Psychopathology

    Cards (61)

    • Psychopathology
      The study of mental disorders
    • According to the mental health charity, MIND, psychological disorders affect 1 in 4 people over the course of their lives
    • Mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain, with 7.8% of people meeting criteria for diagnosis
      1. 10% of people in England will experience depression in their lifetime
    • The poorer and more disadvantaged are disproportionately affected by common mental health problems and their adverse consequences
    • Mixed anxiety and depression has been estimated to cause one fifth of days lost from work in Britain
    • The World Health Organisation ranks mental disorders as one of the leading causes of disease and disability worldwide
    • Abnormality
      Behaviour or feelings that are considered outside the normal range
    • Definitions of Abnormality
      • Statistical infrequency
      • Deviation from social norms
      • Deviation from ideal mental health
      • Failure to function adequately
    • Statistical infrequency
      • Any behaviour which is rare or uncommon in the population should be classed as abnormal
      • Can be used to identify a segment of the population in need of psychological help
    • Deviation from social norms
      • Behaviour that violates unwritten social rules and causes observer discomfort or punishment
    • Deviation from ideal mental health
      • Failure to meet criteria for good mental health like self-attitudes, autonomy, environmental mastery, accurate perception of reality, integration, and personal growth
    • Failure to function adequately
      • Inability to get through day-to-day life, including personal distress, maladaptive behaviour, unpredictability, irrationality, observer discomfort, violation of moral standards, and unconventionality
    • Phobia
      A type of anxiety disorder characterised by excessive and irrational fear of a specific object or situation
    • Characteristics of phobia
      • Emotional: Fear is the main emotion
      • Cognitive: Selective attention and irrational beliefs
      • Behavioural: Avoidance and panic
    • Depression
      A type of mood disorder characterised by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness, alongside physical changes
    • Characteristics of depression
      • Emotional: Intense sadness, loss of pleasure
      • Cognitive: Impaired concentration and negative thoughts
      • Behavioural: Reduced energy and activity, changes to appetite and sleep
    • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

      An anxiety disorder characterised by obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviours)
    • Characteristics of OCD
      • Emotional: Excessive fear, anxiety, disgust, guilt
      • Cognitive: Obsessions are repetitive and intrusive
      • Behavioural: Performing compulsions to relieve anxiety
    • Behaviourism
      An approach in psychology that focuses on the role of external, environmental factors in learning, rather than internal mental processes
    • Two-process model

      Explanation for phobia formation involving classical conditioning (learning by association) and operant conditioning (learning from consequences)
    • Phobia
      A huge negative impact on the sufferer's life, as they are time-consuming and may lead to social difficulties
    • Behaviourism
      An approach in psychology that looks at how humans and other animals learn from the environment, focusing on the role of external, environmental factors rather than internal mental processes
    • Two-process model

      The behaviourist explanation for phobia, involving classical conditioning (learning by association) and operant conditioning (learning from consequences)
    • Classical conditioning of phobia
      Neutral stimulus paired with unconditioned stimulus that produces fear response, resulting in conditioned stimulus eliciting conditioned response of fear
    • Operant conditioning of phobia
      Avoidance of feared object is negatively reinforced, maintaining the phobia
    • Phobia formation experiment

      • Watson and Raynor's "Little Albert" study
    • Behaviourist theories cannot explain why some phobias are more common than others, suggesting an evolutionary basis
    • Systematic desensitisation
      Gradual exposure to feared object, combined with relaxation techniques, to replace fear with relaxation
    • Flooding
      Rapid, prolonged exposure to feared object, preventing avoidance, to extinguish the conditioned fear response
    • Flooding is more effective than systematic desensitisation for simple phobias, but may be too anxiety-provoking for some patients
    • Cognitive approach

      Focuses on internal mental processes, believing irrational thinking leads to warped worldview and mental disorders like depression
    • Ellis' ABC model
      Activating event, Belief, Consequences - irrational beliefs about events lead to unhealthy emotional and behavioural consequences
    • Beck's negative triad

      Negative schemas about self, future, and world distort information processing and lead to depressive thinking
    • Cognitive explanations neglect biological factors in depression and can be seen as 'blaming' the person
    • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

      Aims to change the thoughts and perceptions that underlie depression through cognitive restructuring
    • Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)

      Follows the ABC model, with the addition of Disputing irrational thoughts
    • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

      Changing the thoughts and perceptions that underlie depression through cognitive restructuring - challenging and changing the irrational thoughts that characterise depressive thinking
    • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

      1. Identify irrational thoughts
      2. Challenge irrational thoughts
      3. Change irrational thoughts and maladaptive behaviours
      4. Techniques like thought-catching and homework exercises
    • Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)

      A form of CBT developed by Ellis that follows the ABC model with D - dispute (challenging irrational thoughts using empirical and logical dispute) and E - effect (measuring the effects of the disputation on mood, anxiety and behaviour)