Clinical Psychology AO3 !

evaluate the definition of “Deviation from Ideal Mental Health”

• comprehensive list → covers all reasons why people may seek mental health support + provides holistic view of what psychological wellbeing is → no oversimplification and realistic framework to assess mental health

• culturally bias → criteria emphasis on independence ( individualistic society, not applicable in collectivist societies → reduces practical validity (shows its a product of the context)

evaluate the definition of “Deviation from Societal Norms”

• encourages psychologists to impose their own standard of normal → people fear abnormality + societal norms change frequently + behaviour judged on personal bias → reduces validity of diagnosis + definition

• real world application → schizotypal personality (cant maintain relationships due to believing others hate them) and antisocial personality (deceitful, aggressive and impulsive) → diagnostic utility

evaluate the definition of “Statistical Infrequency”

• real world application →

• unusual can be positive → high IQ is uncommon but positive. one can have an extremely low depression score on BDI → extreme end of psychological spectrum doesnt equal mental illness so it cannot be used as a sole basis to measure mental wellness

evaluate the definition of “Failure to Function Adequately”

• represents reasonable threshold for help → 25% face mental health issues once a year but continue despite facing severe symptoms. so those that it is detrimental to their daily life can receive priority in care, resources can be managed and directed to them

• open to abuse → extreme lifestyles (high risk leisure activities or off-gird) labelled as failure to function but chosen from personal choice not mental illness → discrimination of lifestyles + restriction of freewill

evaluate Beck’s Cognitive Explanation of depression !

• real world application → lead to the development of CBT → identifies and challenges negative thought patterns outlined in the negative triad → helps individuals to replace them with more rational beliefs

• reductionist → reduces depression down to cognitive factors → ignores biological factors → cognitive neuroscience found those with depression associated with lower neurotransmitters (serotonin) → limited explanation

evaluate Ellis’ Cognitive Explanation of depression !

• reductionist → reduces depression down to cognitive factors → ignores biological factors → cognitive neuroscience found those with depression associated with lower neurotransmitters (serotonin) → limited explanation

• only explains reactive depression → assumes depression is a reaction to a sad event → not all depression has an identifiable cause → endogenous depression appears to occur without an external trigger → limited explanation

evaluate CBT as a treatment for depression !

• supporting evidence → researcher found CBT was effective in reducing depressive symptoms, especially when combined with medication → this shows CBT can successfully challenge the negative thought patterns linked to depression → increases validity as a treatment

• high relapse rates → CBT may treat current negative thinking patterns but does not always remove the underlying causes of depression → this means some individuals may return to depressive thinking after treatment ends → reduces long-term effectiveness as a treatment

• less effective for individuals who have experienced trauma → CBT focuses on identifying and changing irrational thoughts, but depression caused by trauma may be more deeply rooted in emotional experience than faulty thinking alone → this means it may not fully address the cause of depression in traumatised individuals → less effective treatment

evaluate genetic explanations for OCD !

• research support → meta-analysis → 68% of MZ twins both have OCD + 31% of DZ twins both have OCD → higher concordance rate in MZ twins = genetic component → research also found if 1 family member has OCD, it’s likely another does too.

• hard to find candidate genes → 2021 research reviewed evidence + concluded OCD is polygenic → we dk which genes directly cause OCD → no predictive value.

evaluate neural explanations for OCD !

• research support → anti-depressants containing purely serotonin effective in reducing OCD-symptoms → also OCD-like conditions (Parkingson’s that causes muscle trembles/paralysis) have a biological origin → we can assume OCD has a biological origin.

• serotonin is not OCD specific → neural model suggests low levels of serotonin induces OCD-symptoms → depression also involves low levels of serotonin → serotonin not directly linked to OCD → reduces validity of neurological model

evaluate drug treatments for OCD !

• supporting evidence → review of 17 studies comparing SSRI effects to placebos → 70% of individuals using SSRIs experienced less severe symptoms → remaining 30% can be helped with a combination of drugs + psychological therapies → increased validity as a treatment

• cost effective → mass manufacturing liquid/tablet medicines is cheaper than one session → good value for public health systems with limited funds like NHS

• drawbacks of drug treatment → often long lasting side-effects → blurry vision, sex-drive loss + indigestion → reduces quality of life in individuals → some individuals may also be sensitive to their dose required (more pronounced side-effects) → less effective treatment

evaluate behavioural explanations for phobias !

• real world application →

• link between bad experiences + phobias →

• incomplete explanation →

evaluate systematic desensitisation as a treatment for phobias !

• less effective on certain cognitive characteristics → systematic review of 111 studies on exposure therapies → less effective on individuals with high anxiety and low self efficiency (perceived ability to achieve a goal)

• research support → meta-analysis of studies on effectiveness of SD → ALL effective (with no difference in methodology such as amount of sessions)

evaluate flooding as a treatment for phobias !

• cost effective → flooding completed in one session whilst SD in up to 10 sessions → allows longer (3hr), more effective treatment → more people can be treated for same cost + more viable for NHS.

• highly traumatic → confrontation induces LOADS of anxiety → research found participants find SD less traumatic → high attrition rates + considered unethical → less viable treatment