Abnormal Psychology Exam 1 Chapters 1 2 3 4 Chapter 1 Abnormal Behavior 1 Psychopathy a Literally means pathology of the mind b The symptoms and signs of mental disorders i Examples depressed mood panic attacks bizarre beliefs a The application of psychological science to mental disorders 2 Abnormal Psychology 3 Recognizing Disorders a Psychosis i A general term referring to several types of severe mental disorders where person is considered out of contact with reality b Mental Disorders i Defined by a set of characteristic features 1 One symptom can help make a diagnosis ii Must be persistent maladaptive behaviors 1 When problematic behavior doesn t go away iii Does it impair everything living 1 Example delusional beliefs and disorganized speech disrupt daily living i A group of symptoms that appear together 1 These symptoms represent a specific type of disorder c Syndrome 4 Other Terms a Insanity b Nervous Breakdown i Legal term that refers to judgments about whether a person should be held responsible for criminal behavior ii Only possible is he she is also mentally disturbed i Very general incapacitating expression about someone 1 Does not convey specific information about nature of person s problems c Crazy i 5 Abnormal Behavior Informal term that carries unfortunate and negative implications a No consistent definition has been discovered b Potential definition i Defined in terms of subjective discomfort that leads to someone seeking help from a mental health professional ii Problem with definition insight 1 Some individuals don t know they have an issue c Statistical Norms i How common or rare is the behavior in the general population ii Problem with definition how unusual the behavior is 1 Does something need to be extremely rare to be abnormal 6 Harmful Dysfunction a A way to define mental disorders based upon objective evaluation of performance b Dysfunctions in mental disorders i Assumed to be product of disruptions of thought feeling communication perception and motivation c Every kind of dysfunction does not lead to mental disorder i Only dysfunctions that result in significant harm 7 Mental Health a Quality of our lives when mental disorders are not present b Flourishing i People who typically experience many positive emotions are interested in life and tend to be calm and peaceful 1 Function at their highest levels 8 Culture and Diagnostic Practice a Culture i The values beliefs and practices that are shared by a specific community group of people Influences how the DSM is constructed and revised ii 1 Influence what we consider normal and abnormal b Homosexuality i Example of how culture changes can shape perceptions ii 1st and 2nd editions of DSM included homosexuality 1 Believed it was a mental disorder iii Now not considered a mental illness 9 Frequency and Impact a Epidemiology i The scientific study of the frequency and distribution of disorders ii Example concerned with how frequent a disorder is during a within a population particular period of time 1 Does it affect a certain group of people more b Incidence c Prevalence i Refers to the number of new cases of a disorder that appear in a population during a specific period of time i Refers to the total number of active cases present in a population during a period of time 1 Cases can be both old and new ii Lifetime Prevalence 1 Total proportion of individuals in a population that have been affected by a disorder at some point in their lives d Comorbidity of time i The presence of more than one condition within the same period ii Example major depression and alcoholism 10 Cross Cultural Comparisons a Mental disorders affect people all over the world i The symptoms of psychopathology and the expression of emotional distress differs in cultures b General Conclusions i All mental disorders are somewhat shaped by cultural factors ii No mental disorder is entirely due to cultural social factors iii Symptoms of disorders are more likely to vary across cultures c Mental Health Professions i Psychiatry 1 Branch of medicine concerned with the study treatment of mental disorders 2 Licensed to practice medicine doctor a Therefore able to prescribe medication 1 Concerned with the application of psychosocial science to the assessment treatment of mental disorders 2 Trained to use psychological assessment procedures ii Clinical Psychology a Used in psychotherapy iii Social Work 1 Based less on scientific knowledge 2 More concerned with a commitment to action 11 Historical Context a Greek Tradition i Hippocrates 1 Hypothesized that abnormal behavior had natural causes a Ridiculed demon accounts of illness insanity 2 Believed health depended on maintaining natural balance a Blood b Phlegm c Black bile d Yellow bile 3 Argued various types of disorders resulted from an excess deficiency of one of these fluids b Asylum i Disturbed behavior considered responsibility of family 1 Not community or state s issue ii Insane Asylums 1 Created to house the mentally disturbed 2 Essential for heavily populated areas iii Moral Treatment Movement 1 Led to improved conditions in some mental hospitals 2 Health professionals argued mental disorders could be c Worcester Lunatic Hospital treated successfully i Superintendent believed that many of these disorders were not actually psychological issues 1 Example immoral behavior 2 Example exposure to unnatural stresses d Lessons Learned i Led to our current system of mental health care ii Example masturbation 1 Used to be the cause of mental disorder 2 Now sometimes used as treatment i In depth look at symptoms circumstances surrounding a person s mental disorder 12 Methods of Scientific Study a Case Study b Hypothesis i A prediction ii Null Hypothesis 1 The alternative to the original hypothesis Chapter 2 Causes of Abnormal Behavior 1 Overview a Cause of abnormal behavior is unknown i Another word for cause etiology b Broad Theories of Abnormal Behavior i Biological ii Psychodynamic iii Cognitive Behavioral iv Humanistic Paradigms c Paradigm i Set of shared assumptions Includes substance of a theory 1 2 Beliefs about how scientists should collect data and hypotheses d Today most scientists believe that abnormal behavior is caused by a combination of biological psychological and social factors e BioPsychoSocial Model i Contemporary research model ii Integrates evidence on each aspect into mental disorders 2 Historical Perspective a Biological Paradigm General Paralysis i Looks for biological
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