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PSY240 > Chapter 1: History of Mental Health > Flashcards

Chapter 1: History of Mental Health Flashcards

1
Q

What are the standards for what is normal and abnormal?

A
  1. Cultural relativism
  2. Unusualness of behaviour
  3. Discomfort of the person exhibiting the behaviour
  4. Mental illness
  5. Maladaptiveness
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2
Q

How does cultural relativism define the standards of what is abnormal?

A
  • behaviours can only be abnormal relative to cultural norms

- gender is a particularly powerful instance of culture

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3
Q

How does unusualness define the standards of what is abnormal?

A
  • abnormality defined as statistical concept
  • abnormal = relatively infrequent occurrence in the population
  • one must consider the rarity of the behaviour, the person demonstrating it, and the context in which it occurs
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4
Q

How does discomfort define the standards of what is abnormal?

A
  • behaviour is only abnormal if the individual suffers as a result and wishes to be rid of the behaviour
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5
Q

What are objections to discomfort as standard for defining what is normal?

A
  • people are not always aware of the problems that their behaviour may create for themselves or others
  • also may not care about what causes great discomfort in others
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6
Q

How does mental illness define the standards of what is abnormal?

A
  • behaviour may be caused by an identifiable disease

- implying physical process creates specific pattern of behaviours & symptons

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7
Q

What are the 3Ds of maladaptiveness?

A

Dysfuntion - Does the behaviour prevent normal, daily functioning?

Distress - Does the person suffer distress?

Deviance - Is the behaviour highly unusual?

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8
Q

When does abnormality become a harmful dysfunction?

A
  • dysfunction of the internal mechanisms to perform naturally selected functions (such as not eating or sleeping or trying to kill themselves)
  • however dysfunction must cause harm (subjective distress or impairment)
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9
Q

What is categorical classification of mental illness?

A
  • zero sum game, either you have mental illness or you don’t

i.e. “Are you depressed?”
“Y/N”

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10
Q

What is dimensional classification of mental illness?

A
  • people are on a continuum of mental illness

i.e. “How depressed are you?”
“I am depressed X amount.”

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11
Q

Does the DSM-V employ categorical or dimensional classification?

A
  • more dimensional classification
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12
Q

What is the diathesis-stress model?

A
  • diathesis: a vulnerability or predisposition to developing a disorder
  • stress: a life event that acts as a trigger for the emergence of a disorder
  • the amount of stress that triggers a disorder depends upon the diathesis (predisposition), thus those with little predisposition can function normally even with severe stressors while others have impaired function and may even suffer a breakdown.
  • basically: vulnerability + stress = disorder
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13
Q

What are the biological theories of mental illness?

A
  • mental illness is similar to a physical disease

- results from breakdown of some systems of the body

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14
Q

What were the theories of mental illness in the stone age?

A
  • spirit possession

- treated with exorcism and trephination

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15
Q

What were the theories of mental illness in Ancient China?

A
  • spirit must be balanced with a positive force (yang) ad a negative force (yin)
  • internal organs controlled emotions, this it was important to maintain proper air movements (deep breathing, tai chi, etc.)
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16
Q

What were the theories of mental illness in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome?

A
  • primarily “natural” theories
    > wandering uterus, hystersa, Hippocrates’ four basic humours
  • some spirituality imbued in their medical practice
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17
Q

What were the theories of mental illness during Medieval times?

A
  • back to supernatural, such as witchcraft and psychic epidemics
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18
Q

Who was Avicenna and what was his major contribution to the medical field?

A
  • Persian doctor (well he did like a ton of shit but here he’s mostly known for the doctoring)
  • wrote “The Canon of Medicine”, which covered several topics in the medical field
  • emphasised on natural causes such as psychological and environmental factors
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19
Q

Describe in brief the beginning of the use of mental asylums.

A
  • established as early in the 12th century
    > Arab countries created them as a home for the mentally ill and for treatment and support
  • once adopted in Europe, though the spirit of compassion was at first maintained it quickly became inhospitable and inhumane
    > most prominent example being St. Mary of Bethlehem Hospital, where we get the word “bedlam”
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20
Q

How were the mentally ill treated in Europe during the beginning of the 18th century?

A
  • more humane
  • treatment focused on rest and relaxation
  • incorporated a psychological view
    i. e. people went mad because they were separated from nature and succumbed to the stresses of modern life
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21
Q

Name two major mental health reformers during the 18th century and their contributions.

A

PHILIPPE PINEL

  • advocated for “moral therapy”, the treatment of the mentally insane without the use of physical or chemical restraints but by means of respect
  • proposed that they were better treated with quiet, peaceful surroundings and plenty of moderate exercise

DOROTHEA DIX
- started the “mental hygiene movement”, characterized by desire to protect and provide for the mentally ill

22
Q

What was the problem with mental asylums?

A
  • became overcrowded and underfunded

- care for mentally ill shifted from the family to local community

23
Q

What was Emil Kraplein’s major contribution to psychology?

A
  • wrote “Clinical Psychiatry” textbook, attempting to clarify mental illnesses
  • focused on diagnosis and classification since treatments didn’t seem possible at the the time
  • grouped symptoms occurring together as discrete “syndromes”
24
Q

What was Richard von Kratt-Ebing’s major contribution to psychology?

A
  • found the connection between syphilis and general paresis
    > disorder evinced by mania, grandiosity, and euphoria followed by dementia and paralysis
  • also found it could be cured by infecting patient with malaria
    > high fever killed infectious agents
  • linked for the first time mental attributes to physical diseases
25
Q

What is somatogenesis?

