Psychological Disorders

Psychological DisordersUnit 4What are psychological disorders?Section IWhat Are Psychological Disorders?A man living in the Ozark Mountains has a vision in which God speaks to him. He begins preaching to his relatives and neighbors, and soon he has the whole town in a state of religious fervor. People say he has a calling. His reputation as a prophet and healer spreads, and in time he is drawing large audiences everywhere he goes. However, when he ventures into St. Louis and attempts to hold a prayer meeting, blocking traffic on a main street at rush hour, he is arrested. He tells the policemen about his conversations with God, and they hurry him off to the nearest mental hospital.

Defining & Identifying Psychological DisordersWhat is normal? (Who defines that?)Poll QuestionDoes different mean mental illness?Certainly a teenager who uses drugs to fit in with his friends has problems, right?How then do we define abnormality?

Deviation From NormalityOne approach is to say whatever most people do is normalAbnormality then becomes deviation from the average or from the majorityIts normal to shower every day, express grief at thedeath of a loved one, and wear warm clothes whengoing outside in the coldIt then would be abnormal to take 10 showers per day, laugh at the death of a loved one, and wear your bathing suit in the snowCultural context of behavior must be considered

AdjustmentNormal people are able to get along in the worldPhysicallyEmotionallySociallyAbnormal people then are those who fail to adjustPsychological HealthMental illness or mental health imply that psychological disturbance or abnormality is like a physical sickness such as the flu or tuberculosisIdea is that there is some ideal way for people to function psychologicallySelf-Actualization (Maslow & Jung)These people are at least striving toward ideal functioningFull acceptance and expression of ones own individuality and humannessHow can you tell if a person is actualizing themselves?Abnormal people are mentally ill

Psychological HealthSince definitions of abnormality are somewhat arbitrary, some theorists have concluded that labeling a person as mentally ill simply because his or her behavior is odd is a mistake as well as cruel and irresponsible. What areas does someone have to adjust to be considered normal?PhysicalEmotionalSocialAll of the above

Psychological HealthThomas Szasz: Mentally ill are not ill at allThey have problems livingSzasz says that psychiatrists label patients as sick and sent them off to hospitals with societies norms remaining unchallengedArgues that patients are the ones that lose by being labeled abnormal and deprived of responsibility for their behavior and dignity as human beingsSzasz is in the minorityJust because it is difficult to define abnormal doesnt mean it does not exist what it means is that we have to be careful when judging a person as mentally ill because a person might behave in a way we might not understandProblem of ClassificationPeople assume that abnormal behavior can be described much like any physical illnessThis is difficultIn 1952 the American Psychiatric Association agreed upon a system for classifying abnormal symptoms, which it published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM.DSM (1952)DSM II (1968)DSM III (1987)DSM IV (1994)DSM V (2013)Problem of ClassificationNew ways of categorizing mental illness:Essential Features: characteristics that define the disorderAssociated Features: additional features that are usually presentDifferential Diagnosis: how to distinguish this disorder from other disorders which it might be confusedDiagnostic Criteria: a list of symptoms taken from the list of essential and associated features, that must be present for the patient to be given a particular diagnostic label

Problem of Classification5 major dimensions, or axes, describe a persons mental functioning:Axis Iused to classify current symptoms into explicitly defined categories.Axis IIused to describe developmental disorders and long-standing personality disorders or maladaptive traits.Axis IIIused to describe physical disorders or general medical conditions that are potentially relevant to understanding or caring for the person.Axis IVused to measure the current stress level at which the person is functioning.Axis Vused to describe the highest level of adaptive functioning present within the past year.Adaptive FunctioningThree major areas of adaptive functioning:Social relationsOccupational functioningUse of leisure time

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