Download 1 - jlewishspsych

1. A newspaper editorialist argues that the use of the DSM-IV
diagnostic labels is destructively antidemocratic, because it enables
an elite corps of mental health professionals to subtly control the
values and life-styles of the rest of society. First give reasons
supporting this argument, then defend the continued use of
diagnostic labels.
Supporting:
 The DSM-IV sometimes presumes a mental illness when there
may not be one because only an elite group determines them.
 Because of this, people get labeled and there is a stigma
attached to being identifies as having a disorder.
 Rosenhann Study people come up with the labels, but can
not tell the difference between people who have a disorder
and people who do not.
Against:
 The mental health professionals came up with over 400 different
labels, despite being an elite group, which makes a more
accurate representation of society.
 These labels help people with disorders get treated.
 The DSM-IV is not “destructively antidemocratic” because most
of North America supports it and requires it.
2. June is so preoccupied with keeping her house absolutely spotless
that she has no time to do anything but clean. After each family
meal she not only washes the dishes, she also thoroughly cleans
and polishes the kitchen table, chairs, floor, and cupboards.
Although these cleaning rituals irritate her family, June is unable to
discontinue them without experiencing intense feelings of
discomfort. Use the learning and biological perspectives to explain
June’s behavior.
Learning Perspective:
Reinforcement- washing dishes and cleaning relieves her feelings of
discomfort, which causes her to want to clean to relieve herself
through repetitive behaviors.
Observational- if she grew up in an environment that strongly
supported cleanliness, then she may feel the desire to clean after
every meal.
Biological Perspective:
Hereditary - someone in her family has OCD and the genes were
passed of June.
Physiology – She has an over arousal of brain areas involved in
impulse control (frontal lobes).
3. A guest on a TV talk show claims that “major depressive disorder is
not a psychological problem, it’s a disease that can be medically
treated.” Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this claim.
Strengths:
-A pill will fix their problems
-Placebo effect
-there is a simple medical cure
-surgery/medication has evidence that it will work
Weaknesses:
-Not everyone can be treated the same way
-The disorder is within the brain so by definition it is psychological
-Medication/ surgery could harm the patient
-There are other treatments
-Not always affordable
4. Choose one of the mental disorders discussed in this unit and
provide a brief summary of how each of the four perspectives
(behavioral, biological, cognitive, and psychodynamic) would explain
the disorder and what support they would provide for their position.
schizophrenia
behavioral - past experience triggers their current actions. i.e.
traumatic events lead to loss of contact with reality that is a symptom
of schizophrenia, or hearing voices related to the trauma.
biological – some one in the family had schizophrenia (genetic
predisposition). If medication works to treat schizophrenia then it must
have a biological component. Dopamine hypothesis: schizophrenics
have an excess of dopamine active in their brains.
cognitive – mental processing is disorganized, not functioning as a
non-schizophrenic brain does. Disorganized thinking is a symptom of
schizophrenia.
psychodynamic – past experiences are taken to form person’s identity.
Unconscious processes motivate behavior. A traumatic experience (s)
lead to disorganized thinking, detachment from reality, and hearing
voices.
5. Compare and contrast two of the psychological disorders covered in
this unit. Be sure to include similarities and differences. Discuss
symptoms and causes.
Similarities: Deteriorate the brain, causes extreme debilitation during
its final stages, both exhibit a loss of control due to one a specific
area of the brain being compromised, most likely genetic
Differences: Huntington’s- uncontrollable movements such as talking
loudly, muscle jerking, etc., loss of control of actions
Alzheimer’s- No cure for the disease; treatment simply slows the
disease in some aspects, forgetfulness (memory loss based)