PSYCH 2AP3 Study Guide - Summer 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Major Depressive Disorder, Etiology, Serotonin
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
PSYCH 2AP3
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Introduction to Abnormal Psych
Introduction
● We’re ignorant because:
○ DSM disorder categories don’t reflect the multiple/overlapping causes of disorder
○ Don’t know the causes of the disorders
○ Don’t know why our treatments work
● We don’t know much because:
○ Ethical considerations
○ Psych symptoms can’t be easily duped in animals
○ Causes of mental disorders differ in everyone
Diagnostic Uncertainty
● We can only be sure in diagnosing eating disorders with a kappa of .70 since signs and
symptoms are more unique
● Overall kappa score for disorders is .27 which is low
● Samuel (2015) did a survey of studies comparing the reliability of personality disorder
diagnoses; research agreement within clinicians is very low
Criteria of Abnormality
● Impairment criterion:
○ Symptoms impair social, occupational, or other areas of functioning
○ HOWEVER:
■ Terrorists, altruistic sacrifice, who decides who’s impaired and who’s not?
● Personal distress criterion:
○ Symptoms cause significant concern for the individual
■ What about shyness and people who aren’t distressed but still dangerous
and blames others/environment
Summary re Criteria
● No clear line between normal and a disorder
● Abnormality is based on agreement of clinicians
● Pressure to include symptoms as disorders in DSM
Models of Psychopathology
Medical/Biomedical Model
● Abnormality caused by physical problems in the brain
● Began with relationship between syphilis and mental symptoms
● Basis for pharm + physical treatments
Psychodynamic Model
● Abnormal thoughts, behaviours, caused by unconscious conflict
● Same processes in normalcy, abnormality
● Treatment brings conflicts into consciousness
● Candidate disorders:
○ Anxiety disorders (neurosis)
○ Dissociative disorders
○ Somatic symptom disorders
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Behavioral Model
● Abnormal behaviours are the disorder
● Abnormal behaviour acquired by learning, then generalized inappropriately
● Treatment changes reward conditions to produce extinction/relearning
● Candidate disorders:
○ Anxiety disorders
Sociocultural Model
● Abnormality result from social pressures (poverty)
● Higher rates of mental disorder at low socioeconomic levels
● Crime, violence, illness, increase in times of economic challenge
● Treat by changing external conditions
● Candidate disorders:
○ Anxiety and depression
● Popularity reduced since the 1980s
○ Lack of explanation
○ No obvious therapeutic implications
○ More conservative social climate
● Recent evidence of link between environment and mental health
● New epigenetic research suggests both mechanism and treatment
Cognitive Model
● Abnormality results from maladaptive ways of thinking + interpreting
● Treat by changing ways of thinking through practice + reward
● Most popular and successful non-medical treatment
● Candidate disorders:
○ Anxiety disorders
○ Depression
○ Personality disorders
Social Factors & Mental Disorder
Miller and Chen (2007)
● Higher socioeconomic status (SES) at 2-3 years predict better gene regulation of
inflammation responses in adolescent females
● Effect not due to current SES, stress or health practices
● Low early-life SES predicts pro-inflammatory phenotype in adolescence
Schreier & Chen (2010)
● Low childhood SES of parents predicts higher BP of their children in adolescence
● Effect not due to current SES, current stress or health practices
● Parent’s early-life SES predicts physiological functioning in their children
Murphy et al (2013)
● Looked at relationship between social rejection in young females at risk for depression and
pro-inflammatory responses
● Self-reported targeted rejection increased expression of pro-inflammatory genes
● Effect more pronounced in female of higher self-reported social status
Sereen et al (2011)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Dsm disorder categories don"t reflect the multiple/overlapping causes of disorder. Don"t know the causes of the disorders. Psych symptoms can"t be easily duped in animals. Causes of mental disorders differ in everyone. We can only be sure in diagnosing eating disorders with a kappa of . 70 since signs and symptoms are more unique. Overall kappa score for disorders is . 27 which is low. Samuel (2015) did a survey of studies comparing the reliability of personality disorder diagnoses; research agreement within clinicians is very low. Symptoms impair social, occupational, or other areas of functioning. Symptoms cause significant concern for the individual. What about shyness and people who aren"t distressed but still dangerous and blames others/environment. No clear line between normal and a disorder. Abnormality is based on agreement of clinicians. Pressure to include symptoms as disorders in dsm. Abnormality caused by physical problems in the brain. Began with relationship between syphilis and mental symptoms. Abnormal thoughts, behaviours, caused by unconscious conflict.
