Download Psychological Disorders - San Elijo Elementary School

Abnormal Psychology
A.K.A. Psychological Disorders
A behavior which is judged to be deviant
(atypical), distressful (disturbing), and
dysfunctional. Could also be maladaptive and
unjustifiable.
Early Theories
• Abnormal behavior was evil
spirits trying to get out.
• Trephining was often used.
Trephening
Early Theories
• Another way to deal with the demons
was to make the body extremely
uncomfortable.
History of Mental Disorders
• In the 1800’s,
disturbed people were
no longer thought of
as madmen, but as
mentally ill.
They were first put in hospitals.
Did this mean better treatment?
Early Mental Hospitals
• They were nothing more than barbaric
prisons.
•The patients were chained
and locked away.
•Some hospitals even charged admission
for the public to see the “crazies”, just
like a zoo.
Philippe Pinel
• French doctor who was
the first to take the
chains off (and declare
that these people are
sick and “a cure must be
found”).
Somatogenic or Medical Model
• Late 1800’s - it was believed that mental illness
had a physical / organic cause - Somatogenic.
General Paresis from Syphilis is an example.
But Somatogenic could not explain disorders such
as hysteria (now called conversion disorder).
Many disorders are psychogenic: the origin
is psychological, not physical.
Current Perspectives
• Biopsychosocial Approach: assumes
biological, psychological and sociocultural factors interact to produce
specific psychological disorders. Most
common view today.
Some disorders occur worldwide while
others are culture-bound.
Perspectives and Disorders
Psychological School/Perspective
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic
Cause of the Disorder
Internal, unconscious drives
Humanistic
Failure to strive to one’s potential or
being out of touch with one’s feelings.
Behavioral
Reinforcement history, the
environment.
Cognitive
Irrational, dysfunctional thoughts or
ways of thinking.
Sociocultural
Biomedical/Neuroscience
Dysfunctional Society
Organic problems, biochemical
imbalances, genetic predispositions.
DSM-5
• Diagnostic Statistical
Manual of Mental
Disorders: the big book
of disorders.
• DSM will classify
disorders and describe
the symptoms.
• DSM will NOT explain
the causes or possible
cures.
Two Major Classifications in the DSM
Neurotic Disorders
• Distressing but one can
still function in society
and act rationally.
Psychotic Disorders
• Person loses contact with
reality, experiences
distorted perceptions.
John Wayne Gacy
The Rosenhan Study
• Rosenhan’s associates were faking
symptoms of hearing voices.
• They were ALL admitted for schizophrenia.
• None were exposed as imposters.
• They all left diagnosed with schizophrenia
in remission.
• What are some of the questions raised by
this study?
• 1.) It showed the biasing power of
diagnostic labels.
• 2.) And those labels can serve as selffulfilling prophecies (when the belief you
have about a person makes you act in a way
that induces the person to appear to
confirm your belief).
• Ted Talk
Labeling Psychological
Disorders
Do you think the mentally ill
suffer discrimination today?
Why is Mental Illness though of
differently in society?