Psychopathology AO3 Flashcards
(40 cards)
1
Q
How does statistical infrequency have real world app?
Stat infrequency
A
- Used in clinical practice as part of formal diagnosis and a way to assess severity of symptoms
- E.g IDD requires an IQ below 70
- Beck depression inventory
- score of 30+ indicates severe depression
2
Q
What is a limitation with using statistical infrequency?
Stat infrequency
A
- Unusual characteristics can be positive as well as negative
- For every person with IQ 70< there is another with 130
- We wouldn’t class 130 as abnormal
- we wouldn’t think of someone with low BDI to be abnormal
- being abnormal at one end of a psychological spectrum does not make someone abnormal
3
Q
Describe a counterpoint for being labelled as abnormal
Stat infrequency
A
- People may benefit from it
- E.g individual with IDD diagnosis can access support
- High BDI means they can go to therapy and benefit from it
- Not everyone benefits from labels
- People can cope with their chosen lifestyle and would not benefit
- Social stigma
4
Q
What could DSN lead to?
Stat infrequency
A
- Human rights abuses
- Carries risk of unfair labelling and leaves them open to human rights abuses
- Nymphomania (sexual desire) used to control women
- Drapetomania (slaves running away) were a way to control slaves
5
Q
How else does DSN have usefulness?
Stat infrequency
A
- Used in clinical practice
- Defining symptoms of APD
- The signs of APD are all DSNs
- Also play a part in the diagnosis of schizotypal PD where ‘strange’ characterises thinking and behaviour
- DSN criterion has value
6
Q
How does the FFA criterion represent threshold for help?
FFA
A
- Represents sensible threshold for when people need professional help
- According to mind= 25% of people in UK will experience a mental health problem
- Some people press on in the face of severe symptoms
- It is at this point we cease to function and are referred for help
7
Q
What is an issue with FFA labelling?
FFA
A
- Easy to label non standard lifestyle choices as abnormal
- Not having a job or permanent address may seem like FFA
- People may have just chosen an alternative lifestyle
- Those who favour high risk leisure activities or spiritual practices could be classes as irrational and a danger to themselves
- Freedom of choice may be restricted
8
Q
How can FFA not be abnormal?
FFA
A
- Bereavement
- It is unfair to give someone a label and cause future problems just because they are reacting to a difficult situation
- However, some people may need help to adjust to circumstances like bereavement
9
Q
What is a strength of DIMH?
FFA DIMH
A
- Comprehensive definition
- Includes a wide range of criteria for distinguishing mental health from mental disorder
- covers most reasons why we would seek help
- means that mental health can be meaningfully discusses
- provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves
10
Q
What is a limitation of DIMH?
FFA DIMH
A
- Culture bound
- Developed in context of US and Europe
- Self actualisation could be dismissed as self indulgent in the world
- In europe there is variation of value placed on personal independence
- What defines our success in work is different
11
Q
Explain a CP form DIMH
FFA DIMH
A
- High standards
- hard to achieve or keep up
- disheartening to see an impossible set of standards to live up to
- Having a comprehensive criteria to work towards may be valuable to someone wanting to improve their MH
12
Q
How does the TPM have real world application?
Behavioural approach to explaining phobias
A
- Used in exposure therapies
- key idea= maintained by avoidance
- explains why people benefit from being exposed to the phobic stimulus
- when avoidance behaviour is prevented it ceases to be reinforced, leads to cure of phobia
13
Q
What is a limitation of the tpm?
Behavioural approach to explaining phobias
A
- It does not account for cognitive aspects of phobias
- we know that phobias are not just simply avoidant behaviours
- e.g holding irrational beliefs
- explains avoidance behaviour but does not offer explanation for phobic cognitions
14
Q
What is a strength of supporting evidence for the tpm?
