Psychopathology Definitions

Question 1

ABC model

Answer 1

Ellis’s explanation for how irrational thoughts affect behaviour A= activating event, B+ beliefs, C= consequences

Question 2

Avoidance

Answer 2

The act of staying away from something (e.g. the phobic object or situation)

Question 3

Basal ganglia

Answer 3

Region of the brain involved in the coordination of movement that has been linked to OCD

Question 4

CBT

Answer 4

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a commonly used therapy which involves challenging and replacing irrational thoughts

Question 5

COMT gene

Answer 5

Gene which has a variation which results in higher levels of dopamine and this variation is more common in patients with OCD

Question 6

Counter-conditioning

Answer 6

Learning a new response to the phobic object/situation e.g. replacing fear with relaxation

Question 7

Cultural relativism

Answer 7

The idea that cultural norms and values are culture specific and no-one culture is superior to another culture

Question 8

Deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 8

Not meeting criteria which suggest you are mentally healthy

Question 9

Deviation from social norms

Answer 9

A behaviour that deviates from social norms is one that is very different from how we would expect people to behave

Question 10

Dopamine

Answer 10

Higher levels of this neurotransmitter have been associated with the compulsions shown by OCD patients

Question 11

Failure to function adequately

Answer 11

When a person’s behaviour means they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life

Question 12

Fear hierarchy

Answer 12

A list of situations related to the phobic object/situation arranged in order from least to most frightening

Question 13

Flooding (in-vitro)

Answer 13

Behavioural treatment for a phobia which involves imagined exposure to the phobic object/situation without being able to escape

Question 14

Flooding (in-vivo)

Answer 14

Behavioural treatment for a phobia which involves actual exposure to the phobic object/situation without being able to escape

Question 15

Hindsight bias

Answer 15

The way that social norms change over time

Question 16

ICD 10

Answer 16

The 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, produced by the World Health Organisation

Question 17

Logical dispute

Answer 17

REBT Technique where the therapies disputes the logic of a person’s thoughts

Question 18

Negative self-schemas

Answer 18

Negative information we hold about ourselves based on negative past experiences that can lead to cognitive biases

Question 19

Negative triad

Answer 19

Three types of negative thinking (self, the world and the future) that Beck suggested occur automatically in people who are depressed

Question 20

Obsession

Answer 20

An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.

Question 21

Orbifrontal cortex

Answer 21

A region of the brain which converts sensory information into thoughts and actions- higher activity has been found here in OCD patients

Question 22

Overgeneralisation

Answer 22

Cognitive error where you make a sweeping conclusion from a single incident

Question 23

REBT

Answer 23

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy is a type of CBT based on Ellis’s ABC model

Question 24

Selective attention

Answer 24

Focusing on one piece of information while ignoring other information viewed as irrelevant

Question 25

Serotonin

Answer 25

Neurotransmitter which regulates mood - lower levels are associated with OCD

Question 26

SERT gene

Answer 26

gene which affects the transport of serotonin, causing lower levels of serotonin which is associated with OCD

Question 27

Simple or specific phobia

Answer 27

Irrational fear of an object (e.g. spiders) or situation (e.g. flying)

Question 28

Social norm

Answer 28

The rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in a group or society

Question 29

Social phobia

Answer 29

Irrational fear of a social situation (e.g. speaking in public)

Question 30

SSRIs

Answer 30

Antidepressant drugs used to treat OCD which work by preventing the re-absorption and breakdown of serotonin

Question 31

Statistical infrequency

Answer 31

A behaviour that is statistically infrequent does not happen very often

Question 32

Systematic desensitisation

Answer 32

A behaviour therapy designed to gradually reduce a phobia through the principle of classical conditioning

Question 33

Two-process model

Answer 33

Behavioural explanation for phobias which suggests they are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Question 34

Unipolar depression

Answer 34

A major depressive episode that occurs without the manic phase