Summary
Summary Psychopathology (Sec 4)
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Section 4 of AS / A-Level Psychology.
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P S Y C H O PAT H O L O G YDefining Abnormality
Abnormality can be defined as ‘deviation from social norms’. When defining abnormality as this, it
can be used to justify the removal of ‘unwanted’ people from a society which poses a problem.
Additionally, what is considered acceptable or abnormal can change over time. For example; until
1974, homosexuality was classified in the ‘Diagnostical and Statstical Manual of Mental Disorders’
(DSM) as a disorder. This was, however, dropped as it was found to be less infrequent as previously
thought and that they don’t differ from heterosexuals in terms of psychological well-being.
“Failure to function adequately’ is another definition of abnormality;
- Dysfunctional behaviour - behaviour which goes against the accepted standards of behaviour.
- Observer discomfort - behaviour that causes other individuals to become uncomfortable.
- Unpredictable behaviour - impulsive behaviour that seems to be uncontrollable.
- Irrational behaviour - behaviour that’s unreasonable and illogical.
- Personal distress - being affected by emotion to an excessive degree.
Jahoda (1958) Identified Six Conditions Associated with Ideal Mental Health .
1) Positive self-attitude
2) Self-actualisation
3) Resistance to stress
4) Personal autonomy
5) Accurate perception of reality
6) Adaptation to the environment
Symptoms Associated with Mental Illness;
- Impairment of intellectual functions, such as memory and comprehension.
- Alterations to mood that lead to delusional appraisals of the past or future, or lack of any
appraisal.
- Delusional beliefs, such as persecution or jealousy.
- Disordered thinking, the person may be unable to appraise their situation or communicate with
others.
Depression
As a mood disorder, depression is characterised by strong emotions which can influence an
individual’s ability to function normally. Mood disorders affect;
- Perception
- Thinking
- Behaviour
Depression is one of the most common mood disorders and can be categorised into many different
sectors, e.g. Major Depression (unipolar disorder);
- An episode of depression that can occur suddenly.
- It can be reactive (caused by external factors, e.g. death of a loved one).
- Or endogenous (internally cause, e.g. neurological factors).
Manic Depression (bipolar depression), however, is an alternation between two mood extremes (mood
and depression);
- The change in mood often occurs in regular cycles of days or weeks.
, - Episodes of mania involve overactivity, rapid speech and feeling extremely happy or agitated.
- Depressive episodes will involve other symptoms, mentioned below..
Clinical Characteristics of Depression
Physical / behavioural symptoms;
- Sleep disturbances (insomnia or hypersomnia)
- Change in appetite
- Pain, especially headaches or joint and muscle aches.
- Lack of activity (social withdrawal / loss of sex drive)
Cognitive symptoms;
- Experiencing persistent negative beliefs about themselves and their abilities.
- Suicidal thoughts
- Slower thought processes, e.g. difficulty concentrating and making decisions.
Affective / emotional symptoms;
- Extreme feelings of sadness, hopelessness and despair.
- Diurnal mood variation, changes in mood throughout the day.
- Anhedonia, no longer enjoying activities or hobbies that used to be pleasurable.
Phobias
An anxiety disorder defined as “an extreme, irrational fear of a particular object or situation”. Some
examples of phobias are;
1) Specific phobias (fear of specific objects or situations) split into 5 subtypes
- Animal type / zoophobia
- Environmental dangers type, e.g. fear of water.
- Blood-injection-injury type
- Situational type (fear of heights, etc).
- Other
2) Agoraphobia
- Fear of open spaces, using public transport, being in an enclosed space, waiting in line or
being in a crowd, or not being at home.
- It is specifically linked to the fear of not being able to escape or find help if an embarrassing
situation arises.
- Often involves the sufferer avoiding the situation in order to avoid distress.
- May develop as a result of other phobias, because the sufferer’s afraid that they’ll come
across the source of their fear if they leave the house.
3) Social Anxiety Disorder (social phobia)
- The fear of being in social situations, usually down to the possibility of being judged or being
embarrassed.
Clinical Characteristics of Phobias
Cognitive symptoms - irrational beliefs about the stimulus that causes fear. People often find it hard to
concentrate because they’re preoccupied by anxious thoughts.
Behaviour symptoms - avoiding social situations because they cause anxiety. This happens especially
if someone has social anxiety disorder (social phobia) or agoraphobia.
- Altering behaviour to avoid the feared object or situation, and trying to escape
if it’s encountered. People are often generally restless and easily startled.
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