Download Psychological Disorders - Trinity School District

Abnormal Psychology
Abnormal psychology
• the scientific study of abnormal behavior in
order to describe, predict, explain, and
change abnormal patterns of functioning
Mental Disorders
• "a clinically significant behavioral or
psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in
an individual and that is associated with present
distress (e.g., a painful symptom) or disability
(i.e., impairment in one or more important areas
of functioning) or with a significantly increased
risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an
important loss of freedom."--Diagnostic &
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Ed.
National Institute of Mental Health
Statistics
• An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and
older — about one in four adults — suffer from a
diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Or 57.7
million people.
• About 6 percent, or 1 in 17 —suffer from a serious
mental illness.
• In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of
disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44.
• Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental
disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with
severity strongly related to comorbidity.
• Most common disorders were anxiety, phobias, and
mood disorders
What makes a Behavior a
Psychological Disorder?
• Many definitions have been proposed, yet
none are universally accepted
• ¨ Most definitions, however, share some
common features…
• “The Four Ds”
– Deviance – Different, extreme, unusual
– Distress – Unpleasant & upsetting
– Dysfunction – Causes interference with life
– Danger – Poses risk of harm
Understanding Psychological
Disorders
Ancient Treatments of psychological disorders
include trephination, exorcism, being caged like
animals, being beaten, burned, castrated,
mutilated, or transfused with animal’s blood.
John W. Verano
Trephination (boring holes in the skull to remove evil forces)
Medical Perspective
Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) from France, insisted
that madness was not due to demonic possession,
but an ailment of the mind.
George Wesley Bellows, Dancer in a Madhouse, 1907. © 1997 The Art Institute of Chicago
Dance in the madhouse.
Models of the Causes of
Psychological Disorders
• Biological model
– Physiological or biochemical basis
• Psychoanalytic model
– Disorders are the result of unconscious conflicts
• Cognitive-Behavioral model
– Disorders are the result of learning maladaptive ways
of behaving and thinking
• Diathesis-Stress model
– Biological predisposition to disorder which is triggered
by stress
Systems theory
Biopsychosocial Model
Assumes that biological, socio-cultural, and
psychological factors combine and interact to
produce psychological disorders.
Medical Approach
When physicians discovered that syphilis led to
mental disorders, they started using medical models
to review the physical causes of these disorders.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Etiology: Cause and development of the
disorder.
Diagnosis: Identifying (symptoms) and
distinguishing one disease from another.
Treatment: Treating a disorder in a psychiatric
hospital.
Prognosis: Forecast about the disorder.
Classifying Psychological Disorders
The American Psychiatric Association rendered
a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM) to describe psychological
disorders.
The most recent edition, DSM-IV-TR (Text
Revision, 2000), describes 400 psychological
disorders compared to 60 in the 1950s.
The DSM spells out the specific
diagnostic criteria
• An example of this can be seen in the diagnosis
of a major depressive episode.
• A person must exhibit at least five or more of the
listed nine characteristics and the symptoms
must be evident for at least the last two weeks
for that person to be diagnosed with this
disorder.
• When diagnosing a client the American
Psychological Association recommends that the
clinician use a multiaxial Assessment System.
Multiaxial Classification
Axis I
Axis II
Is a Clinical Syndrome (cognitive, anxiety,
mood disorders [16 syndromes]) present?
Is a Personality Disorder or Mental Retardation
present?
Is a General Medical Condition (diabetes,
Axis III
hypertension or arthritis etc) also present?
Are Psychosocial or Environmental Problems
Axis IV
(school or housing issues) also present?
What is the Global Assessment of the person’s
functioning? (GAF Scale is out of 100 with the
Axis V
lower the school the more limited their
functionioning.
Sample
• Axis I 296.21 Major Depressive Disorder
303.90 Alcohol Dependence
• Axis II 301.6 Dependent Personality Disorder
• Axis III None
• Axis IV Recent Divorce, unemployment
• Axis V 58
Multiaxial Classification
Note 16 syndromes in Axis I
Multiaxial Classification
Note Global Assessment for Axis V
Goals of DSM
1.
2.
Describe (400) disorders.
Determine how prevalent the
disorder is.
Disorders outlined by DSM-IV are reliable.
Therefore, diagnoses by different professionals
are similar.
Others criticize DSM-IV for “putting any kind
of behavior within the compass of psychiatry.”
Labeling Psychological Disorders
1. Critics of the DSM-IV argue that labels may
stigmatize individuals.
Elizabeth Eckert, Middletown, NY. From L. Gamwell and
N. Tomes, Madness in America, 1995. Cornell University Press.
Asylum baseball team (labeling)
Labeling Psychological Disorders
2. Labels may be helpful for healthcare
professionals when communicating with
one another and establishing therapy.
Labeling Psychological Disorders
Elaine Thompson/ AP Photo
3. “Insanity” labels
raise moral and
ethical questions
about how society
should treat people
who have
disorders and have
committed crimes.
Theodore Kaczynski
(Unabomber)