psychopathology

Question 1

What are the definitions of abnormality

Answer 1

-deviation from social norms
-failure to function adequately
-Statistical Infrequency
-Deviation from ideal mental health

Question 2

What is “deviation from social norms” in defining abnormality?

Answer 2

Abnormality is defined by behavior that deviates from societal norms and expectations, suggesting it is inappropriate or undesirable. wrihayuvgfewvfhdsghvw

Question 3

What does “failure to function adequately” mean in abnormality?

Answer 3

This is when an individual is unable to cope with everyday life, showing distress, dysfunction, or inability to perform everyday tasks.

Question 4

What is “statistical infrequency” in defining abnormality?

Answer 4

Abnormal behaviour is rare or infrequent within a population, often measured using standard distribution (e.g., IQ scores).

Question 5

What is “deviation from ideal mental health” in defining abnormality?

Answer 5

Abnormality occurs when an individual fails to meet the criteria for ideal mental health, such as self-actualization, autonomy, resisting stress, environmental mastery, positive attitude to self and accurate perception of reality

Question 6

What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 6

Avoidance of the phobic stimulus, panic attacks, and endurance

Question 7

What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?

Answer 7

Intense fear, anxiety, and distress

Question 7

What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 7

selective attention, irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions

Question 8

What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 8

Decreased activity levels, fatigue, social withdrawal, changed sleep and eating patterns and poor hygiene.

Question 9

What are the emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 9

lowered self esteem, Persistent sadness, constant poor mood ,high levels of anger, hopelessness, and anhedonia (loss of interest in activities).

Question 10

What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?

Answer 10

High anxiety and distress, due to intrusive and unwanted obsessions and the need to perform compulsions.

Question 10

What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 10

absolutist thinking, selective attention to negative events, poor concentration, and pessimism about the future.

Question 10

What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?

Answer 10

Repetitive compulsive behaviours like hand-washing or checking, aimed at reducing anxiety from obsessive thoughts.

Question 11

What is the two-process model of phobias?

Answer 11

Phobias are learned through classical conditioning (association) and maintained by operant conditioning (avoidance behaviour).

Question 11

What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?

Answer 11

Obsessive, intrusive thoughts and an overwhelming need to perform rituals to reduce anxiety.

Question 12

What is systematic desensitization in treating phobias?

Answer 12

A treatment where patients are gradually exposed to the phobic stimulus in a controlled way, while practicing relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety.

Question 13

What is a hierarchy in systematic desensitization?

Answer 13

A list of feared situations, starting from the least to most frightening, used in gradual exposure.

Question 14

What is flooding in treating phobias?

Answer 14

What is flooding in treating phobias?
A: A treatment where the person is exposed to the phobic stimulus in its most frightening form, without gradual steps, to provoke immediate anxiety and then extinguish the fear.

Question 14

How do genetic explanations explain OCD?

Answer 14

OCD can be inherited, with genes influencing the likelihood of developing OCD. Family studies suggest a genetic component to the disorder

Question 14

What is Beck’s negative triad in depression?

Answer 14

A cognitive theory that depression is caused by negative thoughts about the self, the world, and the future.

Question 14

What is Ellis’s ABC model in explaining depression?

Answer 14

A model that suggests depression is caused by irrational beliefs (Activating event, Beliefs, Consequences) that lead to negative emotional outcomes.

Question 14

What is CBT in treating depression?

Answer 14

A therapy that involves identifying and challenging irrational thoughts and replacing them with more realistic, balanced thoughts to reduce depressive symptoms.

Question 15

What are neural explanations for OCD?

Answer 15

OCD may be caused by abnormalities in brain circuits, particularly in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and caudate nucleus, which control decision-making and anxiety.

Question 16

How is drug therapy used to treat OCD?

Answer 16

Drugs like SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are used to increase serotonin levels in the brain, helping to reduce OCD symptoms by improving mood and regulating anxiety.

Question 16

What are some limitations of systematic desensitization?

Answer 16

- relies on the client’s ability to be able to imagine the fearful situation. Some people cannot create a vivid image and thus SD is not effective. -may be effective in therapeutic sessions but not in real life

Question 16

What is the difference between unipolar and bipolar depression?

Answer 16

Unipolar depression involves periods of low mood without manic episodes, while bipolar depression involves mood swings between depressive episodes and periods of mania or hypomania.

