Psychopathology AO1 and AO3 Flashcards
(29 cards)
Outline Statistical Infrequency
Numerically unusual behaviour or characteristic
Example: intellectual disability disorder, IQ below 70 is part of diagnosis (bottom 2%)
Evaluate statistical infrequency
Strengths:
Real World Application
-Useful in diagnosis (eg IDD) and assessment (eg BDI for depression)
Limitations:
Unusual characteristics can be positive
-Some unusual characteristics would not be judged abnormal, such as high IQ
Benefits vs Problems
-Some people with low IQ function adequately, don’t benefit from labelling (social stigma)
Outline deviation from social norms
Social judgements about what is acceptable
Norms are culture specific, what is normal in one culture may not be in another (eg homosexuality)
Example: antisocial personality disorder, impulsive, aggressive, irresponsible behaviour not socially acceptable in many cultures
Evaluate deviation from social norms
Strengths:
Real world application
-Used to diagnose some disorders, such as antisocial and schizotypal personality disorder
Limtiations:
Cultural and situational relativism
-Different standards, hard to make social judgements (eg hearing voices
Human Rights Abuses
-Social norm approach has control over minority groups (women, slaves) but useful eg for APD
Outline failure to function adequately
Inability to cope with demands of everday life
Rosenhan, Seligman listed signs, such as non-conformity, personal distress, severe distress or danger to self or others
Example, intellectual disability disorder, part of diagnosis of IDD as well as low IQ
Evaluate failure to function adequately
Strengths
Threshold for help
-Way to identify when someone needs professional help
Limitations
Discrimination and Social Control
-May lead to people living non-standard lives being seen as abnormal
May not be abnormal
-Most experience failure eg bereavement, may still require help
Outline deviation from ideal mental health
Jahoda considered normality, not abnormality
Lack of symptoms, rationality, self-actualisation, coping with stress, realistic world view
Evaluate deviation from ideal mental health
Strengths
Comprehensive
-Most reasons anyone would seek help
Limitations
Culture bound
-Specific to Western cultures, independence varies within European cultures
High Standards
-Few ever meet all of them, but goal for mental health
Outline the characteristics of phobias for behavioural, emotional and cognitive
Behavioural
-Panic, scream, run away
-Avoidant, effort to avoid
-Endurance, stay and bear it
Emotional
-Anxiety, high arousal disproportionate to threat
-Fear, short lasting, intense
-Response unreasonable, disproportionate to threat
Cognitive
-Selective attention, can’t look away
-Irrational beliefs
-Cognitive distortions
Outline the behavioural explanation of phobias
Two process model
Acquisition by classical conditioning, USC linked to NS, produce UCR, now CR
Maintained by operant conditioning, avoidance of stimulus negatively reinforced by anxiety reduction, phobias maintained
Little Albert
Evaluate the behavioural explanation for phobias
Strengths
Real-world application
-Phobias successfully treated by preventing avoidance, suggested by model
Phobias and traumatic experiences
73% of people with dental phobia had past trauma, control with no phobia had 21% with trauma
HOWEVER
-Not all cases of phobias have bad experiences and vice versa
Limitations:
Cognitive aspects
-Fails to account for irrational fears
Learning and Evaluation
-Explains individual phobias, evolutionary explains general aspect
Outline systematic desensitisation for phobias
Anxiety heirarchy, ranked on anxiety produced
Relaxation, reciprocal inhibition, relaxation and anxiety can’t occur at same time.
Relaxation includes imagery, breathing techniques
Exposure whilst relaxed, each level of heirarchy
Evaluate systematic desensitisation for phobias
Strengths:
Evidence of effectiveness
-More effective than relaxation alone after 33 months, effective for range of phobias
Learning Disabilities
-SD best, cognitive requires complex thought, flooding traumatic
Virtual reality
-Avoids dangerous situations, cost effective
HOWEVER
-Lacks realism
Outline flooding for phobias
Clients exposed to frightening situation without build up
Works by extinction of conditioned fear response
Ethical safeguards, client must give informed consent, be prepared
Evaluate flooding for phobias
Strengths
Cost Effective
-Clinically effective, not expensive, 1-3 sessions
Limitations
Traumatic
-More stressful than SD, lack of informed consent, high attrition rates (dropping out)
Symptom Substitution
-Phobia may not be tackled, evidence only from case studies, cannot generalise
-Eg woman with fear of death became afraid of judgement
Outline behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics for depression
Behavioural
-Activity levels, lethargy or agitation
-Disruption to sleep, eating
-Aggression, self harm, irritability
Emotional
-Lowered mood
-Anger towards self, others, behavioural change
-Lowered self esteem, self loathing
Cognitive
-Poor concentration
-Dwelling on negative
-Absolutist thinking
Outline Beck’s theory for depression
Faulting information processing, attending to negative aspects
Negative self-schema, negative information about self, accessed when in self-relevant situation
Negative triad, negative views of world, self and future
Evaluate Beck’s theory for depression
Strengths
Research Support
-Cognitive vulnerability precedes depression, Clack and Beck, Cohen et al study of adolescents
Real-world Application
-Identify vulnerability, screen those at risk, target in CBT
Limitations
Partial explanation
-Patterns of cognition, cannot easily explain extreme anger, hallucinations and delusions
Outline Ellis’s ABC model of depression
A: Activating Event, negative life event triggers irrational response
B: Beliefs, leads to overreact to activating event, eg life must always be fair (utopianism), we must succeed (musturbation)
C: Consequences, depression results when overracting to negative life events
Evaluate Ellis’s ABC model of depression
Strengths:
Real-world application
-Irrational thoughts identified and challenged by therapist
Limitations
Reactive and Endogenous depression
-Only explains reactive, does not explain cases that do not follow activating event
Ethical Issues
-ABC model places responsibility on depressed person (victim blaming), but therapy derived from model does create resilience
Outline Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Beck’s cognitive interview, aims to identify negative thoughts and challenge them
Ellis’s REBT, ABC + D (dispute) and E (effect). Aims to identify and challenge irrational beliefs eg empirical argument
Behavioural activation, encouraging depressed person to engage in enjoyable activities
Evaluate Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Strengths
Evidence for effectiveness
-CBT is as effective as antidepressants, most effective combined
Limitations
Suitability for diverse clients
-May not be suitable for severe cases of depression, or for people with learning disabilities
HOWEVER
-Newer evidence suggests CBT is effective as drugs or behavioural therapies, OK for learning disabilities
Relapse rates
-Benefits short term, 42% relapsed after 6 months, 53% within a year, may need regular repeating
Client preference
-CBT effective short term, some clients prefer to take medication, explore past more
Outline the Behavioural, Emotional and Cognitive characteristics of OCD
Behavioural: compulsions repetitive, performed to reduce anxiety, avoid situations that trigger anxiety
Emotional: anxiety and distress created by compulsions/obsessions, accompanying depression, guilt, disgust, directed at something such as dirt/oneself
Cogntitive: Obsessive thoughts, cognitive coping strategies, insight into excessive anxiety, may include catestrophic thoughts, hypervigilance
Outline the genetic aspect of the Biological Approach to OCD
Candidate genes, genes may be involved in producing symptoms, such as 5HT1-D beta
OCD is polygenic, different combinations of up to 230 genetic variations
Different types of OCD, different combinations of genes may cause different kinds
