1. Chapter 17 Contemporary and Legal Issues In Abnormal Psychology
ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY, SIXTEENTH EDITION James N. Butcher/ Jill M. Hooley/ Susan Mineka
Chapter 17
Contemporary and Legal Issues In Abnormal Psychology
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2. Perspectives on Prevention
Subcategories of prevention efforts
Universal interventions
Selective interventions
Indicated interventions
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3. Universal Interventions
Key tasks of universal interventions
Altering the conditions that can cause or contribute to mental disorders
Establishing conditions that foster positive mental health
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4. Universal Interventions
Biological strategies
Psychosocial strategies
Sociocultural strategies
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5. Selective Interventions
Aimed at specific subgroup of population considered at risk for developing mental health problems
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6. Selective Interventions
Selective prevention strategies
School-based interventions
Intervention programs for high-risk teens
Parent education and family-based intervention programs
Extracurricular strategies
Internet-based intervention programs
Comprehensive prevention strategies
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7. Indicated intervention
Emphasizes early detection and prompt treatment of maladaptive behavior in person’s family and community setting
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8. The Mental Hospital as a Therapeutic Community
“Milieu therapy”
Incorporates ongoing activities of hospital into treatment program
Social-learning programs
Uses techniques such as token economies to shape more socially accepted behavior
Aftercare programs
Provide support for transition from institutional to community life
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9. Deinstitutionalization
What do you think?
There has been much controversy over deinstitutionalization. What are the key elements of this controversy?
There has been a great deal of controversy over deinstitutionalization and the failure to provide adequate follow-up of these patients who may find themselves homeless or in prison.
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10. Controversial Legal Issues and the Mentally Disordered
Forensic psychology or forensic psychiatry
Intersection of mental health and legal issues
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11. Controversial Legal Issues and the Mentally Disordered
Prominent issues
Right to treatment
Right to less restrictive treatment
Right to refuse treatment
Right to live in a community
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12. Civil Commitment To be committed, an individual must be
Dangerous to themselves or others and/or
Incapable of providing for their basic physical needs and/or
Unable to make responsible decisions about hospitalization and
In need of treatment or care in a hospital
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13. Assessment of “Dangerousness”
True or false?
Most psychiatric patients are not dangerous, but some are violent and require supervision or confinement
True
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14. Assessment of “Dangerousness”
Practitioners are often asked to evaluate patient dangerousness
Very difficult to predict
Often over-predicted by mental health professionals
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15. Assessment of “Dangerousness”
Tarasoff decision
Set precedent for therapists’ duty-to-warn
Some confusion exists about which situations merit warning
Set precedent for therapists’ duty-to-warn
Client stated intent to kill ex-girlfriend
Therapist notified authorities but not ex-girlfriend
Client killed her; her parents successfully sued for not warning her
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16. The Insanity Defense Insanity defense Insanity plea for capital crimes
Important issue in forensic pathology
“Not guilty by reason of insanity” (NGRI) defense questioned
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17. Defining precedents The Insanity Defense The M’Naghten Rule (1843)
The Irresistible Impulse Rule (1887)
The Durham Rule (1954)
The American Law Institute Standard (1962)
The Federal Insanity Defense Reform Act (1984)
The M’Naghten Rule held that the accused must have been laboring under such a defect of reason as not to know
The nature and quality of the act
That the act was wrong
The American Law Institute Standard leaves open the possibility of valid insanity pleas by people who are not diagnosed to be psychotic
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18. The Insanity Defense
Some states have adopted optional plea/verdict of “guilty but mentally ill.”
What do you think?
Defendant can be sentenced but placed in a treatment facility rather than in prison
Remains in custody until full sentence is served
Cannot be released because found rational and without need for further treatment
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19. Organized Efforts for Mental Health
Mental health programs
Aim to better understand, treat, and prevent mental illness
Influenced in many countries by public awareness about and broad-based interest in mental health problems
Influenced in many countries by
Public awareness of mental health problems
Interest of government, professional, and lay organizations
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20. U.S. Efforts for Mental Health
Federal agencies
The National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute on Drug Abuse
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Federal agencies devoted to promoting research, training, and service in mental health community
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21. U.S. Efforts for Mental Health
Stop and think!
How many private organizations active in programs to promote mental health can you identify?
The American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Society
The American Psychiatric Association
The American Medical Association
The Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy
The American Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology
The National Association for Social Work
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22. International Efforts for Mental Health
Leaders in international efforts for mental health
World Health Organization
World Federation for Mental Health
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23. Challenges for the Future
Much more progress in mental health must be made.
Related or underlying social problems need to be addressed.
More planning and collaboration at community, national, and international levels is imperative.
Challenges
U.S. and international efforts are encouraging, but much more progress in mental health remains to be made
Social problems contribute heavily to psychological problems of individuals
It seems imperative that more effective planning be done at community, national, and international levels if mental health problems are going to be reduced or eliminated
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24. The Individual’s Contribution
Fill in the blank!
The history of abnormal psychology provides clear examples of ________ whose efforts were instrumental in changing the way we think about problems
The history of abnormal psychology provides clear examples of individuals whose efforts were instrumental in changing the way we think about problems
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25. The Individual’s Contribution: How Each Citizen Can Help
Volunteer at a mental hospital, community mental health center, or service organization
Support realistic measures to ensure comprehensive health services for all ages
Work to improve public education and government, reduce prejudice, and establish harmony
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26. Unresolved Issues HMOs and mental health care…
Regarding mental health treatment, who should decide what kind and how long? Is time-limited therapy effective?
In recent years, HMOs have increasingly influenced these decisions. Should this continue?
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