CHAPTER 1 1 a b a How do we know when someone has a mental disorder b What are different ways that this might be determined c What are pros and cons to the different approaches i Condition results from inability of some internal mechanism to perform natural function ii Condition causes some harm to the person as judged by the standards of the person s culture i A syndrome groups of associated feats that is characterized by disturbance of a person s cognition emotion regulation or behavior iii Consequences which are of clinically significant distress or disability in social occupational or other important activities iv The syndrome reflects a dysfunction in the psychological biological or developmental processes that are associated with mental functioning v Must not be merely an expectable response to common stressors and losses or a culturally sanctioned response to a particular event vi That is not primarily a result of a social deviance or conflicts with society c Pros Cons i Pros 1 Unusual behaviors and inexplicable experiences are short lived if you ignore they go away 2 1 symptom is enough to make a diagnosis 3 Harmful dysfunction a Every type of dysfunction does not lead to a ii Cons disorder 1 Unawareness of one s implausibility of their belief in having a mental disorder 2 Some forms of problematic behavior are not transient and interfere with social occupational functioning 3 Processes that are responsible for mental disorders have not yet been discovered 4 DSM one excludes voluntary behaviors and beliefs and actions shared by religious political or sexual minorities 5 Dysfunctions that result in harm are considered disorders 2 disorders a What does the concept of abnormal behavior have to do with mental b How do we now if a behavior is abnormal c What are the different ways that this might be determined d What are the pros and cons of the different approaches a b c d a Abnormal behavior is defined in terms of subjective discomfort that leads the person to seek help from a mental health professional also both referred to as psychopathological conditions a Disruptive to solo s function AND to others AND if we know paranoia delusions are unreasonable b Furthermore 4 D s i Deviant uncommon response w i context and culture ii Distressful iii Dysfunctional interfering with one s life in a meaningful way social making friends keeping relationships work iv Dangerous 1 These behaviors occur continually or frequently a Emphasis on the individual s experience of personal b Statistical norms how common or rare it is in general distress population Pros cons a Pros i Many rare behaviors are not pathological ii Some abnormal qualities have relatively little impact on a person s adjustment b Cons i Statistical norm approach 1 No specification of how unusual a behavior must be before considered abnormal 2 Does not distinguish between deviations that are harmful and those that aren t 3 a What differentiates mental health from mental disorder b Is mental health simply the absence of a mental disorder a a Mental health a state of well being where solo sees their own abilities can cope with normal stress of life can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community b Mental disorder a recognized medically diagnosable illness that results in significant impairment of a solo s cognitive affective or relational abilities a bunch of abnormal behaviors grouped together in simpler terms b Is mental health simply the absence of a mental disorder a Yes somewhat 4 a What does culture have to do with the concepts of mental disorder and abnormal behavior a The impact of particular behaviors and experiences on a person s adjustment depends on their culture in which the person lives a Abnormal behavior is determined by cultural values beliefs 5 a In the field of mental health as things are today what does a diagnosis tell you b How does this differ from the concept of diagnosis in other areas and professions for example in auto repair or medicine a A label category based on descriptions of the symptoms b In today s mental health diagnosis definition assigning a diagnosis does not mean we understand the specific cause s of the problem in other areas we just assign diagnostic labels that go straight to identifying the problem and not necessarily the causes a Auto example car doesn t start mechanic looks under hood and identifies problem but not initial causes of it b Medicine example description of symptoms that cluster together and follow progression over time 6 a What is the purpose of classification systems b Why is there not a single correct way to classify something like mental disorders c How do categorical classification systems differ from dimensional classification systems a Used to organize information systematically b B c specific causal mechanisms have not yet been discovered c Categorical assumes distinctions among members of different categories more so based on qualitative judgments dimensional describes objects of classification in terms of continuous dimensions more so based on ordered sequence quantitative measurements 7 a What are pros and cons of saying someone has a mental disorder or that they have a particular mental disorder a Pros b Cons a Good for finding effective intervention to match problem b Yields search for new knowledge i Overall these pros try to find the solution to the problem and disassociate it with negativity a Discrimination from labels b More difficult to establish and maintain relationships i Overall they uphold the reputation of people with mental disorders being crazy messed up and that they should be singled out since they aren t normal per se 8 a What current classification systems are most commonly used for diagnosing mental disorders b What is the DSM system c How does DSM address issues of culture a DSM diagnostic and statistical manual ICD int l classification of diseases b Collection of over 200 specific diagnostic categories with descriptions c arranged under 22 primary headings disorders with similar symptoms are grouped together It encourages clinicians to consider influence of cultural factors in both expression and recognition of symptoms the other way is that it includes a discussion of cultural concepts of distress patterns of unusual thinking behavior that have been identified in diverse societies around the world and don t fit easily into other diagnostic categories 9 a How common are mental disorders as they are
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