Unit 12Introduction

ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

DO NOT DIAGNOSE!!• At various moments, all of us

feel, think or act the way disturbed people do. We, too, get anxious, depressed, withdrawn, suspicious, or deluded, just less

intensely and more briefly.• We are NOT psychologists or

psychiatrists• DO NOT attempt to diagnose yourself or people you know!

PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS– Some 450 million people world wide suffer

psychological disorders.– No culture known to man is without some

form of psychological disorders.

PSYCHOPATHOLOGY• Formerly known as mental illness or mental

disorder

• Some feel “mental illness” puts the basis for the illness on biology, even though psychologists have shown that environment is often the cause of the disorder.

• Psychopathology is any pattern of emotions, behavior, or thoughts inappropriate to the situation and leading to personal distress or the inability to achieve important goals.

PREVALENCE OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY• In America, mental illness is far more common than most people realize.

–Over 15% of the population currently suffers from diagnosable mental health problems.

• Another study found that during any given year, the behaviors of over 56 million Americans meet the criteria for a diagnosable psychological disorder – Over the lifespan, as many as 32% of Americans suffer from some psychological disorder

WHAT CONSTITUTES ABNORMAL?

• 4 Criteria to characterize as abnormal Unjustifiable (irrational) : can't justify/doesn’t make sense Maladaptive: Harmful / disturbing to the individual Atypical (unusual): not shared by members of population Disturbing (irrational): Disturbing to others– All not required to be diagnosed

OR…..

• “Deviant, Distressful, Dysfunctional”

3 CLASSICAL SYMPTOMS OF SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS• The more extreme a disorder is, the

more easily it is detected. When trying to diagnose a patient, doctors look for three classic symptoms of severe psychopathology:

• Hallucinations-false sensory experiences.• Delusions-extreme disorders that involve

persistent false beliefs. • Affect (emotion)-characteristically depressed,

anxious, manic, or no emotional response.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS AS A CONTINUUM

No Disorder Mild Disorder Moderate Disorder

Severe Disorder

Absence of signs of psychological disorder

Few signs of distress or other indicators of psychological disorder

Indicators of disorders are more pronounced and occur more frequently

Clear signs of psychological disorder, which dominate the person’s life

Absence of behavioral problems

Few behavior problems; responses usually appropriate to the situation

More distinct behavior is often inappropriate to the situation

Severe and frequent behavior problems; behavior is usually inappropriate to the situation

No problems with interpersonal relationships

Few difficulties with relationships

More frequent difficulties with relationships

Many poor relationships or lack of relationships

*Disorders are exaggerations of normal behavior and responses.*

PERSPECTIVES ON CAUSES…• Psychoanalytic theorists

Unconscious conflicts (traumatic events during psychosexual stages)

• BehavioristsHistory of reinforcement

• Cognitive theoristsMaladaptive ways of thinking

• Humanistic theoristsA person’s feelings, self-esteem, self-concept

• Biological theorists: Hormonal / neurotransmitter imbalances, brain structure,

genetic abnormalities

EARLY THEORIES• Music or singing was

often used to chase away spirits.

• In some cases trephening was used:– Cutting a hole in

the head of the afflicted to let out the evil spirit.

HIPPOCRATES• In 400 B.C. the Greek physician Hippocrates

took the first step toward a scientific view of mental illness when he said that abnormal behavior had physical causes.

• He taught his disciples to interpret the symptoms of psychopathology as an imbalance among our body fluids called “humors.”

Humors Origins Temperament

Blood Heart Sanguine (cheerful)

Choler (yellow bile) Liver Choleric (angry)

Melancholer (black bile) Spleen Melancholy (depressed)

Phlegm Brain Phlegmatic (sluggish)

THE MEDICAL MODEL• In the late 18th century, the “disease view”

reemerged.

• The result was the medical model, a view that mental disorders are diseases of the mind that, like ordinary physical diseases, have objective causes and require specific treatment.

**

MEDICAL MODEL IN PRACTICE• The medical model led to mental

hospitals or “asylums.” In this supportive atmosphere, many patients actually improved, even thrived, on rest, contemplation and simple but useful work.

INSTITUTIONALIZATION• 1930s: Crowded, minimal treatment, no productivity

• “Sent away”

DEINSTITUTIONALIZING AMERICA• 1940s/1950s

• Effects today? High percentage of jail populations diagnosed with psychological disorder– Some reports claim as high as 73% of female and 55% of

male inmates– “Prisons are woefully ill-equipped for their current role as

the nation’s primary mental health facilities.”

PROBLEMS WITH THE MEDICAL MODEL• Despite some success, modern psychologists find

fault with relying solely on the medical model. • They suggest that treating the disorder as a

“disease” leads to a doctor-knows-best approach in which the therapist takes all the responsibility for diagnosing and correcting the problem.

• In this model, the patient becomes a passive recipient of medication and advice.

• 2011 estimates said 1 in 5 American adults took some type of psychiatric medication– Xanax (anxiety medication) = 47,792,000 prescriptions– Celexa (depression, anxiety) = 37,728,000 prescriptions– Zoloft (depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD) = 37,208,000

PSYCHOLOGISTS VS. PSYCHIATRISTS• The other problem psychologists have

with the medical model (doctor-knows-best), is that it takes responsibility away from psychologists and gives it to psychiatrists. – According to our authors, it assigns

psychologists to second-class professional status.

THE BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL MODEL

• Modern bio-psychology assumes that some mental disturbances involve the brain or nervous system in some way.

• Subtle changes in the brain’s tissue or its chemical messengers- the neurotransmitters- can profoundly alter thoughts and behaviors.

• Genetic factors, brain injury, infection, and learning are some of the factors that can tip the balance towards psychopathology.

BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL MODEL

• In short, biological, socio-cultural and psychological factors contribute to psychological disorders

Biological(Evolution, individual

genes, brain structures

and chemistry)

Psychological(Stress, trauma,

learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions

and memories)

Sociocultural(Roles, expectations,

definition of normality and disorder)