Classifying and Labeling Disorders  Recap  Describe the four behaviors of a psychological disorder. (Remember MUDA) What does each behavior look like?  What were earlier generations thoughts about PD?  Classifying and Labeling Disorders  Closing  Homework  Journal One (Due Thursday, April 17)

The Medical Model  In the late 1700/early 1800s clinicians began to regard PD as a illness that could be treated rather than as a demonic possession which required inhumane treatment.  This idea lead to the medical model: the notion that mental illnesses have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated and in some cases cured.

Bio-Psycho-Social Model  The bio-psycho-social approach studies both nature and nurture, how they interact and affect PD.  It reminds us that in order to understand PD we must consider each of the following:  The biological component which includes any genetic predisposition, or hereditary susceptibility to a disorder. (acquired naturally through non-social means)  The psychological component which includes your thoughts or thinking patterns.  The social and cultural norms which affect the behaviors and beliefs that cause us to label a person as having a PD. (beliefs and behaviors learned through cultural norms/nurtured means)

Classifying Disorders  Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists (physicians who treat psychological disorders) classify PD according to their symptoms in order to do the following: 1. Describe the disorder 2. Predict the future course of the disorder 3. Treat the disorder appropriately 4. Encourage research into the disorder’s causes

So, what do clinicians use to classify disorders?

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)  The DSM divides mental disorders into 17 major categories.  Five questions are generally asked to diagnose a psychological disorder 1. Is a clinical syndrome/condition present? 2. Is a personality disorder or mental retardation present? 3. Is a general medical condition, such as diabetes, hypertension, or arthritis, etc. also present? 4. Are psychosocial or environmental problem, such as school or housing issues, also present? 5. What is the Global Assessment of this person’s functioning? 1. When analyzing a subject clinicians assign a no. from representative of subject’s ability to function.

Some examples of the categories…  Disorders usually diagnosed at infancy or early childhood  Cognitive Disorders: delirium, dementia, etc.  Substance Abuse Disorders  Mood Disorders  Anxiety Disorders  Eating Disorders  Impulse Control Disorders

Labeling Disorders  Research suggests that we view people differently after they have been labeled. Studies have shown a clear bias against those labeled with a psychological disorder.  Labels describe abnormal behavior; they don’t explain it.

Closing Questions  What some positive/negatives aspects of using the DSM?  What are the benefits of labeling a disorder?

Journal One  Create an example of a behavior that meets all four criteria for a psychological disorder. Explain how the behavior meets each criterion. Then explain how the cause of the behavior might be viewed differently through the medical model and the bio-psycho-social model.