Chapter 15 What is Mental Illness Statistical rarity subjective distress impairment societal disapproval biological dysfunction Historical Conceptions of Mental Illness ment demonic model view of mental illness in which odd behavior hearing voices or talking to oneself was attributed to evil spirits infesting the body medical model view of mental illness as due to physical disorder requiring medical treat asylum institution for people with mental illness moral treatment approach to mental illness calling for dignity kindness and respect for those with mental illness deinstitutionalization 1960s and 1970s governmental policy that focused on releasing hospitalized psychiatric patients into the community and closing mental hospitals certain cultures consist of specific Special Considerations in Psychiatric Classification and Diagnosis misconception 1 psychiatric diagnosis is nothing more than pigeonholding that is sorting people into different boxes misconception 2 psychiatric diagnoses are unreliable m isconception 3 psychiatric diagnoses are invalid misconception 4 psychiatric diagnoses stigmatize people labeling theory Psychiatric Diagnosis Today The DSM IV Diagnositc Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders DSM diagnostic system containing the American Psychiatric Association APA criteria for mental disorder prevalence percentage of people within a population who have a specific mental disor der axis dimension of functioning involuntary commitment procedure of placing some people with men tal illnesses in a psychiatric hospital or other facility based on their potential danger to themselves or others or their inability to care for themselves hypochondriasis an individual s continual preoccupation with the notion that he has a serious physical disease sects and animals thunderstorms etc social phobia experience a marked fear of public appearances and specific phobia in cognitive model of depression holds that depression is caused by negative beliefs and ex pectations identity or perception dissociative disorder condition involving disruptions in conscious ness memory depersonalization disorder condition marked by multiple episodes of depersonalization dissociative amnesia inability to recall important personal information most often re lated to a stressful experience that can t be explained by ordinary forgetfulness dissociative fugue sudden unexpected travel away from home or the workplace accom panied by amnesia for significant life event dissociative identity disorder DID condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states that recurrently take control of the person s behavior schizophrenia severe disorder of thought and emotion associated with a loss of con tact with reality
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