Abnormal Psychology - Midterm Flashcards
(148 cards)
Define statistical infrequency
statistical infrequency: a behavior that occurs rarely or infrequently
hallucinations and delusion, intellectual disability (under 70%
Within 1 SD from the mean, usually on the lower end
How many Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime
20%
Suicide accounts for ___ of all deaths among 15-24 year olds
24%
When do most (70%) mental health problems start
during childhood or adolescence
Canadians in the ___ income group are _ to__ times more likely than those in the __ income group to report poor mental health
lowest/ 4/5/ highest
What does violating the norm implies
a behavior that defies or goes against social norms; it either threatens or makes anxious those observing
What should be consider when refering to violating norms
culture, context & situation, historical context, age, gender, etc.
e.g. stanger culture is different in eastern europe than UK (more touching, closer)
Give examples of norm violation that don’t apply to psychopathologies and vice versa
a prostitute; some cultures it violates norms but isn’t considered a psychopathology
anxiety, depression; doesn’t violate norms and very common
Define personal distress
a behavior that creates personal suffering, distress or torment in the person
this criterion fits many forms of psychopathology/mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety
however
psychopathy, mania : they don’t feel distress, yet still considered a pathology
Name 7 criterion to psychopathologies and name the 4Ds
- statistical infrequency
- violation of norms
- personal distress
- disability/impairment
- risk of harm
- unpredictability
- irrationality/incomprehension
4ds
- deviance
- distress
- dysfunction
- danger
Define Disability or Impairment
a behavior that causes impairment in some important area of life e.g. work, personal relationships, recreational activities
however
sometimes abnormal behavior can be adaptive (e.g. compulsive behavior in OCD)
same for psychopathy
Define risk of harm
to self or others
suicide, auditory hallucinations suggesting violence
however
‘regular’ criminals & ‘professional assassins’
in many psychological disorders there is no risk of harm
Define Unexpectedness & unpredictability
a surprising or out-of-proportion response to environmental stressors can be considered abnormal
we would expect a person to be sad if they lost a loved one; we would not expect a person to laugh after being assaulted, etc
e.g. an anxiety disorder is diagnosed when the anxiety is unexpected and out of proportion to the situation
however
very arbitrary e.g. DSM-IV two months bereavement exclusion (removed from DSM-5, which caused even more controversy)
closely related to the ‘violation of norms’
we could add to this list ‘irrationality & incomprehensibility’ and other characteristics
Why is it important to take into consideration cultual and social aspect when looking at psychopathologies
Some sets of symptoms recognized as disorders in certain parts of the world are not familiar to most Westerners, e.g.
Koro : south eastern asia, huge anxiety developed around the fear that the genitals are going inside you and you are going to die. It shows up in clusters, like mini epidemics
Other behaviors could be considered disorders, e.g.
Possession trance: people who lose someone close to them may experience that the spirit of the deceased possess them and they start acting into specific rituals
Give 3 examples of things that use to be labelled as mental illnesses but aren’t anymore
homosexuality (removed from DSM in 1973)
5,854 psychiatrists voted to remove homosexuality from the DSM, and 3,810 to retain it
sluggish schizophrenia– dissidents in Soviet Union (”invented” in 1960s)
anyone against the regime, or wanting to leave the country
would be given ‘treatment’ such as medication and ECT
drapetomania - slaves’ running away (coined by Samuel A. Cartwright in 1851)
Though a serious mental illness, drapetomania, wrote Dr. Cartwright, was happily quite treatable: ‘‘The cause, in the most of cases, that induces the negro to run away from service, is as much a disease of the mind as any other species of mental alienation, and much more curable. With the advantages of proper medical advice, strictly followed, this troublesome practice that many negroes have of running away can be almost entirely prevented.’’
Who is more at risk of being diagnosed on the Schizophrenia Spectrum
African Americans are 3-5 times more likely than White Americans to receive a diagnosis on the Schizophrenia Spectrum
Latino Americans are 3 times more likely than White Americans to receive a diagnosis on the Schizophrenia Spectrum
Immigrant racial minorities are more likely to receive a diagnosis on the Schizophrenia Spectrum than natives with majority racial background
Why are non-white more at risk of being diagnosed on the schizophrenia spectrum
This could be explained because the diagnosis tools are developed by white american/european. Therefore, the ‘normal’ standard will highlight more atypical elements in racial minorities
International research is comparable: Canada has a Cultural Consultation Service (CCS). After reviewing 323 cases, 49% of Schizophrenia diagnoses were changed; however the largest population whose diagnoses were not changed were Black Canadians (44%)
What diagnosis is under dignosed in african american
mood disorder, and overddiagnosis of schizophrenia
Explain Thomas Szasz point of view
actually proposed that mental illness was a myth
Emphasis on stigma and the fact that diagnosing someone with a mental illness assigns a label that may influence how the diagnosed person feels about himself or herself and how that person is seen and treated by others
What are some stigmas that Canadians hold against mental illness
almost 50% of Canadian believe that ‘we call something mental illness because it gives some people an excuse for poor behaviour and personal failings’
they would avoid socializing with (42%) or marrying (55%) someone who is mentally ill
27% are afraid to be around someone with serious mental illness
50% would decline to tell friends or workers about a family member suffering from a mental illness (but 75% would share a cancer diagnosis)
most would not hire someone with mental illness
the stereotype of a violence ‘madman’ remains despite people diagnosed with psychosis actually being more likely to be assaulted than to assault others
in the US, Canada and western European countries,
the perception of dangerousness and unwillingness to have a ‘schizophrenic’ as neighbor, has increased over the past couple of decades
biologically oriented de-stigmatization programs
‘mental illness is an illness like any other, caused by ‘biological factors such as chemical imbalance, brain dysfunction and genetic heritability’
how do exterior people react (negatively) to diagnostic labeling
perceived dangerousness perceived unpredictability perceived lack of responsibility for own actions perceive lack of ‘humanity’ perceived dependency pessimism about recovery rejection and desire for distance
Name 3 negative attitudes that is produced by the medical model of mental illnesses
despite less blame, the very idea that actions of mentally ill may be beyond their conscious control can create fear of their unpredictability and thus the perception of dangerousness, leading to avoidance
‘us vs them’ attitude - defining individual with mental illness as fundamentally different
mental illnesses seen as less responsive to treatment and more persistent
How to reduce stigma (7)
portraying mental health difficulties as understandable reactions to adverse life events
de-emphasize causality
inclusion/increasing contact with people with mental health problems
promoting their positive participation and contribution
acknowledging and valuing differences
tackling stereotypes about violence
including the people in the receiving end of the discrimination in the design and management of programs
What are 3 major factors associated with mental health problems
current stress
childhood trauma
social support