Chapter 12- Normality, mental health and mental illness

Question 1

What is the definition of mental health?

Answer 1

a state of emotional and social well being in which individuals realise their own abilities, can cope with the normal stressors of life, can work productively and can contribute to their community.

Question 2

What is a mental illness?

Answer 2

Mental illness is mental disorder that affects one or more functions of the mind, and can interfere with thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and behaviours. Mental illness involves functioning that deviates from normality

Question 3

What is a mental disorder?

Answer 3

Mental disorder: Implies existence of a clinically recognisable set of symptoms and behaviours that require treatment

Question 4

What are the six approaches to defining normality?

Answer 4

• Sociocultural approach
• Historical approach
• Situational approach
• Medical approach
• Functional approach
• Statistical approach

Question 5

What is the sociocultural approach?

Answer 5

Thoughts, feelings and behaviour that are appropriate or acceptable in a particular society or culture are viewed as normal and those that are inappropriate or unacceptable are considered abnormal

Question 6

What is the functional approach?

Answer 6

Thoughts, fellings and behaviour are veiwed as normal if the individual is able to cope with living independently (‘function’) in society, but considered abnormal if the individual is unable to function effectively in society

Question 7

What is the historical approach?

Answer 7

What is considered normal and abnormal in a particular society or culture depends on the period (or ‘era’) when the judgment is made

Question 8

What is the situational approach?

Answer 8

Within a society or culture, thoughts, feelings and behaviour that may be considered normal in one situation may be considered abnormal in another.

Question 9

What is the Medical approach?

Answer 9

Abnormal thoughts, feelings or behaviour are viewed as having an underlying biological cause and can usually be diagnosed and treated

Question 10

What is the statistical approach?

Answer 10

The statistical approach is based on the idea that any behaviour or characteristic in a large group of individuals is distributed in a particular way; that is, in a normal distribution.the majority ‘s(‘statistical average’) actions are normal, the minorities (‘statistical extremity’) actions are abnormal

Question 11

Define disorder

Answer 11

Disorder: a set of symptoms that interfere with functioning. Symptoms are consistent between patients but etiology may differ.

Question 12

Define syndrome

Answer 12

Syndrome: a profile of symptoms. Origins and severity of symptoms may vary

Question 13

Define disease

Answer 13

Disease: a condition with known cause, predictable course and protocols for treatment

Question 14

Is mental health represented as stages, sections or a continuum?

Answer 14

A continuum

Question 15

What might someone feel if they are experiencing distress

Answer 15

When a person experiences distress, they may feel very upset, angry, tense, anxious and/or sad

Question 16

What is impairment?

Answer 16

Impairment in functioning refers to a reduced ability to do the things one would normally do on a daily basis.

Question 17

What does Atypical mean?

Answer 17

Atypical means that a person is thinking, feeling and/or behaving in a way that is not normal, or typical for them.

Question 18

What is the difference between a mental illness and a mental health problem?

Answer 18

A mental illness usually lasts longer than a mental health problem, and causes more distress and disruption to a person’s life.

Question 19

What is the difference between a non-psychotic illness and a psychotic mental illness?

Answer 19

Someone experiencing a non-psychotic illness maintains contact with reality despite their psychological dysfunction, whereas a psychotic mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia) involves loss of contact with reality.

Question 20

What is classification, and why do we use it in diagnosing mental health issues?

Answer 20

Classification is the organisation of items into groups on the basis of their common properties. It enables order and organisation, and makes it easier to identify and understand relationships between different groups.

Question 21

What is the categorical approach?

Answer 21

The categorical approach is a ‘yes-no’ approach to classification that classifies a person’s symptoms in terms of which specific category of mental disorder they best fit or ‘belong’ to. The focus is on diagnosing whether the person has or does not have a disorder.

Question 22

What is the dimensional approach?

Answer 22

The dimensional approach classifies a person’s symptoms or other characteristics of interest in terms of ‘how much’. The focus is on ranking personal characteristics or other symptoms of interest on one or more quantitative dimensions. (e.g. MMPI)

Question 23

What do classification systems allow psychologists to do?

Answer 23

Classification systems allow them to:

• Name a mental disorder
• Communication with others based on similar assumptions
• Clarify and define variables in research
• Correctly diagnose a problem
• Plan a course of treatment

Question 24

What are the two main classification systems that use the categorical approach?

Answer 24

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
• International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)

Question 25

What is the DSM, and what is it used for?

Answer 25

The DSM is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (by the American Psychiatric Association) and is a categorical system used for diagnosing and classifying mental disorders based on recognisable symptoms that are precisely described for each disorder.

