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🇵🇰 CSS Psychology · subject
CSS Psychology Clinical and Health Psychology Syllabus
Every chapter and topic of Clinical and Health Psychology examined in CSS Psychology — 2 chapters, 10 topics, plus 51 flashcards written against it.
Clinical and Health Psychology syllabus — full chapter and topic list
Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Clinical and Health Psychology in CSS Psychology, not a summary of it.
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Abnormal and Clinical Psychology
4 topics- Concept and Causes of Abnormality
- Clinical Assessment and Intervention
- Psychological Disorders
- Psychological Treatment and Therapeutic Interventions
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Health Psychology
6 topics- Beliefs and Behaviour
- Models of Health Psychology
- Assessment and Intervention
- Models of Stress
- Chronic and Terminal Illness
- Role of Social Support
Clinical and Health Psychology flashcards for CSS Psychology
25 of 51 cards from the Clinical and Health Psychology deck — real questions with worked answers.
Define 'abnormality' in clinical psychology using the four-D model.
Behaviour/mental functioning that is statistically Deviant, causes Distress, is Dysfunctional (impairs daily life), and is Dangerous to self or others — the 'Four Ds'.
What are the main approaches used to define abnormal behaviour?
Statistical deviation from the norm, deviation from social/cultural norms, maladaptiveness/dysfunction, and personal distress (subjective discomfort).
Name the major categories of causes of abnormality in the biopsychosocial model.
Biological (genetics, brain chemistry, neurotransmitters), psychological (trauma, learning, cognition, conflicts), and social/sociocultural (stress, poverty, family, culture) factors.
According to the psychoanalytic view, what causes abnormal behaviour?
Unresolved unconscious conflicts, usually rooted in early childhood, and the use of defence mechanisms by the ego to manage anxiety from id-superego conflict.
What is the diathesis-stress model of abnormality?
Disorders arise from the interaction of a predisposing vulnerability (diathesis, e.g. genetic) and environmental stress that triggers the latent disorder.
Which neurotransmitter imbalances are linked to depression and schizophrenia?
Depression: low serotonin and norepinephrine. Schizophrenia: excess/overactivity of dopamine (dopamine hypothesis).
What is clinical assessment in psychology?
The systematic process of gathering information to evaluate, describe, and reach a diagnosis about a client's psychological functioning, using interviews, tests, and observation.
Name the main methods of clinical assessment.
Clinical interviews, psychological testing (intelligence, personality, neuropsychological), behavioural observation, and physiological/biological measures.
Differentiate between projective and objective personality tests, with examples.
Projective tests use ambiguous stimuli to reveal unconscious content (e.g. Rorschach Inkblot, TAT). Objective tests use structured items with fixed responses (e.g. MMPI, 16PF).
What does reliability and validity mean for a psychological test?
Reliability is consistency of results over time/raters; validity is whether the test measures what it claims to measure.
What is the difference between DSM and ICD?
DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, APA, USA) classifies mental disorders; ICD (International Classification of Diseases, WHO) covers all diseases including mental disorders and is used internationally.
What is a Mental Status Examination (MSE)?
A structured assessment of a patient's current mental functioning, covering appearance, behaviour, mood/affect, speech, thought, perception, cognition, and insight/judgment.
List the major categories of psychological disorders.
Anxiety disorders, mood (depressive/bipolar) disorders, schizophrenia/psychotic disorders, personality disorders, somatoform, dissociative, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
What are the core symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder?
Persistent low mood and/or loss of interest (anhedonia) for ≥2 weeks, plus changes in sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, worthlessness/guilt, and suicidal thoughts.
Distinguish positive from negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Positive symptoms are excesses: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech/behaviour. Negative symptoms are deficits: flat affect, avolition, alogia, anhedonia, social withdrawal.
What characterizes Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
Excessive, uncontrollable worry about multiple events most days for ≥6 months, with restlessness, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, and concentration/sleep problems.
What is the difference between obsessions and compulsions in OCD?
Obsessions are intrusive, unwanted thoughts/urges causing anxiety; compulsions are repetitive behaviours or mental acts performed to reduce that anxiety.
Define bipolar disorder and its two poles.
A mood disorder alternating between mania (elevated/irritable mood, high energy, grandiosity, reduced sleep) and depression (low mood, anhedonia, fatigue).
What distinguishes a phobia from normal fear?
A phobia is a persistent, excessive, irrational fear of a specific object/situation that is out of proportion to actual danger and leads to avoidance and impairment.
What are the key features of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Following trauma: intrusive re-experiencing (flashbacks/nightmares), avoidance of reminders, negative mood/cognition changes, and hyperarousal — lasting over a month.
Define a personality disorder and name the three DSM clusters.
An enduring, inflexible, maladaptive pattern of inner experience and behaviour. Cluster A (odd/eccentric), Cluster B (dramatic/erratic), Cluster C (anxious/fearful).
What is the goal of psychoanalytic (psychodynamic) therapy?
To bring unconscious conflicts into conscious awareness, achieving insight, using free association, dream analysis, transference, and interpretation.
What is the core principle of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?
Thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are interconnected; changing distorted/maladaptive thoughts and behaviours improves emotional states. It is structured and present-focused.
What is systematic desensitization and who developed it?
A behaviour therapy by Joseph Wolpe that treats phobias by pairing gradual exposure to a fear hierarchy with relaxation (reciprocal inhibition).
What is Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and its ABC model?
Albert Ellis's therapy challenging irrational beliefs. A = Activating event, B = Belief, C = emotional/behavioural Consequence; disputing irrational B changes C.
Planning Clinical and Health Psychology for CSS Psychology
Clinical and Health Psychology is about 11% of the CSS Psychology syllabus by topic count — 10 of 87 topics, spread over 2 chapters. At roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, a first pass runs to about 8 hours.
Work top-down: read the chapter, then tick topics off individually rather than marking the whole chapter done. Sub-topics are where silent gaps hide.
Clinical and Health Psychology (CSS Psychology) FAQ
What is in the CSS Psychology Clinical and Health Psychology syllabus?
Clinical and Health Psychology is split into 2 chapters — Abnormal and Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology, containing 10 topics and 0 sub-topics in total.
How is Clinical and Health Psychology structured in the CSS Psychology syllabus?
2 chapters. Clinical and Health Psychology accounts for about 11% of the topics in the whole CSS Psychology syllabus (10 of 87).
How long should I spend on Clinical and Health Psychology for CSS Psychology?
Budget around 8 hours for a first pass through Clinical and Health Psychology — about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic across its 10 topics. Add revision cycles on top.
Are there flashcards for CSS Psychology Clinical and Health Psychology?
Yes — a 51-card Clinical and Health Psychology deck. Sample cards are printed on this page, and the full deck is free in the Examius app with spaced repetition scheduling.