History of PD and DSM/Categorical Dx for PD

Question 1

Early History

Answer 1

• Pritchard: Idea of Moral Insanity
  
  • Its a concept (Moral insanity –> psychopathy –> related to antisocial PD)
• Schnider: Psychopathy personality
  
  • “Abnormal” just means “deviation from average”, not necessarily dysfunctional
  • To be problematic, either a person or community needs to suffer (distress)
  • Idea that PDs are seperate from other disorders

Question 2

Psychopathology

Answer 2

• Psyche = mind
• Pathology = disease/sickness/disorder
• “Disease of the mind”
• Defining psychopathology
  
  • Characteristics?
    
    • Culturally deviant? Its subjective, made on “what does majority of the people like?”, “do people in your culture share the same idea?”
    • Maladaptive?
      
      • What does maladaptive mean? Not providing adequate or appropriate adjustment to the environment or situation
    • Self-destructive?
      
      • Or cause distress? Or threatens others?
    • Discomfort/concern to others, impairing social relationships?
    • Duration and interference are important

Question 3

Positive about the DSM

Answer 3

• Stronger empirical foundations
• More specific and reliable
• Atheoretical stance
• first to define personality disorders

Question 4

Problems with the DSM (in general and related to PDs)

Answer 4

• Arbitrary cutoffs for diagnosis with no evidence
• Extensive within catergory heterogeneity
• Comorbidity/concurrence