Psychopathology Flashcards
(18 cards)
Statistical Deviation
When an individual has a less common characteristic
E.g. IQ
Most have an IQ from 85-115
Only 2% have a score below 70 and are liable to be diagnosed with Intellectual Disability Disorder
Deviation from Social Norms
-Behaviour different from accepted standards of behaviour in a society
-Norms specific to culture we live in e.g. homosexuality
-Psychopathy is impulsive, aggressive and irresponsible.
DSM-5 states a symptom is an “absence of prosocial internal behaviour associated with failure to conform to lawful/culturally normative ethical behaviour”
Limitations of deviation from social norms
-Can lead to human rights abuses if relied on too strongly
-Culturally relative e.g. hearing voices
Failure to Function Adequately
(When is someone failing to function?)
Rosenhan + Seligman:
-No longer conforms to inter personal rules (e.g. personal space)
-Experiences severe personal distress
-Behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves/others
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
(What is ideal mental health?)
Jahoda:
-No symptoms/distress
-Rational + able to perceive ourselves accurately
-Self-Actualise
-Cope with stress
-Realistic view of world
-Self-esteem + lack guilt
-Independent
-Successfully work, love and enjoy leisure
Characteristics of Phobias
(Behavioural, emotional, cognitive)
Behavioural:
-Panic
-Avoidance
-Endurance
Emotional:
-Anxiety
(They are unreasonable, wildly disproportionate to danger posed)
Cognitive:
- Selective attention to stimulus
- Irrational beliefs
- Cognitive distortions
Behavioural approach to Phobias
Mowrer-> two-process model
Phobias acquired by classical conditioning
Shown by Watson + Rayner (Little Albert)
Phobias maintained by operant conditioning
Limitations of the behavioural approach to explaining Phobias
Avoidance behaviour not associated with social phobias (e.g. agoraphobia). Some may be the result of anxiety reduction
Incomplete explanation
Bounton-> evolutionary factors
E.g. Seligman-> Biological Preparedness
Behavioural approach to Treating Phobias
Systematic Desensitisation:
Learn to relax rather than be afraid as one emotion prevents the other (reciprocal inhibition)
Learning of a different response by counterconditioning
1) Anxiety Hierarchy
2) Relaxation
3) Exposure
Flooding:
Stops phobic response quickly as there is no option for avoidance behaviour so patient must learn the stimulus is harmless (Extinction)
Gilroy
(support of systematic desensitisation)
Followed up 42 patients who’d been treated for arachnophobia in 3 45-minute sessions
Control treated with relaxation without exposure
Systematic desensitisation grp sig. less fearful at both 3 months and 33 months after treatment than the relaxation grp
Characteristics of Depression
Behavioural:
- Activity Levels
- Disruption to sleep + eating behaviour
- Aggression + self harm
Emotional:
- Lowered mood
- Anger
- Lowered self-esteem
Cognitive:
- Poor concentration
- Absolutist thinking
- Dwelling on the Negative
Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression
(3 names)
Beck- Negative Triad
1) Negative view of the world
2) Negative view of the self
3) Negative view of the future
Faulty information Processing
-Graziolo + Terry
65 pregnant women w/ cog. vulnerability to depression, more likely to develop post-natal depression
Ellis- ABC model
Activation
Beliefs (e.g. musturbation/ I-can’t-stand-it-itis)
Consequences
Cognitive Approach to Treating Depression
CBT (Beck)
-Identify irrational thoughts+ challenge them
REBT (Ellis)
ABCDE model
Dispute irrational thoughts
Effect (does -ve thought logically follow from the facts?)
Behavioural Activation
-be more active + engage in enjoyable activities
-provides more evidence for irrational nature of beliefs
Evaluation of Cog. Approach to Treating Depression
+ve
March-> 327 adolescents after 36 weeks
81% CBT improved
81% Antidepressants improved
86% CBT + Antidepressants improved
-ve
Rosenzwieg-> there’s not much difference between systematic desensitisation and CBT
Successful therapy determined more by patient-therapist relationship, not techniques used
Characteristics of OCD
Behavioural:
-Avoidance
-Compulsions (reduce anxiety + repetitive)
Emotional:
-Accompanied Depression
-Guilt + Disgust
-Anger
Cognitive:
-Obsessive thoughts
-Coping strategies (e.g. praying)
-Excessive anxiety as a result of fearing worst case sensation if they don’t follow through with their compulsions
Biological Explanation of OCD
Genetic
-Lewis 37% had parents w/ OCD
22% had siblings w/ OCD
-Polygenic -Taylor
230 different genes
-Aetiologically heterogeneous (diff. Genes code for OCD in diff. Ppl
Neural
-low levels of Serotonin then normal transmission of mood-relevant information doesn’t take place + mental processes are affected
-Abnormal functioning of lateral parts of frontal lobe (responsible for decision-making + logical thinking)
Evaluation of Biological Approach to OCD
-Nestadt-> 68% monozygotic twins both had OCD
-> 31% dizygotic twins had OCD
-Cromer-> over 1/2 the OCD patients in their sample had experienced a traumatic event
+ found ppl w/ more severe cases had experienced several traumatic events
Biological Approach to Treating OCD
SSRIs
-prevents reabsorption during synaptic transmission
-best used alongside CBT
