Lecture 1

Question 1

What is psychopathology?

Answer 1

The study of mental disorders, including causes, consequences and treatment

Question 2

What is a mental disorder?

Answer 2

A clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that is associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational or other important activities

Question 3

Describe treatment approaches in psychopathologies

Answer 3

• Psychotherapies(talk therapies)
• Medications( psychotropics)
• brain stimulation therapies and ablation( e.g.belectroconvulsive therapy, cingulotomy

Question 4

Describe possible treatment settings

Answer 4

• Out-patient: treatment through community mental health programs
• In-patient hospitalizations: typically short-term placement for those who have failed out patient treatment, are dangerous, or need detoxification
• Institulization: long term placement in a psychiatric facility for those who otherwise cannot be managed

Question 5

Describe typical mental health care providers

Answer 5

• Psychiatrists(MD degree)= diagnoses and treats uses medications and/or psychotherapy
• Clinical psychologist (PhD degree)= diagnoses and treats using psychotherapy and cannot use medications(rare exceptions apply)
• Psychiatric Social Worker( Master’s degree)= provides counseling, focuses on securing necessary resources for daily living

Question 6

Triggers of mental illness may be

Answer 6

Internal or external

Question 7

Mental illness is ________

Answer 7

Common

Question 8

What are common obstacles to treatment?

Answer 8

• failure to recognize problem exists
• avoidance of treatment due to stigma(shame and fears of discrimination)
• financial(lack of insurance coverage)
• lack of available mental health illness

Question 9

What is the supernatural (demonic) theory ?

Answer 9

Mental illness is due to possession by evil spirits

Question 10

What were treatments used in the supernatural theory of mental illness?(elimination if or sequestering unwanted demons)

Answer 10

• trephination
• exorcisms
• emetics/ice immersions
• Seclusion in sanitariums

Question 11

Describe the biological(Organic) theory of mental illness

Answer 11

Mental illness results from brain dysfunction

Made by Benjamin Rush(founder of US psychiatry)

-Focused on cerebral vascular etiology of mental illness

Question 12

Describe treatments of the biological(organic theory)

Answer 12

• Treated mental ill patients in a hospital setting

- Treatment included rotating chairs to control blood flow to the brain

Question 13

What benefits did the biochemical focus of the biological (organic) theory provide?

Answer 13

In the 1950s

• discovery that chlorpromazine improved mental illness led to focus on neurotransmitter alterations.
• resulted in de-institutionalization (release into society) of mentally ill people

Question 14

Describe the psychological theory of mental illness

Answer 14

A product of one’s thoughts (cognitions and/or interactions with the environment

Cognitions- a person can become mentally distressed about an event if it is interpreted as catastrophic

Environmental interactions- a person can learn to become overly anxious about a stimulus if it is associated with a negative situation

Question 15

Describe the current conceptualization of mental illness

Answer 15

Can be explained by a combination of organic and psychological theories:

• Biological, psychological and social factors are important(biopsychosocial)
• the relative contribution of each factor depends on the disorder

Question 16

Describe the current status of societal outlook on mental illness

Answer 16

Despite progress in the understanding and care of the mentally ill, treatment remains suboptimal with continued discrimination and exploitation

To help reduce stigmatization:

• avoid fearing them
• avoid discriminating and rejecting them
• avoid using negative labels
• avoid assuming patient is to blame or less worthy of respect