Behavioural approach to explaining phobias
A
- Evidence provides a link between bad experiences and phobias
- Ad de jongh found that 73% of people with a fear of dental treatment had expeirenced a traumatic experience, the control group of 21% of people had experienced a traumatic event with low anxiety
- confirms that the association between a stimulus and an UCR leads to development of phobia
15
Q
Describe a CP for supporting evidence of the tpm
Behavioural approach to explaining phobias
A
- Not all phobias appear following a bad experience
- common phobias occur in populations where very few people have any experience of stimuli let alone trauma
- not all experiences lead to phobia
- association between may not be as trong as we would expect if behavioural theories provided a complete explanation
16
Q
How is there evidence for the effectiveness of SD?
Behavioural approach to treating phobias
A
- Gilroy followed up 42 people who had SD for spider phobia in 3x 45 minute sessions
- at 3 and 33 months the SD group were less fearful than a CG treated by relaxation without exposure
- Wechsler concluded that SD is effective for specific phobias, social phobias and agoraphobia
17
Q
How does SD help people with LD’s?
Behavioural approach to treating phobias
A
- The alternatives to SD are not suitable for LD’s
- LD’s struggle with cognitive therapies that require complex rational thought
- may feel confused and distressed via flooding
18
Q
How is virtual reality used for SD?
Behavioural approach to treating phobias
A
- Exposure through VR can avoid dangerous situations for people with phobias of heights and it is cost effective as neither client nor psychologist has to leave the consulting room
- VR may be less effective for social phobias as it lacks realism according to Wechsler
19
Q
What is a strength of flooding?
Behavioural approach to treating phobias
A
- it is cost effective
- Clinical effectiveness= how effective a therapy is at tackling symptoms including the cost
- important to consider cost for services
- flooding can work in one session as opposed to 10 sessions of SD
- longer sessions are available
20
Q
What is a limitation of flooding?
Behavioural approach to treating phobias
A
- highly traumatic
- Schumacher= p’s and therapists rated flooding as significantly more stressful than SD
- raises ethical issues as psychologists shouldn’t be causing clients stress knowingly unless they obtain informed consent
- dropout rates are also very high (attrition)
21
Q
What is the issue with flooding and symptom substitution?
Behavioural approach to treating phobias
A
- They mask symptoms and do not tackle underlying causes of phobias
- Persons reported the case of a woman who had a phobia of death and was treated with flooding
- her fear of death declines but her fear of being criticised got worse
- only evidence for SS comes from case studies which are unique so it isn’t accurate to generalise
22
Q
What research support is there for Beck’s cognitive ex?
Beck cognitive
A
- Clark and beck concluded that not only were these cognitive vulnerabilities more common in depressed people but they preceded the depression
- This was confirmed in a more recent prospective study by Cohen
- They tracked development of 473 adolescents, regularly measuring CV
- found an association
23
Q
How does Beck have real world application?
Beck cognitive
A
- screening and treatment
- Cohen concluded that assessing CV allows psychologists to screen young people to identify those most at risk
- monitoring them
- understanding CV can be applied in CBT
- work by altering cognitions that make people vulnerable
24
Q
Does Beck provide a partial explanation?
Beck cognitive
A
- Yes
- No doubt that depressed people show patterns of cognition and these can be seen for onset
- some aspects to depression are not well explained by cognitive explanations
- e.g extreme anger, hallucinations
25
How does Ellic have real world application?
## Footnote
Ellis ABC cognitive
- Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
- By vigorously arguing with a depressed person the therapist can alter irrational beliefs
- some evidence to support that REBT can change negative beliefs and relieve the symptoms of depression
26
What is a limitation with Ellis's explanation?
## Footnote
Ellis ABC cognitive
- It only explains reactive depression not endogenous
- seems to be no doubt it is caused by an activating event
- many cases of depression seem to not be traceable to life events and it isn't obvious how a person is lead to depression
- this is called endogenous depression
27
What evidence shows effectiveness for CBT?
## Footnote
cog approach to treating depression
- March compared CBT to drugs and a combination
- 327 adolescents
- after 36 weeks 81% of CBT, 81% of drug and 86% of combined group improved
- CBT is just as effective
- Also cost effective as it requires 6-12 sessions
28
What is a limitation of CBT?
