RG 12a

To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal. 1. There are 450 million people suffering from psychological disorders. It’s estimated that 1/3 of the population will experience a psychological disorder at some point in their lifetime. 2. Depression and schizophrenia exist in all cultures of the world. William James ( )

Mental health workers view psychological disorders as persistently harmful thoughts, feelings and action. When behavior is deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional (and dangerous) psychiatrists and psychologists label it as disordered (Comer, 2004).

1. Deviant -- goes against the norm of behavior (may be abnormal in one culture, but normal in another) 2. Distressful – cause the person (or others) distress…it disturbs them 3. Dysfunctional – must cause dysfunction in the person’s life (alter daily life) 4. Dangerous – cause harm to self or others In Wodaabe tribe men wear costumes to attract women. In Western society this would be considered abnormal. Carol Beckwith 5. Unjustifiable – not reasonable

Ancient Treatments of psychological disorders include trephination, exorcism, being caged like animals, beaten, burned, castrated, mutilated, and transfused with animal’s blood. Trephination (boring holes in the skull to remove evil forces) John W. Verano

Philippe Pinel ( ) from France, insisted that madness was not due to demonic possession but an ailment of the mind. Dance in the madhouse. George Wesley Bellows, Dancer in a Madhouse, © 1997 The Art Institute of Chicago

● Psychoanalytic – believes that psychological disorders stem from unresolved childhood conflicts o To understand roots of disorder, must look at person’s early life history ● Behavioral – believes that behaviors are learned responses o To understand disorder, must analyze how behavior has been learned and what “reinforces” the continuation of the behavior ● Cognitive – believes that cognitions (thoughts and beliefs) are the root of psychological problems o Only way to “fix” behavior is to change those thoughts and beliefs

● Humanistic – believes that people are responsible for their own behavior, even abnormal behavior o Focus on the relationship between individual and society and how people view themselves in relation to others – believe disordered individuals don’t have self-worth, have conditions of worth placed upon them, etc. ● Sociocultural – believes that abnormal behavior is shaped by family, society and culture o One’s relationships with others can support and even cause abnormal behaviors – the stresses that one encounters in life can influence the disorders they have/don’t have

When physicians discovered that syphilis led to mental disorders, the medical model started looking at physical causes of these disorders. 1. Etiology: Causation and development of the disorder. 2. Diagnosis: Identifying (symptoms) and distinguishing one disease from another. 3. Treatment: Treating a disorder in a psychiatric hospital. 4. Prognosis: Forecast about the disorder.

Assumes that biological, socio-cultural, and psychological factors combine and interact to produce psychological disorders.

American Psychiatric Association rendered a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to describe psychological disorders. Most recent edition, DSM-5, was published in It has its changed from the multiaxial system to broad sections.

Disorders outlined by DSM are reliable thus diagnosis by different professional are similar…keeps all psychologists on the same page. DSM is used in both clinical settings (inpatient, outpatient, partial hospital, consultation-liaison, clinic, private practice, and primary care) as well as with community population. Some criticize DSM for “putting any kind of behavior within the compass of psychiatry.”

1. Critics of the DSM argue that labels can stigmatize individuals by assigning arbitrary conditions and value judgments Asylum baseball team (labeling) Elizabeth Eckert, Middletown, NY. From L. Gamwell and N. Tomes, Madness in America, Cornell University Press.

2. “Insanity” labels raise moral and ethical questions about how society should treat people who have disorders and have committed crimes. Theodore Kaczynski (Unabomber) Elaine Thompson/ AP Photo

3. Labels can be helpful for health care professionals, communicating with one another and establishing therapy.

● To be considered a psychological disorder, many factors must be established and met o Many of us (and those we know) may behave “abnormally” from time to time, but such behavior would not be considered abnormal in the psychological sense o The question to ask yourself…”Is this behavior disturbing the person’s life?”…

Prevalence of psychological disorders during previous year (WHO, 2004).