Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Psych > psychopathology > Flashcards

psychopathology Flashcards

(67 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

4 definitions of abnormality (brief)

A
  1. statistical infrequency
  2. deviation from social norms
  3. failure to function adequately
  4. deviation from ideal mental health
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is statistical infrequency + eval

A

-definition of abnormality
-behaviour/traits that are numerically uncommon eg. High IQ
Strengths: objective, based on data, clear cut-off points, easy to diagnose based on data eg. intellectual disability
Limitations: arbitrary cut-off points, ignores desirability of behaviour, some traits common but still abnormal eg. depression, cultural and historical relativism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is deviation from social norms + eval

A

-definition of abnormality
-behaviour that doesnt fit societal or cultural standards eg. facial tattoos
Strengths: comprehensive, distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviour
Limitations: susceptible to abuse, cultural and historical relativism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is failure to function adequately + eval

A

-definition of abnormality
-not being able to cope w day to day activities eg. going to work, showering
-MUST be causing distress to individual or those around them
Strengths: acknowledges experience of individual, can be viewed objectively
Limitations: some appear to be functioning normally but are mentally ill eg. Harold Shipman/sociopaths, FFA may be a normal reaction to an event eg. family death, cultural relativism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is deviation from ideal mental health + criteria

A

-definition of abnormality
-absence of any of Jahoda’s 6 criteria for ideal mental heath:
1. high self-attitude/esteem and strong sense of identity
2. personal growth and actualisation
3. integration - ability to deal w stress
4. autonomy
5. accurate perception of reality
6. mastery of environment - ability to love/have relationships, go to work/school, adjust to new situations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

eval of deviation from ideal mental health

A

Strengths: positive approach (focuses on positive traits rather than looking for negative ones - may have had influence on ‘positive psychology movement’
Limitations: unrealistic criteria, criteria is difficult to measure, cultural relativism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

behavioural characteristics of phobias

A

-conscious avoidance that interferes w normal routines, occupation or relationships
-panic
-endurance - unavoidable situations endured w high levels of anxiety
-fight or flight response

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

emotional characteristics of phobias

A

-irrational and persistent anxiety and fear out of proportion to any real danger

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

cognitive characteristics of phobias

A

-irrational beliefs
-resistance to rational arguments
-cognitive distortions - struggle to concentrate in presence of phobic stimulus, distorted perceptions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

behavioural characteristics of depression

A

-shift in activity level - increased or decreased
-sleep and appetite affected
-aggression
-self harm

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

cognitive characteristics of depression

A

-negative thoughts/self-concept
-negative view of world
-poor concentration
-absolutist thinking

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

emotional characteristics of depression

A

-sadness
-loss of interest
-anger

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

behavioural characteristics of OCD

A

-compulsions - repetitive behaviours that can be concealed or unconcealed that reduce anxiety caused by obsessions
-avoidance of situations that may trigger anxiety

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

emotional characteristics of OCD

A

-anxiety
-distress
-accompanying depression
-guilt
-disgust

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

cognitive characteristics of OCD

A

-obsessions - recurring, intrusive thoughts
-catastrophic thinking
-hyper-vigilance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

3 types of phobia (brief)

A
  1. specific phobia
  2. social phobia
  3. agoraphobia
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is a specific phobia

A

-fear of a specific object or situation eg. arachnophobia, claustrophobia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is a social phobia

A

-fear of HUMILIATION in public places
-afraid someone will see them expressing fear, causing avoidance of social activities/situations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what is agoraphobia

A

-fear of public places eg. busy streets, shopping centres
-begins w series of panic attacks, so person becomes afraid of having a panic attack in place where theyre unsafe/no one can help them
-afraid for their safety, not embarrassment
-often a fear of being away from their home

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

behaviourist explanation for phobias - two process model

A

-Mowrer
1. classical conditioning - initiation/acquisition
-phobia acquired through association by classical conditioning
2.operant conditioning - maintenance
-phobia maintained through negative reinforcement as avoidance of phobic stimulus reduces fear

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

eval of two process model

A

strengths:
-research evidence: sue et al - found ppl often do remember a specific event when their phobia appeared
-research evidence: Watson and Raynor - little albert

limitations:
-DiNardo - not everyone who has a negative experience w smth develops a phobia
-doesnt explain phobias of ppl who havent had a negative experience

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what is the diathesis-stress model

A

-person could have a genetic vulnerability which makes them more likely to develop a mental illness after a triggering event (stressor).
-nature + nurture

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what is biological preparedness

A

-alternative explanation for phobias
-Seligman
-adaptation to be afraid of certain things that would have challenged our ancestors eg. heights

