Unit 9 - Clinical Psychology

Question 1

If you are looking for therapy what should you do?

Answer 1

-Look at empirically supported treatments
-Be open to change if you don’t see improvement (you need the right therapist and treatment plan for you)

Question 2

Which therapies are the most effective?

Answer 2

All major forms are equally effective for everyone
BUT there is some evidence that some are better for specific disorders

Question 3

What therapy is best for anxiety? what about depression and bipolar disorder?

Answer 3

Anxiety: Behavioral

Depression/Bipolar: Cognitive

Question 4

What does it mean to be empirically supported?

Answer 4

Research says it works on average

*There is some current debate on whether some earlier conclusions used a stats analysis that actually reflects the real-world effect of treatment

Question 5

How do we know therapy works?

Answer 5

Meta-analysis tells us that the average person getting therapy is better off than 80% of those that don’t

Question 6

What is a meta-analysis

Answer 6

analysis of several study results

Question 7

What is a layered approach to well-being?
Who tends to use it?

Answer 7

When we combine multiple treatments in our plan (bc it is rare that 1 intervention will be close to 100% effective at treating all symptoms)
-Often done by those managing moderate-severe disorders

Question 8

What non-clinical things are associated with better mental heath?

Answer 8

Social support: can help with management of disorders

Physical activity: Negative correlation of mood/anxiety disorders and exercise level [makes sense bc endorphins, but hard for ppl with mental disorders to do]

Natural spaces: Improve sense of well-being

Green Exercise: Boosts mood and self-esteem

Question 9

How does city densification affect mental health?

Answer 9

Its associated with more social isolation, mental disorders and poorer mental and physical health

May be due to stress of living in a city instead of just nature power tho

Question 10

What is evidence-based practice. What do the two we looked at focus on?

Answer 10

Practice based on peer-reviewed research

Non-Judgmental acceptance of thoughts and feelings

Question 11

What is acceptance and comittence therapy?

Answer 11

When you behave constructively despite negative thoughts and feelings

Question 12

What is mindfulness-based stress reduction?

Answer 12

When you see thoughts and feelings as fleeting by products
-inspired by eastern traditions

Question 13

What is CBT?

Answer 13

A combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy
it involves setting treatment goals and then having patients do homework assignments

Question 14

What are the two main approaches to clinical pysch?

Answer 14

Behavioural: Fixing learnt maladaptive behaviours
ex: exposure therapy for phobia response

Cognitive: Fixing thinking errors that cause maladaptive behaviours
ex: fixing the “I must be perfect” mindset

Question 15

Why don’t 50% of ppl with psych disorders get therapy?

Answer 15

-stigma
-low income
-male and non-white ppl more likely to experience stigma

Question 16

What does it mean to be subsyndromal?

Answer 16

You suffer but not enough to be diagnosed with anything

Question 17

What is the overall cost of anxiety and depression?

Answer 17

1 trillion a year

Question 18

Why might our current western practices and strucutres be effective?

Answer 18

Some ppl may not believe in the cultural goals and principles, customs and assumptions that underly Western practice
-for these ppl, services provided by their community members using their practices may be better

Question 19

In general, is therapy better for some ppl than others

Answer 19

Nope!

Question 20

Can therapy help everyone?

Answer 20

5-10% of ppl actually get worse so no

Question 21

What predicts a therapist’s success?

Answer 21

-Interpersonal skills and how well their treatment fits the clients needs

NOT:
Qualitfication type or years of experience

Question 22

What are some good principles for therapists to have

Answer 22

-respect/dignity for the worth of all ppl
-vilgilant agaisnt potential biases
-integrity (honesty, truthfullness, accuracy)

Question 23

What are the two common types of therapies in modern practice?

Answer 23

Psyclogical : Therapy done by a psycologist (protected term)

Biological: Meds. Done by family doctor or a psychiatrist

Question 24

Is hospitalization for mentally ill people perfect now?

Answer 24

no!
Experiences vary

Question 25

Who are 2 activists that helped get better treatment for mentally ill people?

Answer 25

Phillipe pinel:
-pressured french gov to stop barbaric practices in hospitals
-developed moral treatment (more humane therapy)

Dorthea Dix
-championed cause of mistreated ppl with mental illness

Question 26

What is trephination?

Answer 26

Sugery where burr holes were drilled into the skull to relieve pressure and drive out demons

Question 27

What are bad old mental health treatments

Answer 27

-submerging ppl in hot and cold water until they alsmost drowned (thought to bring balance to body and mind)
-spinning ppl around until they passed out
-keeping them with the meant to be incarcerated
-hospitals avalible for public viewing
-trephination

Question 28

What is talking therapy?

Answer 28

When you verbalize a traumatic event and the emotions related to it
-made by Freud

Question 29

What is meant by the term “Co-occuring disorders”

Answer 29

Diff disorders tend to be related
Many disorders have common symptoms
Not uncommon to have multiple disorders

Question 30

What are some cons to mental health labels?

Answer 30

-Clinicians may be encouraged to see diagnoses as immutable or unrelated
-May feel defeated if character with same label portrayed negatively in media
-Might, even non-intentionally add to stigma
-Might make you feel more hopeless, limited, or not in control of your life

Question 31

What are some pros to mental health labels?

Answer 31

-Lets health team co-ordinate treatment
-Relief + motivation to seek treatment
-Access to specific research and treatment
-Accomidations to avoid systemic disadvantage
-Easier to process challenges bc there is a “reason” behind them

Question 32

What is a clinical assessment?

Answer 32

A procedure where a professional gets the info they need to evaluate the pyschological functioning of an individual and thus determine if diagnosis is warranted

Question 33

What are 3 common clinical asssesment methods?

Answer 33

-Projective tests: No longer in training (when you impose structure on ambiguous image to reveal hidden thoguhts/motivations)

-Self-report: Gives severity info but client hisotry must be kept in mind

Clinical interview: Structure or unstrcutured. Gives us an idea for diagnosis

Question 34

How many adults have symptoms that meet mood disorder criteria at some point in their lives?

Answer 34

1/8

Question 35

How many ppl will experience a psych disorder in their lifetime?

Answer 35

46%

Question 36

Give an example of weird behaviour that is not a psychological disorder

Answer 36

Superticious behaviour

Question 37

What is a psychological disorder?

Answer 37

A clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotional regualtion or behaviour that is usually associated with significant distress or disability in social/ocupational/important activities

Question 38

What is meant by the statement that modern day clincial pysch. is both academic and applied?

Answer 38

Applied : They meet with clients to give therapy/do assessments

Academic: They do experiments with participants from clinical populations

Question 39

What is the DSM

Answer 39

A catalog of all mental disorders in standardized language
-Multiple versions exist be changes must often be made