The development of Qpass is based on the author's Negaffect Model of Psychopathology, which depicts psychopathology as a psychobiological construct consisting of depression, anger and anxiety.  These three emotions, for our purposes, are called negative affect or "negaffect." Normally, when the stress response is activated, fear, anger, and sadness are the primary emotions experienced, which are healthy and normal daily experiences. However, if stress is sufficiently intense and prolonged (such as 7 days), the stress response is over-activated, causing fear, anger, and sadness to become experienced at clinical levels, which we see as anxiety disorders, anger problems, and depression.

Psychopathology develops in individuals who are predisposed to severe and prolonged activation of the stress response biologically, psychologically, and/or environmentally. Phobias, obsessive-compulsive rituals, eating disorders, substance abuse, self-harm, violence -- all assessed by Qpass -- are considered maladaptive attempts to self-regulate stress-induced negaffect. These behaviors, and others described in the DSM-IV-TR -- are actually desperate strategies devised by suffering people to escape – through comfort, avoidance, or just distraction -- the unbearable negative emotions triggered by the stressor. Although these strategies do indeed offer short-term relief, in the long term (after 4 weeks or so), they can become crystallized as part of the patient’s psychopathology personality pattern.

We are able to return to a normal mode of emotional functioning – as measured by sub-clinical levels of negaffect on Qpass -- when the stress response is de-activated, either through a withdrawal of the stressor, psycho-pharmaceutical intervention, or through employing new ways for coping with the stressor.

The Negaffect Model emphasizes the importance of recognizing and assessing all three, rather than only one or two, of these constructs in mental health populations.

See the Qpass Manual for a more detailed description of this model!