reduced or increased amount of sleep. appetite may also increase or decrease 3. aggression and self harm- often irritable and can become verbally and physically aggressive. can also lead to self harm

Question 45

what are the emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 45

1. lowered mood- often describe themselves as 'empty' and 'worthless' 2. anger- not limited to sadness, and anger can be directed at themselves or others 3. lowered self esteem- like themselves less than usual

Question 46

what are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 46

1. poor concentration- unable to stick to a task that they would usually do 2. dwelling on the negative- inclined to pay more attention to the negative aspects of a situation 3. absolutist thinking- most situations are all-good or all-bad . when a situation is unfortunate, they tend to see it as a total disaster.

Question 47

how to we develop depression?

Answer 47

it results from faulty internal mental processes (irrational thinking). it suggests that cognition (thoughts) affect our feelings and our behaviors. so depression is very much characterised by negative thoughts.

Question 48

what are the two explanations of depression?

Answer 48

1. beck negative triad 2. ellis's ABC model

Question 49

what are the three parts that beck suggested are part of cognitive vulnerability’s

Answer 49

1. faulty information processing- when depressed the person tends to ignore the positives in their life’s and only focus on the negatives 2. negative self schema- when depressed the person will interpret all information about or around themselves negatively 3. the negative triad

Question 50

what is becks negative triad?

Answer 50

beck proposed that there are three kinds of negative thinking that contribute to becoming depressed. -negative views of the world -negative view of the future -negative view of the self such negative views lead a person to interpret their experiences in a negative way and so make them more vulnerable to depression

Question 51

positive ao3 of becks negative triad

Answer 51

STRENGTH: real world application in screening and treatment for depression. Cohen et al concluded that assessing cognitive vulnerability allows psychologists to screen young people, identifying those most at risk of developing depression in the future and monitoring them. understanding cognitive vulnerability can also be applied in cognitive behaviour therapy, these therapies work by alternating the kind of cognitions that make people vulnerable to depression, making them more resilient to negative life events. STRENGTH: personal life events are taken into account and are recognised as a starting point for the persons depression

Question 52

negative ao3 of becks negative triad

Answer 52

WEAKNESS: there are some aspects to depression that are not particularly well explained by cognitive explanations. for example some depressed people experience hallucinations and extreme anger, these symptoms cannot be explained by cognitive explanations.

Question 53

what is ellis’s ABC model?

Answer 53

he proposed that depression occurs when an activating event (A) triggers an irrational belief (B) which in turn produces an unhealthy and negative consequence. these consequences can be emotional and behavioural ellis defined an irrational thought as any thought that interferes with us being happy and free from pain

Question 54

positive ao3 of ellis’ abc model

Answer 54

STRENGTH: it has practical application in CBT, it led to a successful therapy. the idea that by challenging irrational, negative beliefs, a person can reduce their depression. this is turn supports the basic theory because it suggests that the irrational beliefs had some role in the depression

Question 55

negative ao3 of ellis’ abc model

Answer 55

WEAKNESS: it doesn’t explain all aspects of depression. although ellis explains why some people appear to be more vulnerable to depression than others as a result of their cognitions, his approach has the same limitation as becks. it doesn’t easily explain the anger associated with depression or the fact that some patients suffer hallucinations

Question 56

what are the two treatments of depression

Answer 56

1. cognitive behaviour therapy 2. Ellis’ rational emotive behaviour therapy

Question 57

what is cognitive behaviour therapy

Answer 57

begins with an assessment where the patient and therapist work together to clarify the patients problems and they jointly identify goals for the therapy and put together a plan to achieve these goals. CBT deals with your current problems, rather than focusing on issues from your past. CBT also aims to change a persons irrational and negative thoughts

Question 58

what is ellis’ rational emotive behaviour therapy

Answer 58

challenges irrational thinking A- activating event/situation- the event your client faces, that triggers unwanted response B- beliefs- the thought and belief that client holds against A C- consequences- internal and external behaviours that result from B D- dispute- challenging beliefs and thoughts at B, are they rational? E- effect- exchange old beliefs and thoughts for new, rational, balanced ones