Question 17

What are some limitations of flooding as a treatment for phobias?

Answer 17

It is highly distressing, not suitable for all individuals (e.g., children or those with severe anxiety), and the high anxiety during treatment may lead to dropouts.

Question 17

What are common cognitive distortions in depression, according to Beck?

Answer 17

Overgeneralization, catastrophizing, personalization, and filtering (focusing on the negatives while ignoring the positives).

Question 17

What is comorbidity, and how does it relate to OCD?

Answer 17

Comorbidity refers to the presence of one or more additional mental health disorders alongside OCD. Common comorbid conditions include depression, anxiety disorders, and tic disorders.

Question 18

What is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) in treating OCD?

Answer 18

ERP involves exposing the individual to the source of their obsession while preventing the compulsive behaviour, helping them to confront anxiety and reduce the need for rituals over time.

Question 19

What are some common side effects of SSRIs in treating OCD?

Answer 19

Side effects may include nausea, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, headaches, and increased anxiety during the initial stages of treatment.

Question 19

How do SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) work to treat OCD?

Answer 19

SSRIs increase the levels of serotonin in the brain by preventing its reuptake, helping to regulate mood and reduce the frequency and intensity of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

Question 20

What are the strengths and weaknesses of systematic desensitization?

Answer 20

Strengths: Effective for a range of phobias, well-established, less traumatic than flooding. Weaknesses: Time-consuming, requires patient cooperation, may not work for complex or deep-rooted phobias.

Question 21

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in treating depression?

Answer 21

Strengths: Effective for many individuals, long-lasting results, empowers patients by helping them change their thought patterns, empirical data support March(2007) Weaknesses: Can be expensive and time-consuming as it takes 16-20 sessions, may not work for those with severe depression or low motivation.

Question 21

What are the strengths and weaknesses of flooding as a treatment for phobias?

Answer 21

Strengths: Can lead to quick results, very effective for certain simple phobias. Weaknesses: Highly distressing, requires careful monitoring, not suitable for everyone.

Question 21

What are the strengths and weaknesses of drug therapy (e.g., SSRIs) for OCD?

Answer 21

Strengths: Can be effective in reducing symptoms, easy to administer, and can be used alongside therapy. Weaknesses: Side effects, potential for relapse once medication is stopped, doesn't address underlying causes of OCD.

Question 22

How is comorbidity relevant in phobias?

Answer 22

People with phobias often experience other anxiety disorders, like generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder, making it harder to treat the phobia alone.

Question 22

How does comorbidity relate to depression?

Answer 22

Depression often co-occurs with other disorders like anxiety, substance abuse, and eating disorders, which can complicate treatment and diagnosis

Question 23

What is the strength of deviation from social norms

Answer 23

It doesn't impose a western view on abnormality so it is not ethnocentric

Question 24

What is the weakness of deviation from social norms

Answer 24

-norms can vary overtime -It is inappropriate to to define someone who has moved to a different culture as abnormal according to the new cultural norms

Question 25

What is the strength of failure to function adequately

Answer 25

-respects the individual and there own experience

Question 26

What is the limitation of failure to function adequately

Answer 26

- FFA might not be linked to abnormality but to other factors. Failure to keep a job may be due to the economic situation not to psychopathology. -Cultural relativism – what is considered adequate in one culture might not be so in another. -only includes people who cannot cope

Question 27

What is the strength of statistical infrequency

Answer 27

it evaluated patients objectively

Question 28

What is the weakness of statistical infrequency

Answer 28

- Not all traits are negative e.g. high IQ and the use of statistical infrequency is that it creates a poor stigma -there are common mental health issues such as anxiety

Question 29

What is strength to deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 29

-Holistic approach, which gives a complete understanding of a person so they can have more personalised treatments -it suggests how it can be overcome

Question 30

What is the weakness to deviation of ideal mental health

Answer 30

- strict criteria as its hard to achieve all the requirements - The criteria are subjective and not operationalised, so being defined as abnormal is not objective - These ideas are culture-bound, based on a Western idea of ideal mental health: cultural relativism

Question 31

What are the key brain structures you need to remember in OCD neural explanation and how do they interact

Answer 31

-orbitofrontal cortex, basal ganglia system and thalamus -The orbitofrontal cortex sends worries to the basal ganglia system to be filtered out but in ppl with OCD the basal ganglia is hyperactive so it sends even minor worries to the thalamus thus creating a worry circuit.