Psychopathology evaluations Flashcards
Deviation from social norms
1+, 3-
+practical applications, can identify people who need psychiatric help
-social norms change between cultures over time
-classification can only be based on the context where the behaviour occurs
-raises ethical concerns, people who don’t fit into societies norms may be labelled as abnormal and sometimes institutionalised
Failure to function adequately
1+, 3-
+practical applications, can identify people who need psychiatric help
-many people engage in harmful behaviour but isn’t deemed abnormal eg. smoking, drinking
-culturally specific, functioning adequately is related to a cultures ideas of how life should be led
-not reliable, not all feel personal distress eg. pscyhopaths
Statistical infrequency
2+,2-
+it gives quantitative, objective measures that are reliable and therefore makes it easier to access treatment
+not affected by culture because it doesn’t depend on how society views the behaviour, only on how common the behaviour is
-unusual characteristics can be positive eg. high IQ. According to the definition people with high IQ need treatment even though they don’t
-Not all abnormal behaviours are infrequent eg. depression occurs in 10% of the population, so according to definition doesn’t need treatment
Deviation from ideal mental health
2+,2-
+it’s a more positive approach, focuses on ideal behaviours rather than abnormal behaviours. People may be more willing to seek help
+practical applications, easy to know what someone is lacking and where they need support. Easy for professionals to set goals
-culturally specific, so doesn’t give a universal definition
-problems with validity, because no one achieves ideal mental health, so no one can be defined as normal according to this definition
Behavioural approach to explaining phobias
2+,2-
+supportive research, Watson and Rayner (little albert), learnt a phobia of white rats (NS) when paired with loud bang (UCS)
+More research evidence eg. Munjack found 50% with a fear of driving related it to a bad experience eg. accident
-ignores evolutionary factors eg. biological preparedness (Seligman), shows more to phobias than just conditioning
-too simplistic, ignores cognitive factors. Phobias are very complex therefore thinking must be involved not just behaviours
Systematic desensitisation
2+,2-
+is effective eg. Gilroy found it was more effective than just relaxation when treating spider phobias, shows effects are long lasting
+is more ethical than drugs as it teaches life skills. Also doesn’t require much communication so can be used on anyone
-takes 6-8 sessions, expensive and not accessible for everyone
-vitro exposure relies on clients ability to imagine a fearful situation, some people can’t create vivid images making it less effective
Flooding
2+,2-
+Can treat lots of phobias, because can be done in vivo or vitro , effects are long lasting
+only takes on 3-4 hour session, cost effective, more accessible
-can’t treat social phobias as particular source of phobia is difficult to identify. Some phobias caused by irrational thoughts not conditioning
-high dropout rate, some people can’t tolerate the high anxiety levels, so there’s a risk people leave the session early worsening the phobia
Cognitive approach to explaining depression
2+,2-
+practical applications eg. Beck’s negative triad helped to develop CBT which has been shown to be effective
+research evidence eg.Lloyd + Lishman found people with low level depression could think of a happy event quicker than people with deeper depression, supports idea depressed people have automatic negative thinking
-patient is seen responsible for the disorder meaning other factors may be overlooked eg. family problems
-difficult to state cause and effect, is irrational thinking a cause or consequence of depression
CBT
2+,2-
+research evidence eg.March et al found 86% had clinically, significantly improved when using a combo of CBT and drugs, showing CBT is effective for treating depression
+teaches the client life skills of challenging irrational thoughts, so they can deal with future thoughts. CBT cures the disorder rather than suppresses symptoms
-not effective for everyone, Simon et al. found its not suitable for people with high levels of stress. Therefore is important everyone is treated as an individual
-therapy relies on clients ability to change their thoughts which sometimes isn’t possible.
Biological approach to explaining OCD
2+,2-
+practical applications, if low serotonin play a role in OCD we can give people SSRIs. And if we know the gene’s involved we can scan for these in babies and offer early support
+research evidence eg. Nestadt et al. found 68% of MZ twins both have OCD compared to 31% for DZ, showing genetics play a role, supports neural explanations
-research is correlational, we don’t know if levels of neurotransmitters cause OCD or a result of having OCD
-reductionist, OCD is very complex so is difficult to reduce it down to only biological explanation, therefore is unlikely to be reflective
Biological approach to treating OCD
2+,2-
+research evidence eg Soomro et al. compared SSRIs to placebos and found in all 17 studies SSRIs were more effective with treating OCD
+quick and easy to administer, only have to remember to take tablets, don’t have to attend therapy or wait on a waiting list
-problem when people stop taking drugs because they only mask symptoms not solve the cause, therefore many relapse showing drug treatment isn’t effective long term
-side effects eg. indigestion, blurred vision and weight gain. These may cause people to stop taking the drugs making them ineffective
