Download Psychological Disorders

Psychological Disorders:
An Introduction
Defining Disorder
Psychological Disorders
•Psychopathology—scientific study of the origins,
symptoms, and development of psychological
disorders
•Psychological disorder - a pattern of behavioral
and psychological symptoms that causes
significant personal distress, impairs the ability to
function in one or more important areas of daily
life, or both
Psychological Disorder
• A “harmful dysfunction” in which
behaviors are maladaptive,
unjustifiable, disturbing, and atypical
MUDA
• A mnemonic device used to
remember the four attributes of a
psychological disorder
– Maladaptive
– Unjustifiable
– Disturbing
– Atypical
Maladaptive
• An exaggeration of normal,
acceptable behaviors
• Destructive to oneself or others
Unjustifiable
• A behavior which does not have a
rational basis
Disturbing
• A behavior which is troublesome to
other people
Atypical
• A behavior so different from other
people’s behavior that it violates a
norm
• Norms vary from culture to culture
Understanding
Disorders
Early Views of Mental Illness
• In ancient times, mental illness was
usually explained through a
supernatural model; the person was
possessed or a sinner
• During the Middle Ages treatment
methods were inhumane and cruel
Philippe Pinel (1745-1826)
• French physician who worked to
reform the treatment of people with
mental disorders
• Encouraged more humane treatment
Understanding
Disorders:
The Medical Model
The Medical Model
• Diseases have physical causes that can be
diagnosed, treated, and in most cases,
cured.
• Psychological disorders can be diagnosed
based on their symptoms and treated or
cured through therapy.
• Psychological disorders are similar to a
physical illness.
Understanding
Disorders:
The
Bio-Psycho-Social
Model
Bio-Psycho-Social Model
• Perspective of mental illness which
assumes that biological,
psychological, and sociocultural
factors combine and interact to
produce psychological disorders
Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective
Classifying Disorders
DSM-V
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders – Fifth Edition
• A guidebook for clinicians for diagnosis
• Provides a common language to label mental
disorders
• Recently revised by the American Psychiatric
Association – See the Changes made in this new
addition
• Lists and describes symptoms for 250 specific
psychological disorders
• Has changed significantly since the first edition
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM-V)
• Describes specific symptoms and diagnostic
guidelines for psychological disorders
– Clinical Presentation (What are the symptoms?)
– Etiology (What causes the disorder?)
– Developmental Stage (How does this look in kids?
Adults?)
– Functional Impairment (What will happen short-term &
long-term?)
Labeling Stigmas
• Studies show a clear bias against people
diagnosed with mental disorders.
• Rosenhan Study – “normal” people pretended
to hear voices and checked into a mental
health facility then acted normally. Their
normal actions taken to be abnormal once
they were labeled schizophrenic.
Gender Differences for Disorders
Prevalence of Mental
Disorders Worldwide
Americans with disorders
Are People with a Mental Illness as
Violent as the Media Portrays
Them?
• People with mental disorders are often depicted on TV
as helpless victims or evil villains who are
unpredictable, dangerous, and violent.
• One study indicated that, overall, former mental
patients did not have a higher rate of violence than a
matched comparison group.
• People with severe mental disorders who are
experiencing bizarre delusional ideas and hallucinated
voices do have a slightly higher level of violent and
illegal behavior than do “normal” people.