## Footnote
cog approach to treating depression
- lack of effectiveness for severe cases and learning disabilities
- can be so severe that clients cannot motivate themselves
- may not be able to pay attention
- complex rational thought in CBT makes it unsuitable for LD's
- Sturney suggests any form of psychotherapy is not suitable for LD's
29
What can we say about the effect of CBT?
## Footnote
cog approach to treating depression
- Effects are short lived
- High relapse rate
- Ali= assessed in 439 clients every month for 12 months following a course of CBT
- 42% relapsed within 6 months, 53% within a year
- CBT is effective but may need sessions consistently to keep up with the benefits
30
What is a counterpoint for LD's and CBT?
## Footnote
cog approach to treating depression
- Evidence challenges theory that it is unsuitable
- Lewis and Lewis= CBT just as effective as drugs and behavioural therapies for severe cases
- Taylor= when used appropriately CBT is effective for people with learning disabilities
- CBT may be suitable for a wider range of people
31
What is research support for the genetic explanation of OCD?
## Footnote
genetic ex of OCD
- Evidence from sources suggesting that some people are vulnerable to OCD as a result of genetic makeup
- Twin studies
- Nestadt= found 68% of MZ twins shared OCD whereas 31% of DZ twins
- Family studies
- Marini= a person with a family member with OCD is around 4x as likely to develop it as someone without it
32
What is a limitation of the genetic model?
## Footnote
genetic ex of OCD
- OCD does not seem to be entirely genetic
- environmental risk factors can also trigger or increase the risk of developing
- Cromer= found over half of OCD clients had experienced traumatic events in their past
- OCD was more severe in those with one or more traumas
33
How do animal studies support the genetic model of OCD?
## Footnote
genetic ex of OCD
- Enough evidence from animal studies showing particular genes are associated with repetitive behaviours in other species like mice
- however, human mind is very differnet and more complex so it may not be generalisable
34
What evidence supports the neural ex?
## Footnote
biological approach= neural ex of OCD
- Antidepressants that work on serotonin are effective in reducing OCD symptoms
- Suggests serotonin is involved in OCD
- OCD conditions form part of conditions that are known to be biological in origin (parkinson's disease)
- If a biological disorder produces OCD symptoms then we assume the biological processes underlie OCD
35
What is a limitation of the neural ex?
## Footnote
biological approach= neural ex of OCD
- Serotonin OCD link may not be unqiue to OCD
- Many OCD patients have depression
- Co morbidity
- This depression may involve disruption to the action of serotonin
- Could be that serotonin activity is disrupted in many people with OCD because they are depressed as well
36
Explain correlation and causality for neural ex
## Footnote
biological approach= neural ex of OCD
- Some evidence to show that some neural systems do not work normally for OCD
- This is most easily explained by brain dysfunction CAUSING the OCD
- Simply a correlation
- Doesn't indicate causal relationship
- Possible that OCD causes the abnormal brain function or both are influenced by a third factor
37
How is there evidence for effectiveness for treating OCD?
## Footnote
Bio approach to treating OCD
- clear evidence to show that ssris reduce symptom severity and improve quality of life
- Soomro reviewed 17 studies that compared ssris to placebos, all 17 studies showed better outcomes for ssris
- symptoms reduce around 70% of people
- the remaining 30% may be helped with alternative drugs
38
What is a counterpoint for evidence of effectiveness?
## Footnote
Bio approach to treating OCD
- May not be most effective treatments available
- Skapinakis carried out a systematic review of outcome studies, found that cognitive and behavioural therapies were more effective than ssris
- drugs may not be optimal
39
What is a limitation of drug therapy?
## Footnote
Bio approach to treating OCD
- Serious side effects
- A small minority will get no benefit
- side effects include= indigestion, blurred vision and loss of sex drive which are usually temporary but quite ditressing
- The tricyclic clomipramine has more side effects and can be more serious
- weight gain, 1 in 100 become aggressive and experience heart problems
40
How might there be biased evidence?
## Footnote
Bio approach to treating OCD
- Some psychologists believe that the evidence for drug effectiveness is biased as people are sponsored by drug companies
- Selectively publish good outcomes
- lack of independent studies
