Chapter 1 - Psychopathology in Historical Context

Question 1

What are the criteria for a psychological disorder? (3)

Answer 1

-psychological dysfunction
-personal distress/impairment
-atypical or not culturally expected

Question 2

What is psychopathology?

Answer 2

-the scientific study of psychological disorders

Question 3

What is a scientist-practitioner?

Answer 3

-they are mental health professionals who take a scientific approach to their work

Question 4

What are the three major categories that compose the study and discussion of psychological disorders? (3)

Answer 4

-clinical description
-causation
-treatment and outcome

Question 5

What is a clinical description?

Answer 5

-Details of the combination of behaviours, thoughts, and feelings of an individual that make up a particular disorder.

Question 6

When we look historically, what were people with mental health issues called?

Answer 6

-often demon or witch, there was a supernatural (god) perception of them

Question 7

During the 14/15th century, what was another explanation for mental health issues that wasn’t supernatural?

Answer 7

-that insanity is natural and treated with sleep, rest, potions, etc

Question 8

What were treatments for spirit possession?

Answer 8

-hanging person over snake pits, cold water baths

Question 9

Where did the term lunatic come from?

Answer 9

-this belief that psychological functioning is affected by movements of moon and stars

Question 10

What did Hippocrates and Galen say caused disease?

Answer 10

-imbalance of humors (black bile, blood, yellow bile etc)

Question 11

What did John P. Grey say in the 19th century about insanity?

Answer 11

-that it always has physical causes and we should treat them like the physically ill

Question 12

Who is Emil Kraeplin?

Answer 12

-founder of modern psychiatry

Question 13

Who did moral therapy originate with and what did it encourage? (2)

Answer 13

-Philippe Pinel
-humane, socially facilitative atmosphere for patients

Question 14

Who was the father of North American psychiatry?

Answer 14

-Benjamin Rush

Question 15

Who reformed the moral treatment and initiated the mental hygiene movement?

Answer 15

-Dorothea Dix

Question 16

What did Fritz Perls do?

Answer 16

-gestalt therapy with humanistic elements

Question 17

Does the supernatural tradition have any place in a science of abnormal behaviour?

Answer 17

-no

Question 18

Define phobia

Answer 18

-persistent fear of an object or situation

Question 19

What is psychological dysfunctioning?

Answer 19

-breakdown in functioning (cognitive, emotional or behavioural)

Question 20

Wakefield, who introduced the concept of harmful dysfunction, said what constitutes a psychological disorder? (2)

Answer 20

-a failure of one or more mechanisms to perform their evolved function
-the dysfunction produces harm/distress

Question 21

Define a prototype

Answer 21

-a person with a very “textbook” version of a disorder

Question 22

What three categories makes someone a scientist-practitioner?

Answer 22

-consumer of science
-evaluator of practice
-creator of scientific knowledge

Question 23

Define presenting problem

Answer 23

-original complaint reported by the client

Question 24

Define prevalence

Answer 24

-number of people displaying a disorder in total population

Question 25

Define incidence

Answer 25

-number of new cases of disorder appearing during a specific time period

Question 26

Define course

Answer 26

-pattern of development and change of disorder over time

Question 27

Define prognosis

Answer 27

-predicted future development of a disorder over time

Question 28

Define etiology

Answer 28

-cause/source of a disorder

Question 29

Define mental hygiene movement

Answer 29

-effort to improve care of the mentally disordered by informing the public of their mistreatment.