psychopathology

• statistical infrequency says that someone is abnormal if their behaviour is rare
• statistical infrequency does not consider the fact that some mental health conditions are more common
• SI also says that rare is bad but it is not e.g. having a high IQ
• deviation from social norms is when someone is considered abnormal if their behaviour goes against the unwritten rules of society
• DFSN leads to subjective opinion so is not scientific
• some people can stick to social norms in distress which is why DFSN can be an issue
• failure to function adequately is

  when a person cannot cope with everyday life
• FTFA is good as it considers if people are at risk
• FTFA can be problematic as it can be hard to spot if someone is struggling
• define deviation from ideal mental health

  someone is considered abnormal if their behaviour is far from Jehoda's criteria for ideal mental health
• jehoda had 6 criteria

  1. good self esteem
  2. positive relationships
  3. ability to cope with stress
  4. accurate view of reality
  5. autonomy
  6. ability to self actualise
• DFIM gives a holistic view of what good mental health is
• DFIM is too subjective and idealistic
• what is a phobia

  an extreme fear which is disproportionate to the actual danger
• what does a phobia lead to

  avoidance behaviour
• what are behavioural characteristics of a phobia

  1. panic
  2. avoidance
• anxiety is an emotional characteristic of a phobia
• what are cognitive characteristics of a phobia

  1. irrational beliefs
  2. cognitive distortions
  3. selective attention to phobic stimulus
• mower's 2 process model says classical conditioning starts the phobia and operant conditioning reinforces it
• operant conditioning reinforces the phobia by the person getting a feeling of a relief when avoiding the phobic stimulus
• mower's 2 process model is supported by evidence and has led to treatments
• mower's 2 process model cant explain all phobias as some are irrational and have not originated from a specific point
• mower's 2 process model is a reductionist explanation as it does not consider phobias from an evolutionary explanation like Seligman does
• what are the 3 process' of systematic desensitization

  1. creation of anxiety hierarchy
  2. calming techniques
  3. exposure
• systematic desensitization takes a long time (some people wont complete it) and is expensive
• SD means the patient is in control and can have a nice experience
• what is flooding

  when someone is immediately exposed to the phobic stimulus to stop avoidance behaviour and overcome irrational beliefs and cognitive distortions
• positive of flooding

  quick and cheap
• negative of flooding

  can be traumatic
• behavioural characteristics of depression

  1. changes in energy
  2. changes in appetite
  3. changes in sleep patterns
  4. aggression
• emotional characteristics of depression

  1. depressed mood
  2. anger (which can lead to self harm)
• cognitive characteristics of depression

  1. low self esteem
  2. less concentration
  3. focus on negative thoughts and actions
• the cognitive approach says depression happens due to faulty thinking
• 3 parts to cognitive vulnerability

  1. negative self-schemas
  2. cognitive biases
  3. negative triad
• what is the negative triad

  when someone has a negative view of themselves, the future and the world
• examples of cognitive biases

  1. magnification
  2. selective abstraction
  3. overgeneralisation
• Ellis' ABC model is a cognitive model of depression that suggests that depression is caused by a negative interpretation of events
• what does ABC stand for in the ABC model

  A - activating event

  B - belief

  C - consequence
• Beck's CBT works by, identifying irrational beliefs then challenging negative thoughts then reconstructing the thought process
• 2 types of homework for CBT

  1. hypothesis testing
  2. behavioural activation