MENTAL DISORDERS Flashcards
abnormal psychology
the scientific study of abnormal behaviour to help describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning
clinical perspective
a psychological perspective that seeks to identify hw causes and treatment of psychological diorders, with the gial of improving well-being, functioning, and relationships
what is psychological abnormality
Deviance (different, extreme, unusually bizarre)
Distress (unpleasant, upsetting)
Dysfunction (might interfere with a person’s ability to conduct daily activities in a constructive way)
Danger (posing a risk of harm)
deviance
divergence from the accepted social norms of behaviour
Behaviours, thoughts and emotions that differ markedly from a society’s idea about proper functioning
distress
Behaviour, ideas or emotions usually have to cause distress before they can be labeled as abnormal
Always? Those who have skitohenia, psychopaths
dysfunction
Abnormal behaviour tends to interfere with daily functioning
Relationships
Work
Education
General health
danger
Abnormal behaviour may become dangerous to oneself or others
Behaviour may be consistently careless, hostile, or confused
One’s physical health may be affected
Self harm, suicide attemps, starvation
But research consistency shows that dangereousness is the exception rather than the rule
psychology abnormality summary
Although abnormality generally is defined as behaviour that is deviant, distressful, dysfunctional, and sometimes dangerous, these criteria often are vague ad subjective
- Few categories of abnormality are as clear-cut as they seem
- Most continue to be debated by clinicians
- Cultural context influences how mental disorders are experienced, described assessed and treated
DSM-5 Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th edition)
Describes 22 major categories containing >200 different mental disorders
Continuous and categorical method
Lists specific criteria essential to diagnosis
Commonly used by health care professionals as a guide to diagnosis
Also useful to researchers as it establishes consistent and reliable diagnoses
Looking at symptoms from self-reports instead of looking at signs form clinicians
causes of disorders
medical model
biopsychological perspective
diathesis-stress model
medical model
abnormal psychological experiences are conceptualized similarly to physical illness, having
- Defined symptoms
- Distinctive biological and environmental causes
- Possible cures
Biopsychological perspective:
explains mental disorders as the result of interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors
Bio- genes, brain structure, hormones
Psyc- learning, perceptions, memory
Social- support, environment, culture
Diathesis- stress model:
suggests that mental illness develops when a person who has some predisposition or vulnerability to mental illness (the “Diathesis”) experiences a major life stressor (the “stress”)
Research domain criteria project (RDoC)
New initiative that aims to guide the classification and understanding of mental disorders by revealing the basic processes that give rise to them
Long-term goal is to better understand what abnormalities cause different disorder and to classify disorders based on those underlying causes, rather than observed symptoms
dangers of labelling
stigma are likely attached to labelling people with psychological disorders
Roughly ()% of sufferers do not seek treatment
Education does not dispel the stigma
Labelling may result in unnecessary consequences
Labelling may be tough to shake
Labelling may lead to low self-esteem
May contribute to an external LOC
Importance of language
Eg. “being an anorexic” vs “having anorexia nervosa”
Eg. “being bipolar” vs “having BPD
anxiety disorders definition
a class of mental disorders involving excessive fear, anxiety, and avoidance
Cause much stress and interfere with their day to day functioning
anxiety disorder in the DSM-5
phobic disorder
panic disorder
generalized anxiety disorder
phobic disorder characterization
persistent and excessive fear an avoidance of specific object, activities and situation
