Aqa A Level Psychopathology Questions And Answers 100% Correct 2022

AQA A LEVEL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100% CORRECT 2022Statistical infrequency Abnormality is defined as those behaviours that are extremely rare, i.e. any behaviour that is found in very few people is regarded as abnormal (2 standard deviations) Intellectual disability disorder IQ below 70 is part of the diagnosis of IDD. Evaluation of statistical infrequency -Real Life Application: simple means of assessing patients -Unusual characteristics can be +ve: Some unusual behaviours don't require treatment -Not everyone needs a label: Some people with low IQ don't benefit from being labelled with a low IQ Deviation from social norms Abnormal behaviour is seen as a deviation from unstated rules about how one 'ought' to behave. Anything that violates these rules is considered abnormal. Norms are culture-specific What is normal in one culture may not be normal in another antisocial personality disorder (APD) a personality disorder in which people engage in socially undesirable behavior, are hedonistic and impulsive, and lack empathy Evaluation of deviation from social norms -Not a sole explanation: Other factors matter such as distress to others -Cultural relativism: unfair to judge someone from another culture -Can lead to human rights abuse: social norm approach maintains control over minority groups Failure to function adequately When a person's behaviour means they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life When is someone failing to function adequately? Signs: not conforming to interpersonal rules and personal distress Intellectual disability disorder (Failure to function adequately) Failing to function is part of the diagnosis of IDD as well as low IQ Deviation from ideal mental health Deviation from characteristics required to meet Jahoda's 6 criteria for optimal living. What are the 6 criteria for ideal mental health? 1) Positive attitude towards the self 2) Self actualisation 3) Autonomy 4) Resistance to stress 5) Environmental mastery 6) Accurate perception of reality Evaluation of deviation from ideal mental health -Comprehensive definition: Includes all the reason anyone might seek help -Cultural relativism: Ideas specific to western culture -Universally high standard of mental health: Few people actually achieve all or even most of the criteria Behavioural characteristics of phobias Panic, avoidance, endurance Emotional characteristics of phobias Anxiety Emotional responses are unreasonable Cognitive characteristics of phobias Selective attention, irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions The Two process model of explaining phobias (BEHAVIOURAL) Mowrer (1947) put forward a two-process model, to explain how we: -Aquire phobias: Classical conditioning: -UCS produces a fear response- UCS then associated with neutral stimulus -Maintain phobias: Operant conditioning: -Avoidance of phobias stimulus reinforced by anxiety reduction so the phobia is maintained Evaluation of the behavioural explanation of phobias -Good explanatory power: explains how phobias are both acquired and maintained -Alternative explanation for avoidance: may be motivated more by seeking safety rather than anxiety reduction -Incomplete explanation of phobias: cannot account for preparedness to acquire phobias of some stimuli and not others Behavioural treatment of phobias: systematic desensitisation Relaxation techniques: -Reciprocal inhibition -Relaxation includes imagery and/or breathing exercises -Done before anxiety hierarchy is created Anxiety hierarchy: -A list of situations ranked for ow much anxiety they produce from least to most going up the hierarchy Exposure: -Exposed to phobic stimuli whilst relaxed at each level of the hierarchy Evaluation of systematic desensitisation -Effective: GILROY ET AL: More effective than relaxation alone after 33 months -Diverse range of patients: Appropriate for patients with learning difficulties -Acceptable to patients: Patients prefer to flooding so drop-out rates are lower -Other: Some phobias don't follow trauma -Cognitive aspects of phobias not explained Behavioural treatment of phobias: flooding -Exposes patients to a very frightening situation with no build up -Works by extinction of the conditioned fear response -Patients must be given INFORMED CONSENT and be prepared for flooding Evaluation of flooding -Cost-effective: OUGRIN: More effective than systematic desensitisation and also quicker therefore is cheaper -Less effective for some: Less effective for complex phobias like social phobias (agoraphobia) -Traumatic treatment: High drop out rate therefore ineffective Biological treatment for Phobias -Slaap et al: used SSRIs to treat 30 social phobics -72% patients had reduced heart rate -Den Boer et al: evidence indicating MAOI inhibitors to be effective in reducing social anxiety Evaluation of the biological treatment of phobias -Have many side effects compared to behaviourist treatment -They're more cost-effective than behaviourist therapies -Do not address the cause of the anxiety Cognitive treatments for phobias -Use CBT to help patients identify