Question 26

What are the DSM criteria?

Answer 26

The DSM criteria include -Diagnostic criteria; which indicates symptoms that are characteristic of the disorder and therefore enable assessment of the presence of the disorder (includes Inclusion and Exclusion criteria). -Polythetic criteria sets; which are a list of diagnostic in which only some symptoms, not all, need to be present in order for the disorder to be diagnosed.

Question 27

List three things that the DSM provides information on

Answer 27

• the typical course/progression of each disorder
• the age at which a person is most likely to develop the disorder
• the prevalence of the disorder

Question 28

How many DSM Axes are there?

Answer 28

The DSM is a multiaxial system that includes 5 Axes:
Axis 1: Clinical disorders and other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention
Axis 2: Personality disorders and mental retardation
Axis 3: General medical conditions
Axis 4: Psychosocial and environmental problems
Axis 5: Global assessment of functioning

Question 29

What is Axis 1?

Answer 29

Clinical disorders and other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention

Question 30

What is Axis 2?

Answer 30

Personality disorders and mental retardation

Question 31

What is Axis 3?

Answer 31

General medical conditions

Question 32

What is Axis 4?

Answer 32

Psychosocial and environmental problems

Question 33

What is Axis 5?

Answer 33

Global assessment of functioning

Question 34

What is the ICD and what is it used for?

Answer 34

The ICD is the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (made by the WHO), and is a categorical system used for diagnosing and classifying diseases and mental disorders based on recognisable symptoms that are precisely described for each disease and disorder.

Question 35

What is one downside of the ICD compared to the DSM?

Answer 35

The ICD is a less detailed categorical system than the DSM, and doesn’t provide information about the course, prognosis, and prevalence of each disorder as the DSM does.

Question 36

What is the Multiaxial Presentations of the ICD-10?

Answer 36

Axis 1- Clinical Diagnosis; describes all mental and behavioural disorders
Axis 2- Disabilities; describes disabilities due to impairments produced by the disorder(s) experienced
Axis 3- Contextual factors; ituational factors that influence the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of disorders recorded on Axis 1.

Question 37

What are the strengths of categorical approaches ?

Answer 37

• Yes or No decisions are more easily made with the categorical approach than with the dimensional approach
• Categorical approaches also enhance communication among mental health professionals by providing a common language.

Question 38

What are some limitations with the categorical approach?

Answer 38

• Categorical approaches to classification of mental disorders was their low inter-rater reliability.
• overlap of symptoms sometimes makes it difficult for mental health professionals to decide which disorder (category) their client’s symptoms belong to, possibly leading to misdiagnosis.
• Use of diagnostic ‘labels’ to describe the various disorders in specific ways can lead to the patient experiencing social stigma

Question 39

What is an inventory?

Answer 39

An inventory, often referred to as a ‘test’, typically comprises closed-ended questions requiring a yes or no answer, or statements requiring a rating about the extent of agreement or disagreement

Question 40

What are some strengths of the dimensional approach

Answer 40

• Single diagnostic labels actually result in a loss of information
• Dimensional approaches take into account a wider range of a person’s symptoms and characteristics
• Quantifying dimensions on scales can provide a richer and more detailed description of an individual’s mental condition
• no label- no social stigma

Question 41

Limitations of the dimensional approach

Answer 41

• There is no widely accepted standardised inventory or system that can be used (unlike the DSM and ICD)
• If there are too many dimensions to assess, then a mental health assessment could become an overcomplicated process

Question 42

What is the biopsychosocial framework?

Answer 42

The biopsychosocial framework is an approach to describing and explaining how biological, psychological and social factors combine and interact to influence a person’s physical and mental health.

Question 43

What are biological factors?

Answer 43

Biological factors involve physiologically based or determined influences, often not under our control, such as the genes we inherit and our neurochemistry

Question 44

What are Psychological factors?

Answer 44

Psychological factors involve all those influences associated with mental processes such as how we think; learn; make decisions; solve problems; perceive our internal and external environments; perceive, understand and experience emotions; manage stress; reconstruct memories.

Question 45

What are Social factors?

Answer 45

Social factors are described broadly to include such factors as our skills in interacting with others, the range and quality of our interpersonal relationships, and the amount and type of support available from others when needed.

Question 46

What type of view does the biopsychosocial framework reflect?

Answer 46

The framework reflects a holistic view of health; that is, the individual should be considered as a whole person functioning in their unique environment. It focuses not just on the individual’s physical or mental condition, but also on their wider social context or circumstances.