Question 59

positive ao3 of REBT

Answer 59

STRENGTH: research to support REBT works and is effective for patients with depression. David (2008) used 170 outpatients with non psychotic major depression. patients were randomly assigned one of the following: -14 weeks of REBT -14 weeks of cognitive therapy -14 weeks of drug therapy outcomes were measured using the hamiton rating scale for depression and the beck depression inventory. there was a significant effect of REBT on the patient at the 6 month follow up compared to the other treatments when patients re-completed the hamiton rating scale. this shows that REBT is effective in treating depression, so it should be considered a treatment in the NHS

Question 60

positive ao3 of cognitive behaviour therapy

Answer 60

STRENGTH: research to support CBT works and is effective for patients with depression, march et al (2007) compared the effects of CBT with anti-depressants and a combination of the two in 327 depressed adolescents. after 36 weeks 81% of the CBT group, 81% of the anti depressant group and 86% of the combination group had significantly improved. this shows that CBT is effective and can be even more effective when partnered with an anti depressant drug.

Question 61

negative ao3 of CBT and REBT

Answer 61

WEAKNESS: may not work for everyone, especially in the more severe cases of depression, some patients have depression so severe that they cannot get out of bed, so motivating themselves to change their thoughts would be extremely hard. this is when medication alongside the talking therapy would be effective, this is because the anti depressant will work straight away which will then motivate them to carry out talking therapy. this is a limitation as it indicates that talking therapy alone may not be an effective treatment for depression. WEAKNESS: success may be due to the therapist and patient relationship. Rosenzweig (1936) suggested that the differences between various methods are small, but the most important thing about talking therapy is that you build a relationship with the therapist. this shows the act of CBT/REBT may not be effective, but having a support system is.

Question 62

define ocd

Answer 62

a condition characterised by obsessions and/or compulsive behaviour. it involves anxiety and irrational thinking

Question 63

what are the DSM categories of ocd

Answer 63

1. ocd- obsessions and compulsions 2. trichotillomania- compulsive hair pulling 3. hoarding disorder- compulsive gathering of possessions and the inability to part with anything regardless of its value 4. excoriation disorder- compulsive skin picking

Question 64

what are the behavioural characteristics of behaviour?

Answer 64

1. compulsions are repetitive 2. compulsions reduce anxiety -e.g. constant checking to see if the door is locked 3. avoidance

Question 65

what are the emotional characteristics of ocd?

Answer 65

1. anxiety and distress -caused compulsions 2. accompanying depression -low mood and lack of enjoyment 3. guilt and disgust -negative emotions -irrational guilt

Question 66

what are the cognitive characteristics of ocd

Answer 66

1.obsessive thoughts 2. cognitive coping strategies -obsessions to help manage anxiety 3.insight into excessive anxiety -are aware their obsessions and compulsions are not rational -hyper vigilant: maintain constant alertness and attention focused on potential hazards

Question 67

what is the biological approach to explain ocd?

Answer 67

a perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function

Question 68

what are the two explanations within the biological approach to ocd?

Answer 68

1. genetic explanation 2. neural explanation

Question 69

what is the genetic explanation for the development of ocd?

Answer 69

researchers have identified that people may carry candidate genes, which create vulnerability for ocd. some of these genes are involved in regulating the development of the serotonin system. ocd is also seems to be polygenic, this means that ocd is not caused by one single gene but several genes are involved. there are also different types of ocd that are created by different groups of genes.

Question 70

what is the neural explanation for the development of ocd?

Answer 70

one explanation is the role of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is believed to help regulate mood. neurotransmitters are responsible for relaying information from one neuron to another. if a person has low levels of serotonin then normal transmission of mood-relevant information does not take place and a persons mood may be affected. some cases of ocd, in particular hoarding, can be associated with impaired decision making. this may be associated with abnormal functioning of the lateral of the frontal lobes of the brain- responsible for logical thinking and making decisions. there is also evidence to suggest that the left pharahippocampal gyrus, associated with processing unpleasant emotions, functions abnormally in ocd

Question 71

positive ao3 on the genetic explanation of ocd

Answer 71

STRENTH: there is evidence that some people are vulnerable to ocd as a result of their genetic make up. one of the best sources of evidence for the importance of genes is twin studies. Nestadt et al reviewed previous twin studiers and found that 68% of identical twins shared ocd as opposed to 31% of non identical twins.

