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Slide # 2 Mental Health Statistics 450 million world wide are in need of psychological assistance 57 million Americans 2 million “in-patient” in psychiatric units 2.4 million group home residents 15% utilize treatments for psychological disorders

Slide # 3 A Statistical Approach Norm = average, median In statistics, normal = things characteristic of the majority of the group The statistical approach doesn’t differentiate between “desirable” and “undesirable” behavior

Slide # 4 The Cultural Model Normality and abnormality are culturally relative Definitions change over time

Slide # 5 Psychological Classification A Medical Model

Slide # 6 The city of San Diego evicted 54 year old Richard Thompson and all his belongings from his home. His belongings included shirts, pants, dozens of shoes, several bibles, a cooler, a tool chest, lawn chairs, a barbecue grill, tin plates, bird-cages, two pet rats, and his self fashioned bed. For the previous 9 months Thompson had lived happily and without any problems in a downtown storm drain (sewer). Because the city does not allow people to live in storm drains, Thompson was evicted from his underground storm-drain home and forbidden to return. Although Thompson later lived in several care centers and mental hospitals, he much preferred the privacy and comfort of the sewer. (Grimaldi, 1986) Is Thompson’s living in the sewer abnormal?

Slide # 7 efining Abnormality efining Abnormality D eviant - changes w/ culture and time D istressful D ysfunctional - (key) interfering with work and leisure Snowy Farr

Slide # 8 Modern Perspectives of Psychological Disorders Bio-psycho-social Model –Eclectic Biological (evolution, individual genes, brain structures and chemistry) Psychological (stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related, perceptions and memories) Sociocultural (roles, expectations, definition of normality and disorder

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Slide # 10 Labeling Psychological Disorders 1.Labels may stigmatize individuals. 2.Labels can alter perceptions (videotaped interviews) and lead to self fulfilling prophecies. 3.Communication with healthcare professionals and establishing therapy. 4. To be able to receive Health Care/Prescriptions

Slide # 11 David RosenhanDavid Rosenhan: Pseudo- Patient Experiment David Rosenhan Investigated reliability of psychiatric diagnoses Eight healthy people entered psychiatric hospitals complaining of hearing strange voices Once admitted to the hospital, they behaved normally and claimed that the voices had disappeared Once admitted to the hospital, they behaved normally and claimed that the voices had disappeared

Slide # 12 Rosenhan: Implications Psychiatrists disputed the results Prompted changes in psychiatric diagnosis The DSM-V –Primary and secondary features –Describe criteria of disorders (reliability) –Common language for communication and study