PSYCHOLOGY 108 TEST THREE: CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Process of Clinical Psychology

Prevention and wellbeing, assessment, formulation, diagnosis, therapy and intervention, ongoing review and evaluation throughout

Psychological Disorder

Clinically significant disturbance in condition, emotional regulation, dysfunctional behaviour in mental functioning, usually causes distress or impairment

Advantages of Diagnosis

Validation and normalisation, guides treatment, access and distribution of resources

Disadvantages of Diagnosis

Stigma and Labelling, cultural sensitivity, comorbidity, reductionism, reliability

Biological Causes

Genetics, brain chemistry, structure, function, activity and functionality, biological factors

Psychological Causes

Early trauma, personality traits, insecure attachment, cognitive distortions

Social and Environmental Causes

Discrimination, colonisation, institutionalised inequality, financial stress

Learning and Conditioning Causes

Classical, operant, modelling

Trauma

Abuse, neglect, assault, lacking protective factors

Psychodynamic Model

Mental health is shaped by unconscious drives and early experiences

Behavioural Model

Distress originates from learned behaviours that can be unlearned

Cognitive Model

Thoughts influence feelings and behaviour, distortion leads to problems

Humanistic Model

People want growth, meaning, fulfilment, and blocking them causes distress

Indigenous Models

Interconnected dimensions of health

Vulnerability Stress/Diathesis-Stress Model

Mental health conditions originate from biological or psychological vulnerabilities and stressful life events

Biopsychosocial Model

Combination of biological, psychological, socio-environmental factors

Major Depressive Disorder Criteria

At least five symptoms in two weeks, abnormal functioning, either depressed mood or loss of interest, no substances or different medical condition, significant stress

MDD Symptoms

Insomnia/Hypersomnia, fatigue, big weight changes

Levels of Cognition

Core beliefs, assumptions, automatic thoughts

Beck’s Cognitive Triad

Core beliefs about self, world, future, cyclic triangle, activated by negative life events

CBT Five Part Model

Situation, interconnection of thoughts, physiological response, behaviour, emotions

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Depression

Breaking cycle of negative thoughts and behaviours, changing how individual currently thinks

CBT Depression Techniques

Psychoeducation, identification of distressing thoughts, cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation

Interpersonal

Focus on relationship difficulties and life transitions

ACT, Mindfulness-Based Therapies

Acceptance, values, present-moment awareness, acknowledging thoughts and feelings

Medication

SSRI, SNRI

Other Depression Therapies

Lifestyle interventions, social and whanau, electroconvulsive therapy

Anxiety

Evolutionary alarm system in individuals, concerning when its intensity, duration, and impact grow

Anxiety Disorder Factors

Trigger, intensity, duration, impact on functioning, physical symptoms, control, coping

Common Anxiety Disorder Factors

Tendency to catastrophise, aversion to uncertainty, feels like danger

Common Anxiety Disorders

Generalised, panic, social anxiety, OCD, schizophrenia

OCD Treatment: CBT/EXRP

in vivo, imaginal, interoceptive, habituation/fear hierarchy

Psychosis

Mental state where individual has difficulty distinguishing reality, usually involving delusions or hallucinations

Psychosis versus Schizophrenia

Psychosis is a symptom

Hallucinations

Perception-like experiences that feel real but have no external stimulus

Delusions

Fixed, false beliefs that the individual has despite there being contrary evidence

Types of Delusions

Persecutory, referential, erotomatic, grandiose

Delusion Variants

Bizzare, non-bizarre

Disorganised Thinking

Ideas drift off topic, loose associations, tangential thinking, word salad

Antipsychotics

Helps reduce/manage symptoms through affecting dopamine or neurotransmitters

Antipsychotics Disadvantage

Side effects may require individualised treatment and monitoring

CBTp

Making sense of symptoms, reducing distress, building coping skills, improving daily functioning

Managing Voices

Reality testing, grounding, engagement with voices and choice, stress and sleep management