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

2 treatments for phobias (brief)

A
  1. systematic desensitisation (SD)
  2. flooding
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
what is systematic desensitisation (SD)
-treatment for phobias -Wolpe - based on classical conditioning, aims to 'counter-condition' sufferer to learn a relaxation response to phobic stimulus -based on reciprocal inhibition - cant feel fear and relaxed at same time 3 stages: 1. relaxation - patient taught relaxation techniques 2. anxiety hierarchy - ranked list of phobic stimuli - least to most scary 3. gradual exposure - therapist introduces phobic stimuli starting from bottom of anxiety hierarchy. practice relaxation. dont move up until completely relaxed in presence of stimuli
25
strengths of SD
-research support - McGrath found 75% of ppl w specific phobias improved w SD, Gilroy - followed up on patients treated w SD and patients who had been treated w relaxation after 3 and 33 months - SD group less fearful. -Requires less effort from patient (than flooding) + less traumatic -good for children and ppl w learning disabilities - gradual process
26
limitations of SD
-ethical issues - protection from harm -expensive, time consuming, not readily available - individualised therapy and often requires multiple sessions -Ohman et al - less effective for phobias w evolutionary survival component, social phobias/agoraphobia - not appropriate for all phobias
27
what is flooding
-treatment for phobias -one long session of direct exposure to most phobic stimulus while practicing relaxation -session continues until client is fully relaxed -stops phobic responses quickly as patient doesnt avoid and learns that there is nothing to fear -adrenaline levels naturally decrease and new relaxation response can be learnt
28
3 stages of SD (brief)
1.relaxation 2.anxiety hierarchy 3.gradual exposure
29
strengths of flooding
-research support - Choy et al - flooding is most effective, Craske et al - SD and flooding are equally effective -more cost-effective - cured quickly making treatment cheaper -low dropout rate
30
limitations of flooding
-highly traumatic - ethically dubious -individual differences - not for every patient eg. children, ppl w learning disabilities -less effective for complex phobias w cognitive aspect eg social phobias
31
cognitive explanations for depression (brief)
1. Becks negative triad 2.Ellis ABC model 3. Ellis mustabatory thinking
32
what is becks negative triad
-cog explanation for depression -depressed ppl have negative schemas acquired during childhood that causes them to adopt negative views of the world, the future and themselves -depressed ppl are more likely to make logical errors and focus more on negative aspects of situations while ignoring positive info (cognitive bias) - causes cycle of depression
33
what is ellis' mustabatory thinking
-cog explanation for depression -source of irrational beliefs is mustabatory thinking - thinking certain ideas/assumptions must be true for an individual to be happy -leads to disappointment and depression -eg. i must be accepted by people i find important, i must do well or i am worthless
34
what is ellis' ABC model
-cog explanation for depression 1.A - activating event eg. job loss, breakup 2.B - Belief - can be rational or irrational 3.C - consequence - healthy or unhealthy emotion/behaviour -focuses on irrational beliefs as cause of depression, not negative life event -activating event causes an IRRATIONAL belief which creates negative/unhealthy emotion and behaviour
35
strengths of cog explanations for depression
-research support - Hammen and Krantz - depressed ppl are more likely to make errors in logic -practical applications - CBT therapy
36
limitations of cog explanations for depression
-ignores situational factors - suggests client is responsible for their disorder -irrational beliefs may be realistic - realistic stressors out of patients control that cause depressive symptoms -reductionist - only accounts for reactive depression - overlooks types that cause symptoms such as hallucinations that may be better explained by biology.
37
what is CBT
-cog treatment for depression 1. challenge irrational beliefs - change way client thinks which will change emotions/behaviours 2.hw assignments - reality test negative beliefs 3.behavioural activation - doing things they used to love 4.unconditional positive regard - therapist shows support/care no matter what they reveal
38
what is REBT
-cog treatment for depression - form of CBT developed by ellis (added to ABC model) D - disputing irrational beliefs/thoughts E - effective, efficient new beliefs that can replace old irrational ones F - feelings produced are more positive as a result
39
strengths of cog treatments for depression
-research support - Ellis - 90% success rate for REBT, Cuijpers et al - CBT superior to no therapy, Babyak - behavioural activation improves mental state (found ppl who exercised had significantly lower relapse rate) -practical applications - economic benefit of getting ppl back to work
40
limitations of cog treatments for depression
-individual differences - less effective for ppl w rigid beliefs who are resistant to change and when real life stressors are involved -requires a lot of effort/motivation that depressed ppl may not have - drug treatments better for severe patients
