Download Psychological Disorders

Psychological Disorders:
An Introduction
Module 65
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 cognitively, emotionally, or
behaviorally & interferes with important areas
of daily life
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
• 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 cultural norm
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 said mental illness was a sickness
of the mind and should be viewed medically as having
physical causes
– Diagnosed, treated & cured in a hospital setting
• Worked to reform the treatment of people with mental
disorders
• Encouraged more humane treatment
– During his tenure directing the Paris Men’s Asylum, the death
rates for patients went from 60% to 10%
The Medical Model
• Mental Illnesses have physical
causes that can be diagnosed,
treated, & in most cases, cured.
• Psychological disorders can be
diagnosed based on their
symptoms and treated or cured
through therapy.
Bio-Psycho-Social Model
• Mental illness has biological, psychological, and
sociocultural factors that combine and interact to
produce psychological disorders
Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective
Classifying Disorders
DSM-5
• 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.
• Once someone is labeled, we have a
difficult time viewing them differently
• Everything they do is viewed through the lens of mental
illness
• Which of the following is less stigmatizing:
• Calling someone “schizophrenic”?
• Implies the individual is the condition & doesn’t recognize the person
• Calling someone a “person with schizophrenia”?
• Acknowledges the person and places the mental illness in a category as a
less stigmatizing physical illness label
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.
• People with mental disorders are more likely to be the victim of
violence
Rates of Psychological Disorders
• 26% of adult Americans “suffer from
a diagnosable mental disorder
• Immigrant Paradox – Mexican
Americans born in the U.S. have a
greater risk of mental illness
compared to those who recently
immigrated
• Major predictor of mental illness –
Poverty
• Most disorders strike by early
adulthood with 75% having had first
symptoms by the age of 24.
Prevalence of Mental
Disorders Worldwide
What does is mean to have good
Psychological Well-Being?
• Carol D. Ryff’s 6 core dimensions of well-being:
1. Self-Acceptance – positive attitude towards one’s self
2. Positive Relations with Other People
3. Autonomy – independent, self-determining, selfcontrolled
4. Environmental Mastery – choose & create supportive
environments
5. Purpose in Life – has goals and a sense of directness
6. Personal Growth – see themselves as growing &
expanding