irrational and maladaptive thinking -Kvale et al: meta-analysis of 38 treatment studies- CBT resulted in 77% of patients regularly visiting dentist (previously had phobia of dentist) Evaluation of the cognitive treatment for phobias -CBT is the most frequently used treatment for phobias -CBT targets the maladaptive thought processes- behaviours only address the observable behaviour -CBGT is often used with phobias- combines systematic desensitisation with CBT The Two Types of depression Unipolar: occurs without mania Bipolar: less common than unipolar- had manic episodes Behavioural characteristics of depression Activity levels, disruption to sleep and eating behaviour, aggression and self harm Emotional characteristics of depression Lowered mood Anger Lowered self-esteem Cognitive characteristics of depression Poor concentration Negative bias Absolutist thinking Cognitive explanation for depression: Beck's Theory -Faulty information processing: attending to the negative aspects of a situation -Negative self-schemas: Negative information about ourselves os access whenever we encounter a self-relavant situation. -The negative triad: -Negative view of the self -Negative view of the world -Negative view of the future Evaluation of Beck's theory -Supporting evidence: CLARK AND BECK: solid support for idea that certain cognitions make us vulnerable to depression -Practical application in CBT: Negative thoughts can be identified and challenged by a therapist -Doesn't explain all aspects: Cannot explain extremes of anger or hallucinations and delusions Cognitive explanation of depression: Ellis' ABC Model A: Activating Event (Antecedent) B: Beliefs C: Consequences Evaluation of Ellis' ABC Model -Partial explanation: Some cases of depression follow life events but not all -Practical application in CBT: Irrational thoughts can be identified and challenged by a therapist -Doesn't explain all aspects: Cannot easily explain extremes of anger or hallucinations and delusions Cognitive treatment to depression: CBT Beck's CT: -Aims to identify negative thoughts and challenge them, including through testing them Ellis' REBT: -Aims to identify and challenge irrational beliefs by argument Behavioural activation: -Includes techniques from CT and REBT but also behavioural techniques Evaluation of cognitive treatment of depression -It's effective: CULIPERS ET AL: significantly more effective than no treatment -May not work in extreme cases: Not effective for patients who are too depressed to engage in therapy -Patient-therapist relationships: LUBORSKY ET AL: all therapies are relatively similar biological treatments for depression - ECT - Psychosurgery - Psychoactive Drugs - Neuroleptics or Antipsychotics - Lithium and Anticonvulsants - Anxiolytics Evaluation of the biological treatment for depression -Drugs take time to act -Have to be withdrawn slowly -Drugs have side effects -ECT only has a relatively short lived positive effect -ECT may allow CBT to be effective in those who are severely depressed -ECT is used for worse case scenarios Behavioural characteristics of OCD Compulsions usually decrease anxiety Avoid situations that trigger anxiety Emotional characteristics of OCD Intense anxiety Depression Guilt and disgust Cognitive characteristics of OCD Obsessive thoughts cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions insight into excessive anxiety Biological explanation of OCD (GENETIC) -Candidate genes: genes that may be involved in producing symptoms of OCD e.g. 5HT 1-D beta -OCD is polygenic: different combinations of up to 230 genetic variations -Different types of OCD: Different combinations of gene variations may cause different kinds of OCD Evaluation of genetic explanations of OCD -Good supporting evidence: NESTADT ET AL: Twin studies show OCD is influenced by genes -Too many candidate genes: so many genes involved means little predictive value -Environmental risk factors: OCD is associated with trauma, it is not entirely of genetic origin Biological explanation of OCD (NEURAL) -Serotonin: low levels of serotonin linked to OCD -Decision-making systems: Frontal lobes and parahippocampal gyrus may be malfunctioning Evaluation of neural explanation of OCD -Supporting evidence: NESTADT ET AL: antidepressants that work on the serotonin system alleviate OCD -Not clear what mechanisms are involved: all the neural systems involved in OCD are only involved in some cases -Shouldn't assume neural mechanisms cause OCD: Neural abnormalities may be the result of OCD and not the cause Biological treatment of OCD: Drug therapies SSRIs: -Antidepressants that increase levels of serotonin at the synapse Combining SSRIs with other treatments: -Combine CBT with other drugs Alternatives to SSRIs: -Clomipramine (acts on serotonin and other systems) -SNRIs (Noradrenaline) Evaluation of the biological treatment for OCD (Drug therapies) -Effective at tackling symptoms: SOOMRO ET AL: SSRIs are superior to placebos in treating OCD -Cost-effective: Compared to psychological treatments drugs are cheap and non-disruptive -Can have side effects: Indigestion, blurred vision and loss of sex drive (worse for clomipramine)