Download Intro to Psychological Disorders

Intro to Psychological
Disorders
Adapted from an outline © 2009 American
Psychological Association
Psychological Disorders
1.
There is no one absolute definition of
psychological disorders; moreover, a continuum
exists between mental health on the one hand
and pathology on the other. Some proposed
definitions include:

A. A psychological disorder can be
defined as a pattern of behavioral or
psychological symptoms that causes
significant personal distress and impairs
the ability to function in one or more
important areas of life, or both.
(American Psychiatric Association, 1994)
Psychological Disorders


B. A psychological disorder may exist when
behavior is atypical, disturbing, maladaptive and
unjustifiable. (Myers, 1998) This is the one from
your book.
C. Sanity and insanity are legal rather than
psychological terms.


In most states the legal definition of insanity relates to
the ability of the defendant to distinguish right from
wrong. This requires an either/or determination on the
part of the court.
D. A psychological abnormality involves the
presence of at least two of the following: distress,
maladaptiveness, irrationality, unpredictability,
unconventional and statistical rarity, and observer
discomfort.
Historical perspectives on
abnormal behavior


A. The ancient world
1. Greece



a) Hippocrates (460-377 BC) believed
mental illness was the result of natural, as
opposed to supernatural, causes.
b) Galen (130-200 AD) divided the causes of
mental disorders into physical and
psychological explanations.
2. In China in 200 AD, Chung Ching stated that both
organ pathologies and stressful psychological
situations were causes of mental disorders.
Historical perspectives on
abnormal behavior





B. The Middle Ages (500-1500 AD)
1. In Europe, abnormal behavior was most frequently
viewed as demonic possession. Treatment performed
by the clergy involved prayer, laying on of hands, and
exorcism.
2. Islamic countries
a) Humane mental hospitals (for example, in Baghdad
in 792 AD) were established.
b) The Persian physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna, 9801037) wrote The Canon of Medicine, perhaps the most
widely studied medical work ever written. The
principles he set-out for testing the effectiveness of
new drugs and medications still form the basis of
modern clinical drug trials.
Historical perspectives on
abnormal behavior



C. The Renaissance led to the re-emergence of
the scientific approach in Europe.
1. The Spanish nun Teresa of Avila (15151582) established the conceptual framework
that the mind can be sick.
2. Both Johann Weyer (1515-1588) of Germany
and Reginald Scot (1538-1599) of England
used scientific skepticism to refute the concept
of demonic possession.
Historical perspectives on
abnormal behavior




D. Humanitarian reforms of the 18th and 19th century
1. In France, Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) pioneered
a compassionate medical model for the treatment of
the mentally ill and established a humane hospital in
Paris.
2. In England, William Tuke (1732-1822) introduced
trained nurses for the mentally ill and helped to
change public attitudes regarding their treatment.
3. In the United States, Benjamin Rush (17451813), the founder of American psychiatry,
encouraged humane treatment of the mentally ill
and the establishment of hospitals for their care.
Historical perspectives on
abnormal behavior



E. Scientific advances of the 20th century
1. Developments in technology such as MRI
and PET scans have added to our
knowledge of the biological bases of
psychological disorders.
2. Developments in psychopharmacology
have provided effective treatments for many
psychological disorders.
Models (or perspectives) of
psychological disorders

A. The biopsychological model
 1. This model emphasizes that mental
illness needs to be diagnosed on the
basis of its symptoms and cured
through therapy based on medical
intervention.
Models (or perspectives) of
psychological disorders

B. The psychoanalytic model


1. Inspired by the views of Sigmund Freud,
this perspective emphasizes the role of
unconscious conflicts over aggressive and
sexual impulses.
2. Psychoanalytic therapy (the "talking cure")
dominated early to mid-20th century
approaches to treatment, but is currently
practiced to a lesser extent.
Models (or perspectives) of
psychological disorders

C. The behavioral model
 1. This model emphasizes that
psychological disorders have learning
as their basis.
 2. Behavior therapies rely on learning
principles to change maladaptive
behaviors.
Models (or perspectives) of
psychological disorders

D. The cognitive model
1. This model, which grew out of
dissatistfaction with behaviorism’s
limits, emphasizes that irrational or
maladaptive thought processes are
the cause of psychological disorders.
 2. The greatest number of
practitioners in psychology today use
this model.

Models (or perspectives) of
psychological disorders

E. The biopsychosocial model
1. This eclectic contemporary model
assumes that biological,
psychological, and sociocultural
factors interact to produce or
exacerbate psychological disorders.
 2. Therapists who subscribe to this
view may recommend drugs as well
as behavioral and cognitive therapies.

Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders

Now on the fifth edition




DSM-5
Took 14 years to produce
Lots of changes
Until DSM-III (1980), organized by
perceived causes.

Also was very Freudian
Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders

A. Published by the American
Psychiatric Association, the DSM-5 is
a widely used diagnostic classification
system. It provides a set of criteria
which allows diagnosticians to make
assessments.
Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders




B. Criticisms of classification
1. The system relies heavily on the medical
perspective.
2. Reliability in diagnosis remains a problem;
psychological disorders have "fuzzy borders."
Different disorders share certain characteristics, for
example, and a person might exhibit some, but not
all, characteristics of a particular disorder.
3. Controversy exists regarding the existence of
some disorders, such as dissociative identity
disorder and premenstrual syndrome.