Psychopathology
Booklet
1
, Contents
3-4) Definitions of abnormality
5) characteristics of phobias
6) Behavioural approach to explain phobias
7-8) Behavioural approach to treat phobias
9) Characteristics of depression
10-11) cognitive approach to explain depression
12-13) Cognitive approach to treating depression
14) Characteristics of OCD
15-16) Biological approach to explain OCD
17) Biological approach to treat OCD
2
, Definitions of abnormality
Statistical infrequency
Implies a disorder is abnormal if its frequency is over 2 standard deviations away from
the mean of a bell curve of ‘normal behaviour’. References to when a behaviour is
statistically less common.
+ Real life application – very commonly used in clinical diagnosis of mental health
disorders, such as diagnosing intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ of bottom
2%. Also plays key role in Beck’s depression inventory. External validity
- Unusual characteristics can be positive – Abnormality and infrequency have
connotations and associations with negative characteristics. Where there is one
person abnormally low on a scale, there will be someone abnormally high in
proportion, yet they aren’t considered abnormal.
- Labelling – If someone is diagnosed and labelled as infrequent or abnormal, they
can be viewed and treated different to the rest of society due to social stigma. This
will have effects on their mental wellbeing, raising ethical concerns
Failure to function adequately
Where someone is prevented from coping with the demands of everyday life due to
their mental state. May be used when someone doesn’t meet basic hygiene standards
or if they cannot keep a job or connections to others. Rosenhan and Seligmann
proposed additional signs:
- When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules e.g personal
space
- When a person experiences severe personal distress
- When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational and dangerous to themselves or
others.
+ Considers the patient – from the patient perspective so final diagnosis considers
patient and therapist perspectives. Leads to a more accurate diagnosis as it can be
subjective, not one singular objective measure
+ Represents threshold for help – Many people experience mental health issues
within their life, but do not know when to seek help. This can act as a signpost for
people to acknowledge that they need help as they are failing to function adequately.
Functional use
- Hard to define – it is easy to label non-standard living styles as failure to function
adequately, as they may instead have just chosen to deviate from norms. May lead to
labelling and misdiagnosis / wrongful treatment of people.
3
Booklet
1
, Contents
3-4) Definitions of abnormality
5) characteristics of phobias
6) Behavioural approach to explain phobias
7-8) Behavioural approach to treat phobias
9) Characteristics of depression
10-11) cognitive approach to explain depression
12-13) Cognitive approach to treating depression
14) Characteristics of OCD
15-16) Biological approach to explain OCD
17) Biological approach to treat OCD
2
, Definitions of abnormality
Statistical infrequency
Implies a disorder is abnormal if its frequency is over 2 standard deviations away from
the mean of a bell curve of ‘normal behaviour’. References to when a behaviour is
statistically less common.
+ Real life application – very commonly used in clinical diagnosis of mental health
disorders, such as diagnosing intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ of bottom
2%. Also plays key role in Beck’s depression inventory. External validity
- Unusual characteristics can be positive – Abnormality and infrequency have
connotations and associations with negative characteristics. Where there is one
person abnormally low on a scale, there will be someone abnormally high in
proportion, yet they aren’t considered abnormal.
- Labelling – If someone is diagnosed and labelled as infrequent or abnormal, they
can be viewed and treated different to the rest of society due to social stigma. This
will have effects on their mental wellbeing, raising ethical concerns
Failure to function adequately
Where someone is prevented from coping with the demands of everyday life due to
their mental state. May be used when someone doesn’t meet basic hygiene standards
or if they cannot keep a job or connections to others. Rosenhan and Seligmann
proposed additional signs:
- When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules e.g personal
space
- When a person experiences severe personal distress
- When a person’s behaviour becomes irrational and dangerous to themselves or
others.
+ Considers the patient – from the patient perspective so final diagnosis considers
patient and therapist perspectives. Leads to a more accurate diagnosis as it can be
subjective, not one singular objective measure
+ Represents threshold for help – Many people experience mental health issues
within their life, but do not know when to seek help. This can act as a signpost for
people to acknowledge that they need help as they are failing to function adequately.
Functional use
- Hard to define – it is easy to label non-standard living styles as failure to function
adequately, as they may instead have just chosen to deviate from norms. May lead to
labelling and misdiagnosis / wrongful treatment of people.
3
