CH 1/2 - Concepts and Theories of Abnormality Flashcards
psychopathology
field concerned with nature and development of abnormal behaviour, thoughts/cognitions, feelings, emotions
criteria for defining abnormal behaviour
- unusual behaviour (statistical infrequency)
- violating social norms
- faulty interpretation of reality
- personal distress
- maladaptive behaviour (disabilty/dysfunction)
- dangerous behaviour
- unexpectedness
statistical infrequency
- one measure of abnormalcy
- behaviour that occurs rarely or infrequently
ex. 14 y/o boy wetting the bed, Intellectual Developmental Disorder (low IQ), most mental disorders
problem: there’s a value component to which side of the curve you’re on, and we hardly consider the intellectually gifted or elite athletes as abnormal or concerning
violation of norms
- a measure of abnormalcy
- behaviour that defies or goes against social norms; either threatens or makes nervous those observing it
ex. anti-social behaviour of the psychopath
problems: this definition is relative to one’s culture/group, and what is the norm for one may be abnormal for another; doesn’t necessarily imply abnormality (ex fashion trends, prostitution) nor qualify someone for a diagnosis
personal distress
- a measure of abnormal behaviour
- behaviour that creates personal suffering, distress, or torment in the person
problem: fits many forms of abnormality such a depression (suicidal thoughts) but not all disorders involve distress (pedophillia) but that shouldn’t proclude it from being a mental issue; some things cause distress that aren’t disorders (hunger)
disability/dysfunction
- measure of abnormal behaviour
- behaviour that causes impairment in some important are of life (work, personal relationships, recreational activities)
exceptions: being short if you want to be a professional basketball player - gender dysphoria isn’t a disability (but can be diagnosed as a mental disorder if it distresses the person)
unexpectedness
- surprising or out-of-proportion response to env stressors, which can be considered abnormal
ex. expect sadness from smn who lost a loved one to cancer, don’t expect laughter from a sexual assault survivor; anxiety disorders are diagnosed when the anxiety is unexpected and out of proportion to the situation
problem: unexpected according to whom? everything is a spectrum, so at what pt do we draw the clinical line?
in canada, most primary mental health care is delivered by:
general practitioners, who are the least trained to do so
psychiatrist vs psychologist
clinical/counselling psychologists:
- have a PhD or psy. D (Dr of psych), which entails 4-7 years grad studies
- cannot prescribe psychoactive drugs
psychiatrist:
- hold an MD (medical Dr)
- have postgrad training in practice of diagnosing and psychotherapy
- can prescribe psychoactive drugs
understanding of mental disorders pre-scientific inquiry
- beleived to be caused by events beyond the control of humankind (eclipses, earthquakes, storms, fire, diseases)
- largely thought to be supernatural and any behav that seemed outside of physical control also thought to be supernatural
- many believed that deviant behaviour reflected displeasure of the gods or possession by demons
early demonology
- doctrine that evil beings, esp the devil, may dwell w/in a person and control their mind/body; not unique to any one theology
- given that abnormal behaviour was caused by possession, treatment often involved exorcism (elaborate rites of prayer, noise-making, force feeding of concoctions, flogging, starvation, all in an effort to make the body uninhabitable)
trepanning
- making a surgical opening in a living skull by some instrument
- treatment used by stone age/neolithic cave dwellers for epilepsy, headache, psychological disorders attributed to demons
hippocrates
- separated medicine from religion, magic and superstition
- rejected believe that gods sent physical diseases and mental disturbances and punishment
- insisted mental illness had natural causes that should be treated like other illnesses
- one of the earliest proponents of somatogenesis
somatogenesis
“bodily origin”; the mental illness is caused by some type of abberant function in the soma, or bodily deficit
psychogenesis
“mental origin”; mental illness has its origins in psychological malfunction of some kind, or perhaps cognitive distortion, etc