1. Abnormal Psychology A.K.A. Psychological Disorders
A behavior which is judged to be deviant (atypical), distressful (disturbing), and dysfunctional. Could also be maladaptive and unjustifiable.

2. Defining Psychological Well-Being
Self-acceptance
Positive relations
Autonomy
Environmental Mastery
Purpose in life
Personal Growth

3. Early Theories Abnormal behavior was evil spirits trying to get out.
Trephining was often used.

4. Trephening

5. Early Theories
Another way to deal with the demons was to make the body extremely uncomfortable.

6. History of Mental Disorders
In the 1800’s, disturbed people were no longer thought of as madmen, but as mentally ill.
They were first put in hospitals.
Did this mean better treatment?

7. Early Mental Hospitals
They were nothing more than barbaric prisons.
The patients were chained and locked away.
Some hospitals even charged admission for the public to see the “crazies”, just like a zoo.

8. Philippe Pinel
French doctor who was the first to take the chains off (and declare that these people are sick and “a cure must be found”).

9. Somatogenic or Medical Model
Late 1800’s - it was believed that mental illness had a physical / organic cause - Somatogenic.
General Paresis from Syphilis is an example.
But Somatogenic could not explain disorders such as hysteria (now called conversion disorder).
Many disorders are psychogenic: the origin is psychological, not physical.

10. Current Perspectives
Biopsychosocial Approach: assumes biological, psychological and socio-cultural factors interact to produce specific psychological disorders. Most common view today.
Some disorders occur worldwide while others are culture-bound.

11. Perspectives and Disorders
Psychological School/Perspective
Cause of the Disorder
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic
Internal, unconscious drives
Humanistic
Failure to strive to one’s potential or being out of touch with one’s feelings.
Behavioral
Reinforcement history, the environment.
Cognitive
Irrational, dysfunctional thoughts or ways of thinking.
Sociocultural
Dysfunctional Society
Biomedical/Neuroscience
Organic problems, biochemical imbalances, genetic predispositions.

12. DSM-V
Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: the big book of disorders.
DSM will classify disorders and describe the symptoms.
DSM will NOT explain the causes or possible cures.

13. Two Major Classifications in the DSM
Neurotic Disorders
Psychotic Disorders
Distressing but one can still function in society and act rationally.
Person loses contact with reality, experiences distorted perceptions.
John Wayne Gacy

14. The Rosenhan Study
Rosenhan’s associates were faking symptoms of hearing voices.
They were ALL admitted for schizophrenia.
None were exposed as imposters.
They all left diagnosed with schizophrenia in remission.
What are some of the questions raised by this study?
1.) It showed the biasing power of diagnostic labels.
2.) And those labels can serve as self-fulfilling prophecies (when the belief you have about a person makes you act in a way that induces the person to appear to confirm your belief).

15. Labeling Psychological Disorders

16. Do you think the mentally ill suffer discrimination today?

18. Why is Mental Illness though of differently in society?

19. Myths and Facts of Mental illness