41
genetic explanations for OCD (brief)
1. COMT gene mutation 2. SERT gene mutation
42
neural explanations for OCD (brief)
1. abnormal levels of neural transmitters 2. abnormal brain circuits - 'worry circuit'
43
bio explanation for OCD - COMT gene mutation
- mutated COMT gene causes INCREASED dopamine levels (as gene is responsible for regulation so decrease in comt activity means dopamine is not cleared from synapses) -increased dopamine = lowered impulse control (compulsions)
44
bio explanation for OCD - SERT gene mutation
-mutated SERT gene causes increase in no of transporter proteins (proteins that reabsorb neurotransmitters) on pre-synaptic neuron -serotonin reuptake is faster, causing DECREASED serotonin levels as less is in synapse -causes low mood
45
effect of high dopamine levels + research
-Szechtman et al - animal study - induced high dopamine levels w drugs and saw repetitive moevemnts resembling compulsions -suggested to influence concentration causing inability to stop focusing on obsessive thoughts
46
effect of low serotonin levels + research
-Pigott et al - antidepressant drugs that increase serotonin reduce OCD symptoms -abnormal levels thought to cause the caudate nucleus and OFC to malfunction, causing the 'worry circuit'
47
what is the caudate nucleus responsible for
-intercepts worry signals caused by minor stressors eg. a dirty bathroom -stops them from activating the OFC
48
what is the worry circuit
-damaged caudate nucleus causes overactivated OFC (orbitofrontal cortex) -causes OFC to send signals to the thalamus, which activates a response by sending a signal back to the OFC eg. signal to wash hands -if the OFC is overactivated it may send another signal, meaning the thalamus sends another response -this causes repetitive responses eg. repetitive handwashing
49
strengths of bio explanations of OCD
-research support - Nestadt et al - ppl w 1st degree relative w OCD 5x more likely to develop OCD, Billet et al - MZ twins 2x more likely to develop OCD if their twin has it -practical applications - can develop drug treatments by knowing neurotransmitters involved, embryo screening for gene mutations
50
what is the role of the OFC
-send signals to the thalamus eg. a worry abt cleanliness -thalamus activates a response to the signal and sends it around the body
51
limitations of bio explanations for OCD
-difficult to establish causal relationships - do low serotonin levels cause OCD or does OCD cause low serotonin??? -no 100% concordance rate for MZ twins - biologically reductionist - cant be solely to do w genetics
52
bio treatments for OCD (brief)
-drug treatments: 1. SSRIs 2. Tricyclics 3. Benzodiazepines (BZs)
53
what are SSRIs
-drug treatment for OCD - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -block transporter proteins that reuptake serotonin -means serotonin stays in synapse for longer
54
what are tricyclics
-drug treatment for OCD -blocks transporter proteins for serotonin AND noradrenaline so reuptake cant occur
55
what are benzodiazepines (BZs)
-drug treatment for OCD -attach to GABA receptor sites to attract more chloride ions that negatively charge post-synaptic neuron -this makes them less likely to fire so has an inhibitory, relaxing effect on nervous system
56
strengths of bio treatments for OCD
-research support - Soomro et al - found SSRIs to be more effective than placebos after reviewing 17 studies. -requires very little effort from client so good for severe patients who need immediate aid -cheaper, less time consuming (than individualised therapies, dont require monitoring), readily available -practical applications - economic benefits of getting ppl back to work
57
limitations of bio treatments for OCD
-can have severe side effects (especially tricyclics - heart issues, hallucinations) so can only be used if SSRIs fails. BZs can lead to addiction so short-term use only -not a long term cure like CBT - Koran et al - patients relapsed within a few weeks if medication is stopped -not effective for everyone - partial reduction in symptoms for 40-60% -publication bias - Turner et al - studies showing good results from drug treatments more likely to be published due to dubious ethics of pharmaceutical companies.
58
szechtman et al - dopamine
-induced high dopamine levels in animals w drugs and saw repetitive movements resembling OCD compulsions
59
pigott et al - serotonin
-found antidepressant drugs that increase serotonin reduce OCD symptoms
60
role of low serotonin in OCD
-low mood -causes caudate nucleus and OFC to malfunction causing the worry circuit
61
role of high dopamine in OCD
-causes repetitive movements (compulsions) -thought to influence concentration, causing inability to stop focusing on obsession
62
nestadt et al - OCD
-ppl w 1st degree relative w OCD are 5x more likely to develop OCD
63
billet et al - OCD
-MZ twins 2x more likely to develop OCD if their twin has it
64
soomro et al - OCD treatment
-SSRIs more effective than placebos after reviewing 17 studies
65
Koran et al - OCD treatment
-patients relapse within a few weeks if medication is stopped
66

Psych (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions