1 Examples and Definitions of Abnormal Behavior 22 01 2013 10 46 00 1 22 Chapter Outline Recognizing the presence of a disorder Defining abnormal behavior Who experiences abnormal behavior The mental health professions Psychopathology is historical context Methods for the scientific study of mental disorders Overview Symptoms and signs of mental disorders are known as psychopathology o Pathology of the mind o Why don t psychologists like to use this word Mind brain problem implies clear line Abnormal psychology the application of psychological science to the study of mental disorders The line dividing normal from abnormal is not always clear Recognizing the Presence of a Disorder Mental disorders are typically defined by a set of characteristics Psychosis is when one is out of contact with reality One symptom by itself is seldom sufficient to make a diagnosis Syndrome a group of symptoms that appear together are assumed to represent a specific type of disorder Mental disorders are defined in terms of o Duration of persistence of maladaptive behaviors o Impairment in the ability to perform social and occupational roles Defining Abnormal Behavior By what criteria do we decide whether a particular set of behaviors or emotional reactions should be viewed as a mental disorder o Individual experience of personal distress o Statistical norms how common or rare it is in the general population Harmful Dysfunction o The condition results from the inability of some internal mechanism to perform its natural function o The condition causes some harm to the person as judged by the standards of the person s culture o Not every dysfunction leads to a disorder Culture Zar an experience of spirit possession Such behavior is not necessarily considered pathological locally Disorders Caused by the Media Truman Show Delusion thinking your life is orchestrated as part of a show M chausen by Internet lying about terminal illness online Conversion Disorder someone has a nervous tic spread by unconscious mimicry Defining Abnormal Behavior Harmful Dysfunction o The DSM IV TR definitions places primary emphasis on the consequences on certain behavioral syndromes Mental disorders are defined by clusters of persistent maladaptive behaviors that are associated with personal distress anxiety or depression impairment in social or occupational functioning 1 24 Frequency in and Impact on Community Populations Epidemiology the scientific study of the frequency and distribution of disorders within a population depends on the culture of the population o Example anorexia and bulimia in the United States o Schizophrenia equal rates in Western and Eastern worlds no cultural o Even though anxiety is seen in all parts of the world different things cause context that anxiety Incidence the number of new cases of a disorder that appear in a population during a specific period of time 12 months Lifetime prevalence total proportion of people in a given population who have been affected by the disorder at some point during their lives Lifetime Prevalence and Gender Difference 46 of the surveyed people received at least one lifetime diagnosis Epidemiological studies consistently find gender difference for many types of mental disorders o Females Depression Anxiety o Males Alcoholism genetic Antisocial personality disorder no remorse Sympathetic nervous system decreased activation Frequency of Mental Disorders in the Community Comorbidity and Disease Burden The presence of more than one condition within the same period of time Disease burden is measured by combining two factors mortality and disability Problems with comorbidity having 2 or more disorders from the DSM o Which one to treat o The one that is diagnosed first is listed as the major diagnosis doesn t mean it s more important How does the impact of mental disorders compare with that of other health problems Epidemiologists measure disease burden by combining factors of mortality and disability Although mental disorders are responsible for only 1 of all deaths they produce 47 of al disability in developed countries and 28 of all disability worldwide Cross Cultural Comparisons All mental disorders are shaped to some extent by cultural factors No mental disorders are entirely due to cultural or social factors Psychotic disorders are less influenced by culture than are nonpsychotic disorders The symptoms of certain disorders are more likely to vary across cultures than are the disorders themselves Clinical psychologists direct clinical services research teaching administrative activities PhD research oriented they pay you PsyD you pay them internship after The Mental Health Professions Psychiatry MD branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of mental disorders o Trained more in the biological aspect o Can prescribe medication Clinical Psychology PhD PsyD concerned with the application of psychological science to the assessment and treatment of mental disorders Social Work MSW concerned with helping people achieve an effective level of psychosocial functioning Psychopathology in Historical Context The Greek Tradition in Medicine o Hippocrates ridiculed demonological accounts of illness and insanity Health depended on the balance of 4 bodily fluids Blood black bile phlegm yellow bile The Hippocratic perspective dominated medical thought in Western countries until the middle of the 19th century Common treatment bloodletting purging use of heat and cold The Creation of the Asylum o Disturbed behavior was considered to be the responsibility of the family rather than the community or state Insane asylums established in 1600s and 1700s Asylums were a little more than human warehouses The moral treatment movement led to improved conditions in some asylums Lessons learned o The inventions and expansion of public mental hospitals led directly to our current mental health o The creation of psychiatry as a professional group o Importance of scientific research Methods for the Scientific Study of Mental Disorders The Uses and Limitations of Case Studies o An in depth look at the symptoms and circumstances surrounding one person s mental disturbance Can provide An exhaustive catalog of symptoms The manner in which the symptoms emerged The developmental and family history that preceded the onset of the disorder Whatever response the person may have shown to treatment efforts Provide information about conditions that have not received much attention Drawbacks Can be