PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

• Deviation from the social norm


  Person is abnormal if their behaviour violates unwritten set of rules and what's acceptable in a particular society
• Deviation from the social norm


  • Can distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviour, unlike statistical infrequency
  • What is socially acceptable now, may not have been socially acceptable 50 years ago
• Statistical Infrequency


  A frequency graph of behaviours showing normal distributions. The extreme ends defines what is abnormal
• Statistical Infrequency


  • Some abnormal behaviours can be quite desirable (IQ)
  • Cut off points are subjectively determined. For example, the amount of sleep someone gets. 4 hours of sleep may be seen as abnormal but 4:15 hours may be seen as normal. The difference however is only 15 minutes
  • Behaviour can be common in one culture and uncommon in others
• Failure to function adequately


  Person considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands with everyday life independently and to an adequate level
• Failure to function adequately


  • Recognises subjective experience of patter, has sensitivity and practicality
  • Who decides someone is functioning adequately?
  • Some dysfunctional behaviour may be functional behaviour to others, causing an incomplete definition
• Deviation from ideal mental health


  Abnormal behaviour if you are missing any of the ideal characteristics proposed by Marie Johoda
• Ideal characteristics of mental health


  • Accurate perception of reality
  • Environmental reality
  • Positive self-attitudes
  • Autonomy
  • Self-actualization
  • Integration
• Deviation from ideal mental health


  • It is a positive approach focusing on positives instead of the negatives
  • Tries to apply the principles of physical health to mental health
  • According to this list, most of us are abnormal as criteria is unrealistic
• Characteristics of phobias


  • Behavioural: Avoidance
  • Behavioural: Freeze or faint
  • Behavioural: Increased heart rate/Breathing rate
  • Emotional: Persistent fear that is excessive and unreasonable
  • Emotional: Anxiety and panic
  • Cognitive: Irrational nature of a person's thinking and resistance to ration
  • Cognitive: Know fear is excessive
• Characteristics of Depression


  • Behavioural: Sadness and loss of pleasure in normal activities
  • Behavioural: Lack of self esteem
  • Emotional: Shift in activity level
  • Emotional: Sleep may be affected
  • Cognitive: Negative thoughts/sense of worthlessness
  • Cognitive: Thoughts are irrational
• Characteristics of OCD


  • Behavioural: Repetitive and uncontrolled behaviours that are repeated
  • Behavioural: Feels an impulse to have to complete it
  • Emotional: Obsessions and compulsions lead to stress
  • Emotional: Embarrassment
  • Cognitive: Intrusive thoughts and impulses
  • Cognitive: Obsessions that are uncontrollable
• COMT gene


  Regulates the neurotransmitter dopamine that has been implicated in OCD
• SERT gene


  Affects the transport if the neurotransmitter serotonin, creating lower levels of the neurotransmitter
• Lower activity of the COMT gene

  Higher levels of dopamine
• Lower levels of serotonin


  Implicated in OCD
• Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters


  • Patients with OCD have high levels of Dopamine
  • Patients with OCD have low levels of serotonin
• High doses of drugs that enhance dopamine levels


  Causes OCD type behaviours
• Antidepressants that reduce serotonin levels


  Reduces OCD levels
• Orbitofrontal cortex


  Sends signals to the thalamus that are worrying, such as a germ hazard
• Caudate nucleus in the basal ganglia


  When damaged it fails to supress the minor worry. This sends signals of worry back to the thalamus, causing a worry circuit
• SSRI's


  Increases the neurotransmitter serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are implicated in the worry circuit, increasing serotonin can help to normalise these circuits
• Tricyclics


  Block the transports mechanism that re-absorbs serotonin and noradrenaline into presynaptic neuron once fired
• Classical conditioning


  The idea that we learn through associations
• Classical conditioning


  • Little Albert experiment conducted by Watson
• Operant conditioning


  Learn through reinforcement or punishment, making action happen again
• Operant conditioning


  • Seeing a dog that your scared of and then running away. This reinforces the fear as you are avoiding the dig
• Flooding


  Patient taught to relax completely, experience phobias at worst, conducted in one long session, continues until the anxiety of the patient disappears
• Systematic Desensitisation


  Patient taught to relax, gradual introduction of feared trigger, so it's not overwhelming (Hierarchy). Master the hierarchy one step at a time
• Beck's Negative Triad


  Negative schema during childhood, causes Cognitive bias and fundamental errors in logic
• Ellis ABC


  • A = Activating event causing, B = Belief (irrational) leading to, C = Consequence (depression)
  • Musturbatory thinking: certain things must be true in order for happiness
• ABCDEF - Ellis


  A = activating event, B = belief, (interception), C = Consequence
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Ellis


  Understand and challenge irrational beliefs, Set homework for between each session, Eradicate irrational thoughts through a range of different techniques