Question 72

negative ao3 on the genetic explanation of ocd

Answer 72

WEAKNESS: although twin studies strongly suggest that ocd is largely under genetic control, psychologists have been less successful at pinning down the genes involved. one reason for this is because it appears that several genes are involved and that each genetic variation only increases the risk of ocd by a fraction. a genetic explanation is unlikely to ever be very useful as it provides little predicative value. WEAKNESS: seems that environmental factors can also trigger or increase the risk of developing ocd. Cromer et al found that over half of the ocd patients in their sample had a traumatic event in their past, and that ocd was more severe in those with more than one trauma.

Question 73

positive ao3 on the neural explanation of ocd

Answer 73

STRENGTH: there is supporting evidence for ocd being down to imbalance of neurotransmitters, antidepressants that work purely on serotonin are effective in reducing ocd symptoms. Soomro et al reviewed 17 studies that compared SSRIs to placebos in the treatment of ocd. all 17 studies showed significantly better outcomes for the SSRIs compared to the placebos- symptoms reduced by 70%. this shows that ocd is linked to neurotransmitters and serotonin is an underlying cause

Question 74

negative ao3 on the neural explanation of ocd

Answer 74

WEAKNESS: there is evidence to suggest that various neurotransmitters and structures of the brain do not functional normally in patients with ocd. however, this is not the same as saying that this abnormal functioning causes the ocd. these biological abnormalities could be a result of ocd rather than its causes.

Question 75

what does drug therapy aim to do when treating mental disorders?

Answer 75

aims to increase or decrease the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain or to increase/decrease their activity

Question 76

what is the main drug used to treat ocd, and what is an example?

Answer 76

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor e.g. fluoxetine

Question 77

what does the drug SSRI do?

Answer 77

works on the serotonin system in the brain - serotonin is released by certain neurons in the brain. it is released by the presynaptic neurons and travels across a synapse. the neurotransmitter chemically conveys the signal from the presynaptic neuron to the postsynaptic neuron and then it is reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron where it is broken down and reused. - by preventing the reabsorption and breakdown of serotonin, SSRIs effectively increase its levels in the synapse.

Question 78

what can you combine SSRIs with to make them more effective?

Answer 78

cognitive behaviour therapy -drug reduces the patients emotional symptoms, allowing the patients to readily engage with the CBT.

Question 79

what are the alternative drugs to SSRIs?

Answer 79

1. tricyclics, used on patients where SSRI did not benefit them, has greater side effects. 2. SNRIs (serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors) these increase the levels of serotonin as well as other neurotransmitters

Question 80

positive ao3 of drug therapy as a treatment for ocd

Answer 80

STRENGTH: it is effective at tackling ocd symptoms, Soomro et al reviewed 17 studies that compared SSRIs to placebo’s, all 17 studies produced better outcomes for SSRIs compared to placebo’s, symptoms reduced by 70%. even more success when combined with CBT, so drug therapy is an effective treatment on its own or with another treatment. STRENGTH: drug therapy is cost effective, drugs are cheaper compared to treatments like CBT, as they start working straight away on the serotonin levels, CBT can take weeks to work and requires more effort from the patient, many doctors prescribe drug therapy to save money on the NHS, as they are found to be effective.

Question 81

negative ao3 of drug therapy as a treatment for ocd

Answer 81

WEAKNESS: one problem is that some cases of ocd is a result of stress/trauma. it is not always a biological reason why people have ocd; therefore drug treatment will not work. the environmental causes such as trauma or stress can link to ocd rather than lack of serotonin. therefore drug therapy may not be the most effective treatment and CBT may be better as it can work on the trauma. WEAKNESS: evidence for the drug is unreliable, some say they are a chemical straight jacket, and that patients are unable to come off the drugs, as symptoms return. drug companies suppress research that shows drugs are not effective, so not all evidence is reported. this means that there is bias on the effectiveness of drug therapy to maximise economic gain.