Psychopathology

What are the 4 definitions for abnormality?

Statistical infrequency

Deviation from social norms

Failure to function adequately

Deviation from ideal mental health

What is statistical infrequency?

A definition of abnormality where a behaviour is seen as abnormal if it is statistically uncommon, or not very often seen in society

What is deviation from social norms?

Abnormality where a behaviour is seen as abnormal if it violates unwritten rules (social norms) about what is acceptable in a particular society

What is failure to function adequately?

When a person is unable to cope with the demands of everyday life

What is deviation from ideal mental health?

A definition of abnormality which suggests that abnormal behaviour should be defined by the absence of particular ideal characteristics

What are the positives and negatives of the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality?

Positives:

• Used in clinical practice for formal diagnosis
  Negatives:

• Statistical infrequencies may be positive

• Some may not benefit from labels that come from statistics

What are the positives and negatives of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality?

Positives:

• Used in clinical practice

Negatives:

• Cultural relativism

What are the positives and negatives of the failure to function adequately definition of abnormality?

Positives:

• Sensible threshold

• Treatments can be targeted for those in need

Negatives:

• Cultural relativism

• Not a way of diagnosing, but to see how bad problems are

• Exceptions e.g. maladaptive behaviour

What are the positives and negatives of the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality?

Positives:

• Comprehensive

  Negatives:

• Cultural relativism

• High standards

What is a phobia?

An extreme or irrational fear or aversion of something

What are the behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of a phobia?

Behavioural:

• Panic

• Avoidance

• Endurance
  Emotional:

• Anxiety

• Fear
  Cognitive:

• Selective attention

• Irrational beliefs

• Cognitive distortions

What processes take place that lead to development of phobias in the behaviourist approach?

Classical and operant conditioning

What are the two methods used to treat phobias?

Flooding and systematic desensitisation

What three processes are involved in systematic desensitisation?

Anxiety hierarchy

Relaxation

Exposure

What are the positives and negatives of systematic desensitisation?

Positives:

• Evidence of effectiveness (Gilroy and McGrath)

• Gradual - unlikely to cause trauma

• VR - removes danger and needing to be mobile

• Can be used for people with learning disabilities

Negatives:

• Does not address underlying issues

• Evidence that VR may not be effective

• Multiple sessions (expensive)

What are the positives and negatives of flooding?

Positives:

• Cost effective

• Can work in as little as one session

• Highly effective

  Negatives:

• Potentially traumatic

• High drop-out rate

• Ethical issues

What is OCD?

A disorder characterised by obsessions and compulsions

What are the symptoms of OCD?

• Repetitive obsessive/intrusive thoughts

• Obsessive compulsions

• Anxiety reducing behaviours

What are the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of OCD?

Emotional:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Guilt

Behavioural:

• Habitual compulsions

• Anxiety reducing compulsions

• Avoidance

Cognitive:

• Obsessive thoughts

• Cognitive coping strategies

• Awareness of excessive anxiety

What is the OCD cycle?

• Obsessive thought

• Anxiety

• Compulsive behaviour

• Temporary relief

• Repeat

What are the biological explanations of OCD?

• OCD is polygenic - 230 possible genes (Taylor 2013)

• Candidate genes

• Different types of OCD

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the biological explanation for OCD?

Strengths:

• Supporting evidence (Nestadt 2010, Taylor 2013)

• Candidate genes

• Diathesis-stress model

Weaknesses:

• Family studies may be SLT rather than genetic predisposition

• Too many genes involved (230), little predictive power

• Cromer 2007 found over half of sufferers had a traumatic event

What are the assumptions of the neural basis of OCD?

• Abnormal parahippocampal gyrus function

• Overactive thalamus (safety behaviours)

• Overactive orbitofrontal cortex (increased anxiety)

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the neural explanation of OCD?

Strengths:

• Research support - SSRIs shown to be effective in short term
  Weaknesses:

• May be caused by depression (co-morbidity)

• Serotonin not unique to OCD

What types of treatments are there for OCD?

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

• Serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

• Tricyclics

What are the strengths and weaknesses of drug therapy for OCD?

Strengths:

• Research support (Soomro et al 2008)

• Mass produced

• Less effort than CBT
  Weaknesses:

• Publication bias

• Side effects

• Short-term solution

What are the strengths and weaknesses of CBT?

Strengths:

• Highly effective
  Weaknesses:

• Expensive

• Average of 20 sessions to be effective

What are the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of depression?

Emotional:

• Lowered mood

• Anger

• Lowered self-esteem
  Behavioural:

• Activity levels

• Sleep and eating disruption

• Aggression and self-harm
  Cognitive:

• Poor concentration

• Dwelling on the past

• Absolutist thinking

What are Beck’s three precursors for depression?

• Faulty information processing

• Negative self-schemas

• Negative triad

What are the components of Beck’s negative triad?

• Negative view of the self

• Negative view of the world

• Negative view of the future

What does Ellis’ ABCDE model stand for?

• Activating event

• Belief

• Consequence

• Dispute

• Effect

How does Beck’s cognitive therapy work?

• Therapist helps client understand the effect that thoughts have on emotions

• Therapist assesses severity of patient’s condition

• Baseline test established to monitor progress

• Reality testing

How does Ellis’ rational emotive behaviour (REBT) therapy work?

• Identify and dispute irrational thoughts

• Use empirical, logical and pragmatic arguments

What are the strengths and weaknesses of CBT in treating depression?

Strengths:

• Effective in reducing symptoms of depression (March et al 2007)

• Most effective psychological treatment for moderate depression

• As effective as antidepressants

• Recovery rates: drugs - 55%, CBT - 52%, drugs and CBT - 85%
  Weaknesses:

• Over-emphasis on cognition

• May be due to therapist-patient relationship

• Does not explore patient’s past

• May not work in severe cases