Chapter 1 Abnormal behavior is the use of psychological sciences to study mental disorders Cultural influences on abnormality The attribution of abnormal behavior to demons is present in some contemporary preliterate societies significantly influences what is considered abnormal behavior Culture Psychopathology Pathology of the mind the signs or symptoms of mental disorder Symptoms and signs of mental disorders including such phenomena as depressed mood panic attacks and bizarre beliefs Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM 5 published by the American Psychiatric Association Places primary emphasis on the consequences of certain behavioral syndromes Mental disorders are defined by clusters of persistent maladaptive behaviors that are associated with personal distress or with impairment of social functioning Excludes voluntary behaviors as well as beliefs and actions that are shared by religious political or sexual minorities DSM 5 explicitly does not attempt to diagnose mental disorders based on what is or might be causing the problem Instead the system takes a descriptive approach to classifying abnormal behavior grouping psychological problems into categories based on similarities in how people act and what they report about their inner experiences DSM 5 follows a descriptive approach does not know what causes most mental disorders allows a common language Epidemiology Scientific study of the frequency and distribution of disorders within a population Amin is a professional who collects data and analyzes both the frequency and the distribution of mental health disorders in his state Amin works as a n epidemiologist Focuses on the prevalence and incidence of mental disorders Incidence refers to the number of new cases of a disorder that appear in a population during a specific period of time Prevalence refers to the total number of active cases both old and new that are present in a population during a specific period of time time Point Prevalence Number of individuals with a disorder at a specified period of Lifetime Prevalence Number of individuals known to have a disorder at sometime in their lives Comorbidity the presence of more than one condition within the same period of time having depression and alcoholism Disease burden is measured by combining two factors mortality and disability Patients who have the most severe problems are often comorbid meaning they are experiencing more than one condition Psychiatry branch of medicine that is concerned with the study and treatment of mental disorders complete medical school specialized residency training focused on abnormal behavior Clinical Psychology concerned with the application of psychological science to the assessment and treatment of mental disorders What do clinical researchers do Discover nomothetic understanding Do not assess diagnose or treat individuals Rely on scientific method playing w variables Use 3 methods of investigation to form and test hypotheses case study correlational method and experimental method Five years of graduate study one year internship doctorate Ph D or Psy D Mental health can be described as a n field because it draws on previous research in an effort to help those whose behavior is disordered Applied How do psychiatrists differ from other mental health professionals Psychiatrists must complete medical school usually four years and residency training another four years that is focused on abnormal behavior What are the two primary degrees associated with clinical psychology doctor of psychology doctor of philosophy Which mental health professionals who are not currently allowed to prescribe medication are pursuing the right to do so Clinical psychologists Social Work Concerned with helping people to achieve an affective level of psychosocial functioning Usually have a masters degree in Social work Emphasis on social and cultural factors Anya is an experienced social worker who has recently been assigned to the population of a small prison In working with inmates Anya will most likely focus on affecting their psychosocial health social and cultural factors Counselors Focus on marriage and family issues provide direct services Chapter 2 Etiology cause of a certain disease or disorder Biopsychosocial Model Biological contributions brain chemistry to genetic predispositions Psychological contributions troubled emotions to distorted thinking Social and Cultural contributions conflict in family relationship to sexual and racial bias A view of etiology of mental disorders assumes disorders can be best understood in terms of their interactions of biological psychological and social systems This model integrates research on the various contributions related to the causality of abnormal behavior disorders A researcher described her approach to understanding mental disorders as biopsychosocial When you ask her to explain what she means what is she likely to say The integration of biological psychological and social factors provides the most fruitful avenue for discovering the cause of most mental disorders Throughout much of the twentieth century many psychologists vowed allegiance to one of four broad theories purporting to explain the etiology of psychology Biopsychosocial Psychodynamic Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic Most emotional problems appear to result from a combination of various biological psychological and social influences T or F We do not know the specific causes of most emotional disorders TRUE 3 major scientific advances 1 General paresis severe mental illness ends in death 2 Work of Sigmund Freud 3 Psychology as a field Biological Treatment draws analogy between mental illness to physical illness In Frances case it s depression Also her father was chronically depressed so genetic inheritance is likely Therapist wouldn t blame Frances or family for problems would blame DEPRESSION Caused by Chemical imbalance in the brain In 1910 what German microbiologist developed an arsenic containing chemical that destroyed bacteria that caused syphilis and prevented paresis Paul Ehrlich Psychodynamic paradigm The Psychodynamic Paradigm An outgrowth of the writings of Sigmund Freud 1856 1939 used hypnosis to treat hysteria Asserts that abnormal behavior is caused by unconscious mental conflicts that have roots in early childhood Many psychological processes are unconscious Psychoanalytic theory Id ego and superego Defense mechanisms Observable behavior is the only appropriate