CLINICAL - Historical context of mental illness

Question 1

prehistoric times view of mental illness

Answer 1

mental illness was due to the supernatural and an individual being possessed by demons

Question 2

prehistoric times treatment for mental illness

Answer 2

evidence of trepanning where the skull is pierced so there is a hole for spirits to be released from - used to treat seizures, migraines and mental disorders

Question 3

ancient greek view of mental illness

Answer 3

400BC hippocrates proposed bodily humours relate to different personality dimensions
black bile - introversion
yellow bile - impulsiveness
blood - being courageous
phlegm - being calm
mental illness comes from an imbalance of humours

Question 4

ancient greek treatment for mental illness

Answer 4

to restore the body’s balance the greeks used phlebotomies, bloodletting, purging and imposing diets on the afflicted

Question 5

1880s view of mental illness

Answer 5

views shifted to attribute mental illness to psychological factors and freud suggested mental illness was due to unconscious processes

Question 6

1800s treatment of mental illness

Answer 6

talking therapies such as psychoanalysis as pioneered by freud

Question 7

mid 1900s view of mental illness

Answer 7

renewed focus on physical factors leading to medical model focusing on abnormalities of the brain structures

Question 8

mid 1900s treatment of mental illness

Answer 8

physiological treatments
insulin treatments for schizophrenic patients, ECT (electric current passed through brain), lobotomies (removing parts of the brain

Question 9

statistical infrequency definition

Answer 9

behaviour rarely seen in the general population

Question 10

statistical infrequency strength

Answer 10

provides a quantitative measure of abnormality which is therefore objective and can be applied in a reliable way

Question 11

statistical infrequency limitation

Answer 11

the individuals may be perfectly happy and function well in society

Question 12

statistical infrequency clinical example

Answer 12

schizophrenia is only 1% of the population

Question 13

deviation from the social norm definition

Answer 13

behaviour that can be seen as a departure from what one society or culture defines as acceptable

Question 14

deviation from the social norm strength

Answer 14

considers the desirability of the behaviour and is therefore more useful e.g some behaviours may be rare but desirable and so wouldn’t be classes as an illness

Question 15

deviation from social norm weakness

Answer 15

it means that abnormality can’t be considered to be universal due to cultural differences in social norms - the definition is ethnocentric
behaviour may deviate from social norms due to eccentricity rather than abnormality

Question 16

deviation from social norms clinical example

Answer 16

hearing voices may be perceived as abnormal in our culture but in other cultures it could be talking to spirits or ancestors

Question 17

maladaptiveness definition

Answer 17

when a person’s way of thinking, emotional responses or behaviour is dangerous or prevents them from functioning well

Question 18

maladaptiveness strength

Answer 18

recognises the subjective experience of the individual and whether or not they are suffering consequently it has face validity when trying to diagnose someone with an illness

Question 19

maladaptiveness weakness

Answer 19

one person’s behaviour may deviate from the mean but not cause them any difficulty or risk whilst another’s behaviour may also deviate from the norm but cause them problems in functioning

Question 20

maladaptiveness clinical example

Answer 20

when panic attacks stop you from leaving the house or obsessively washing your hands leads to persistent lateness to work

Question 21

being labelled as abnormal strengths

Answer 21

1.can recieve medical help or psychological help
2. can recieve wider assistance such as benefits from the state if not able to work
3. helps understand own experiences and feelings more by increasing our academic knowledge
4. allows others to understand behaviour and demonstrate empathy

Question 22

being labelled as abnormal weaknesses

Answer 22

1. social sensitivity - can lead to labelling others and they may begin to see their other behaviours as symptomatic of the illness even if it is unrelated
2. may lose identity - may start seeing self in terms of the diagnosis alone
3. ethnocentric - not all cultures will have the same definition of abnormality so then may not receive the same treatment or help consistently

Question 23

psychiartists

Answer 23

doctors with medical training

Question 24

medical model

Answer 24

tries to determine the appropriate treatment for an individual by establishing categories of symptoms that form an identifiable disorder