A
  • idea that psychopathology is caused by biological factors

- gained prominence as a result of succcess at identifying cause of general paresis of the insane

26
Q

How was insulin used to treat patients and how did that lead to the use of electroconvulsive therapy?

A
  • insulin induced seizures as well as a coma, but people waking up from it seemed totally fine
    (possibly because they didn’t want to be given any more seizures)
  • seizures then induced by Metrozol
  • once that proved difficult to administer, shock therapy was introduced
27
Q

What is electroconvulsive therapy?

A
  • use of electricity to induce seizures in mental patients by placing electrodes on the skull and administering a convulsive shock
  • used today to treat major depression
28
Q

What is the psychoanalytic theory of mental disorders?

A
  • focuses on the role of the unconscious
  • belief that engaging with thoughts can change behaviour
  • roots lie with Mesmer but field has been associated with Sigmund Freud
29
Q

What is the behaviorist view of mental disorders?

A
  • emphasizes role of environment
  • examines role of reinforcement and punishment in determining behaviour (learning principles)
  • insane behaviour is result of unfortunate learning that could be then unlearned
  • i.e. exposure therapy
30
Q

What was the cognitive revolution?

A
  • started in the 1960s
  • focus on thought as determinate of behaviours and emotion
  • i.e. Bandura & self-efficacy, Beck & depression
31
Q

What was Albert Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy?

A
  • people have central psychological constructs about themselves and the world
  • change the constructs, change the person
32
Q

What was Albert Ellis’s Rational Emotive Therapy?

A
  • people don’t apply enough reason to their thought processes
  • teach them to reason correctly and their mental illness will cease
33
Q

What was Aaron Beck’s theory of depression?

A
  • people have abnormal self-beliefs

- help them change their beliefs and they’ll get better

34
Q

What fueled deinstitutionalization of mental asylums?

A
  • success of antipsychotic medications
    (especially tricyclic antidepressants)
  • patient’s rights movement
    (advocating that mentally ill have better recovery if they’re integrated in the community; promotes autonomy and enhance quality of life)
35
Q

What was the problem with deinstitutionalization?

A
  • masses of patients discharged into the streets but community-based facilities weren’t set up properly
  • increased homelessness and incarceration
36
Q

What are the professions within abnormal psychology?

A
  • Psychiatrists
  • Clinical psychologists
  • Clinical social workers
  • Psychiatric nurses
  • Occupational therapists
  • Marriage and family therapists
37
Q

What was Mesmer’s treatment for “hysteria”?

A
  • believed “hysteria” was caused by distributed distribution of magnetic fluids in the body
  • corrected by using rods that allegedly channelled “animal magnetism” to arrange these fluids
  • ACTUALLY using suggestion
38
Q

How did Breuer use hypnotism to treat patients?

A
  • put them under to have them relive unpleasant past events

- “cathartic experience”

39
Q

What is the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC)?

A
  • nonprofit organization created to focus national attention on mental health issues and to work to improve the health and social outcomes of people living with mental illness
  • catalyst for reform of mental health policies and improvements in service delivery
  • shift away from emphasizing biological basis to reduce stigmatization
40
Q

What are two problems with defining what is “abnormal”?

A
  • eccentric/unusual behaviour or beliefs are not necessarily abnormal according to diagnostic criteria
  • behaviours that are repugnant/threatening to others are not always signs of underlying psychological disorder
41
Q

What is a general definition of psychological abnormality?

A
  • behaviour, speech, or thought that impairs the ability of a person to function in a way that is generally expected of them
42
Q

What is a general definition for a psychological disorder?

A
  • specific manifestation of impairment of functioning as described by some set of criteria
43
Q

What are the two definitions of psychopathology?

A

1 - scientific study of psychological abnormality

2 - problems people who suffer from such disorders

44
Q

What is the problem with “rarity” defining abnormal behaviour?

A
  • not clear how unusual a given behaviour has to be to be considered “abnormal”
45
Q

What is the problem with “norm violation” defining abnormal behaviour?

A
  • gives false impression that psychologically abnormal people are unpredictable and somehow dangerous
  • social norms vary over time and space
  • different cultural groups manifest psychopathology differently and exhibit their own strategies for dealing with psychological distress
46
Q

What is trephination?

A
  • prehistoric form of surgery possibly intended to let out evil spirits; involved chipping a hole into a person’s skull
  • also may have dug out splinters/blood clots caused by warfare or to release intracranial pressure
47
Q

What did Hippocrates believe about mental illness and how to treat it?

A
  • all disorders had natural causes
  • dreams were important in understanding disorder (predating Freud)
  • treatment should involve quiet life, vegetarian diet, exercise, and abstinence from alcohol
    → also bloodletting and induced vomiting
48
Q

What did Plato believe about mental illness?

A
  • emphasis on sociocultural influences on thoughts/behaviours
49
Q

How were disorders treated during the Middle Ages?

A
  • patients went to clergy for care who offered refuge in monasteries and occasional pilgrimages
  • treatment started mildly, emphasizing prayer, until exorcism came into fashion
50
Q

How was exorcism performed?

A
  • cursing the devil inside to drive them out

- eventually escalated to “bodily insults” aka torture the crap out of them

51
Q

What is degeneration theory?

A
  • introduced by Benedict Augustin Morel
  • proposed that deviations from normal functioning are transmitted by hereditary processes and these deviations degenerate over generations
  • apparently supported by Darwin for people who don’t understand how genetics works

PSY240 (16 decks)

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