Ch1 Abnormal Psych Flashcards
Abnormal psychology
concerned with understanding the nature, causes, and treatment of mental disorders
Examples of abnormal psychology can be found daily in media stories, films, and television shows, as well as in our own more personal experiences
Issues of abnormal psychology demand our attention, trigger our concern, and compel us to ask questions
Family aggregation
: whether a disorder runs in families
Indicators of Abnormality
No universal agreement about what is meant by abnormality or disorder—the more someone has difficulties in the following areas, the more likely they have some form of mental disorder
Subjective distress
Maladaptiveness
Statistical deviancy
Violation of the standards of society
Social discomfort
Irrationality and unpredictability
Dangerousness
Culture plays a role in determining what is/is not abnormal; behaviors once considered abnormal may be considered normal as times/attitudes change
Advantages of Classification Systems
Provide nomenclature (a naming system)
Provide a common language for clinicians and researchers
Allow structuring of information in a helpful manner
Facilitate research
Define the domain of what is considered pathological
Help in insurance reimbursement assessment
What Are the Disadvantages of Classification
Loss of specific information and personal details due to simplification
Stigma (disgrace) and stereotyping (automatic beliefs
concerning other people) may be associated with diagnosis
Self-concept impacted by diagnostic labeling
**Important to remember that diagnostic classification systems do not classify people; they classify the disorders that people have
Take care not to define patients by their illness—use respectful and appropriate “person-first” instead, e.g., “a person with schizophrenia,” not “a schizophrenic”
How Can We Reduce Prejudicial Attitudes Toward People Who Are Mentally Ill?
Negative reactions are widespread, global phenomena
Better understanding of the neurobiological causes of mental disorders has not resulted in decreased stigma
Contact with individuals does lessen stigma; however, studies show interaction may also lead to distress and unpleasant physical reactions
Culture
Affects the way abnormality is defined
Varies in the way different cultures describe psychological distress
Can shape the clinical presentation of disorders
Can influence the forms of psychopathology experienced by people in that culture
Understanding the number and types of people with diagnosable disorders is significant for many reasons, including:
Planning, establishing, and funding mental health services for specific disorders
Understanding the causes of mental disorders in different groups of people
Mental health epidemiology
the study of the distribution of mental disorders in a given population
Prevalence
number of active cases in a population during any given period of time, expressed in percentages or different types of prevalence estimates
Point prevalence
estimated proportion of actual, active cases of a disorder in a given population at a given point in time
estimated proportion of actual, active cases of a disorder in a given population at a given point in time
estimate of the number of people who experienced depression at any point during the entire year
Lifetime prevalence
: estimate of the number of people who have had a particular disorder at any time in their lives
Incidence:
number of new cases in population over given period of time; typically lower than prevalence figures
Direct observation: outward behavior is recorded by trained observers
Direct observation: outward behavior is recorded by trained observers
External validity: extent to which a research study’s findings can be generalized
External validity: extent to which a research study’s findings can be generalized
Internal validity: =
Internal validity: extent to which a study is methodologically sound
Correlational research design: studying the world as it is
Correlational research design: studying the world as it is
Statistical significance (p): probability that the correlation would occur purely by chance
Statistical significance (p): probability that the correlation would occur purely by chance
Meta-analysis: a st=
Meta-analysis: a statistical approach that calculates and then combines the effect sizes from all of the studies
Retrospective :
Prospective research :
Longitudinal design:
Retrospective research strategies involve looking back in time
How the patients were earlier and what went wrong
Prospective research strategies involve looking ahead in time
Identify high-risk individuals and focus on them before any disorder manifests
Longitudinal design: a study that follows a group of people over time
