IMH Topic 1 - The Historical context of mental health Flashcards
What was the belief in demonic possession regarding mental illness?
Evil spirits took possession of individuals and controlled their behavior
What were trephines (trepanes) used for in Paleolithic times?
To provide an exit for demons or evil spirits from the skull
Who first identified mental illness as a scientific phenomenon?
Hippocrates
What did Hippocrates believe caused madness?
An imbalance of four humours
What were the four humours according to Hippocrates?
Blood
How was depression treated according to humourism?
Diets
How were the mentally ill treated in the 18th century according to animalism?
Like animals
Who argued for the humane treatment of mental patients in the 1700s?
Philippe Pinel
What did Pinel petition for regarding mental patients?
To remove chains and allow exercise in the open air
What are the four definitions of dysfunctional behavior proposed by Rosenhan and Seligman?
Statistical infrequency
What is statistical infrequency in defining abnormality?
Behavior is abnormal if it falls outside the norm
What percentage of the UK population suffered from schizophrenia in 2012?
0.0345
What is failure to function adequately in defining abnormality?
Inability to meet societal expectations and live a ‘normal’ life
What is deviation from social norms in defining abnormality?
Behavior that deviates from expected or approved ways of behaving
What is deviation from ideal mental health in defining abnormality?
Lack of positive self-perception
What are the signs of abnormality according to Rosenhan and Seligman (1989)?
Suffering
What are the main classification systems for mental disorders?
ICD
What is the latest version of the DSM?
DSM 5
What are the two main clusters of disorders in DSM 5?
Internalizing and externalizing disorders
What information does DSM 5 include?
Gender and culture-related issues
What are the validity issues in defining abnormality?
Subjectivity and bias in self-reports and clinician interpretations
What are the reliability issues in defining abnormality?
Inconsistency in applying definitions
What are the usefulness issues in defining abnormality?
Accuracy of definitions for effective treatment
What are the ethnocentrism issues in defining abnormality?
Cultural differences in what is considered ‘abnormal’
What was the aim of Rosenhan (1973) study?
To assess whether hospitals could tell the sane from the insane
How many pseudo-patients were used in Rosenhan’s study?
8
What symptoms did the pseudo-patients report?
Hearing a voice saying ‘empty’
How many hospitals were tested in Rosenhan’s study?
12
What diagnosis did 11 hospitals give the pseudo-patients?
Schizophrenia
What was the average time pseudo-patients spent in hospital?
19 days
What were some observations of patient treatment in Rosenhan’s study?
Little eye contact
What was the ‘stickiness of labels’ in Rosenhan’s study?
Patients’ behaviors were interpreted as symptoms of their diagnosed disorder
What was the follow-up study in Rosenhan’s research?
Staff were told pseudo-patients would try to get admitted and were asked to rate patients
What were the results of Rosenhan’s follow-up study?
Staff rated 41 real patients as pseudo-patients
What were the ethical considerations in Rosenhan’s study?
Lack of consent
What were the validity strengths of Rosenhan’s study?
High ecological validity and use of both quantitative and qualitative data
What were the reliability strengths of Rosenhan’s study?
Multiple hospitals and controls
What were the usefulness strengths of Rosenhan’s study?
Led to changes in psychiatric hospital practices and diagnosis
What are the symptoms of a major depressive episode?
Depressed mood
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
Delusions
What are the three categories of phobias?
Specific phobias
What are the symptoms of agoraphobia?
Fear of public transport
