Psych 380 12th Edition Lecture 1 Chapter 1 Introduction and Historical Review I Introduction to the Study of Mental Disorders II History of Psychopathology III The Evolution of Contemporary Thought IV The Mental Health Professions Psychopathology Study of the nature development and treatment of psychological disorders Challenges to the study of psychopathology Maintain objectivity Avoid preconceived notions Reduce stigma Stigma Refers to the destructive beliefs and attitudes held by a society that are ascribed to groups considered different in some manner such as people with mental illnesses Four characteristics of stigma Distinguishing label is applied crazy Label refers to undesirable attributes crazy people are dangerous People with the label are seen as different we are not like those crazy people People with the label are discriminated against a clinic for crazy people cant be built in out neighborhood Defining Mental Disorders Personal Distress Helplessness and hopelessness of depression Disability Impairment in a key area e g work relationships Chronic substance abuse results in job loss Violation of Social Norms Makes others uncomfortable causes problems Antisocial behavior of the psychopath Dysfunction something is wrong Wakefield s Harmful Dysfunction failure of internal mechanisms in the mind to function properly Behavioral psychological and or biological systems are impaired History of psychopathology Early Demonology Possession by evil beings or spirits Cure Exorcism KEY Treatments seem bizarre to us but made sense in that they were based on current understanding of problem History Ancient Greece Early Biological Explanations Hippocrates 5th century BC Mental disturbances have natural not supernatural causes problems with the brain Three categories of mental disorders mania melancholia phrenitis brain fever Normal brain functioning depended on balance of four humors History of Psychopathology Dark Ages Dark Ages 2nd century AD Monks cared and prayed for mentally ill Witches 13th century AD Witchcraft potential source of mental illness due to denial of God alignment with devil Burning at stake cured witches by driving out devil Little support that many of the accused were stigmatized because mentally ill History of Psychopathology Lunacy Trials Lunacy Trials Municipal authorities took over from the church the responsibility for care of mentally ill Trials held to determine sanity Began in 13th century England Lunacy attributes insanity to misalignment of moon luna and stars History of Psychopathology Asylums Asylums 15th century AD Establishments for the confinement and care of mentally ill Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem founded in 1243 One of the first mental institutions The wealthy paid to gape at the insane Origin of the term bedlam wild uproar or confusion Treatment non existent or harmful at asylums Benjamin Rush recommended drawing copious amounts of blood to relieve brain pressure Introduction of Moral Treatment in Asylums Moral Treatment Small privately funded humanitarian mental hospitals Insanity was due to two causes 1 Lesions in the brain 2 moral causes Moral insanity due to willful violation of natural laws Treatment focused on the moral causes masturbation alcohol abuse excessive ambition jealousy pride etc Treatment was a synthesis of medicines religion and morality Freud and Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis theory is the psychopathology results from the unconscious conflict in an individual Structure of the mind Id present at birth and is the repository of all of the energy needed to run the psyche food water elimination sex Ego begins to develop form the id during the second 6 months of life Superego the third part of the psyche can be roughly conceived of as a persons conscience Defense Mechanisms Id Ego Superego continually in conflict Conflict generates anxiety Defense mechanisms are Ego s strategies to protect itself from anxiety Psychoanalytic Therapy Goals of Psychoanalytic Therapy or Psychoanalysis Understand early childhood experiences particularly key parental relationships Understand patterns in current relationships Psychoanalytic Techniques Free Association Analysis of Transference Interpretation Mental Health Professions Psychologists Clinical or Counseling Ph D or Psy D Psychiatrists M D s can prescribe psychotropic medications Psychiatric Nurses and Psychiatric Nurses Practitioners Nurse Practitioners can prescribe psychotropic medications Social Workers M S W Not trained in psychological assessment Master s Level Therapists Counselors MFT s Marriage and Family Therapists