3.2. Definitions of Abnormality Part 2

Question 1

What is failure to function adequately?

Answer 1

• Not being able to cope with everyday living
• The functioning refers to just going about everyday life, such as eating regularly, washing clothes, getting ready, going to school, being able to communicate with others
• Causes stress and suffering for the individual and/or others around them i.e. schizophrenia the person is ok, but causes distress to those around them due to their paranoia
• If it distresses only others but not the individual then the judgement of abnormality is inappropriate I.e. individual may be content wearing unwashed clothes and not having a job, they just don’t cope in a normal way
• E.g. the DSM includes a WHODAS assessment -> rate on a scale of 1-5 and give overall score

Question 2

Rosenham and Seligman (1989)

Answer 2

When someone isn’t coping:
- They no longer conform to interpersonal rules e.g. maintaining personal space
- Experience severe personal distress
- They behave in a way that’s irrational or dangerous

Question 3

Strength of failure to function adequately

Answer 3

Provides a threshold for professional help
+ In any given year, 25% of us experience symptoms of mental disorder to some degree (Mind)
+ Most of the time, we continue with day to day life but when we stop being able to function adequately, people seek or are referred for professional help
+ This means that the criteria provides a way to target treatment and services to those who need them most

Question 4

Weakness of failure to function adequately

Answer 4

It can lead to discrimination/social control
- Hard to distinguish between failure to function adequately and a conscious decision to deviate from social norms
- E.g. people may choose to live off-grid as part of an alternative lifestyle choice or take part in high-risk leisure activities
- This means that people who make unusual choices can be labelled abnormal and their freedom of choice restricted

Question 5

Failure to function adequately evaluation extra

Answer 5

• There are some circumstances in which most of us fail to cope for a time e.g. bereavement. It may be unfair to give someone a label that may cause them future problems just because they react to difficult circumstances.
• On the other hand, the failure to function is no less real just because the cause is clear. Also, some people need professional help to adjust to circumstances like bereavement

Question 6

Deviation from ideal mental health: Jahoda

Answer 6

• We define physical illness in part by looking at the absence of signs of physical health I.e. temperature, normal skin colour, normal blood pressure -> so the absence of these indicate illness
• We should do the same for mental illness

Question 7

Deviation from ideal mental health: absence of the following criteria:

Answer 7

• We are rational and perceive ourselves accurately
• We self-actualise
• We can cope with stress
• We have good self esteem and lack guilt

There is some overlap with failure to function adequately

Question 8

Strength of deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 8

The ideal mental health approach is comprehensive
+ Ideal mental health includes a range of criteria for mental health
+ It covers most of the reasons why we might need help with mental health
+ This means that mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals
+ Therefore ideal mental health provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves and others

Question 9

Weakness of deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 9

It may be culture bound
- Some criteria for ideal mental health are limited to USA and Western Europe e.g. self actualisation is not recognised in most of the world
- Even in Western Europe there are variations in the value placed on independence (high in Germany, low in Italy)
- This means that it’s very difficult to apply the concept of ideal mental health from one culture to another

Question 10

Deviation from mental health evaluation extra

Answer 10

Extremely high standards
- Very few of us attain all of Jahoda’s criteria for mental health, and probably none of us achieve all of them at the same time or keep them up for very long. It can be impossible to see and impossible set of standards to live up to
- On the other hand, having such a comprehensive set of criteria for mental health to work towards might be of practical value to someone wanting to understand and improve their mental health