Lecture 1 - What is Abnormal Psychology? Flashcards
According to the DSM, what must something be to qualify as a mental disorder?
**by far, the most important thing to know
A mental disorder according to the DSM has to be
- Abnormal
- Persistent
- Not culturally sanctioned
- Have some kind of negative impact
- Not just a physical cause/disorder
- Evidence of dysfunction (psyc, behav, bio fnc)
- clinically significant
What does the prevalence of a mental disorder refer to?
The proportion of the population that has a diagnosable
disorder within a specified time period.
What are 3 kinds of prevalence statistics do we use?
- Point-prevalence,
“right now, X percent of Australians have Y disease” - One-year prevalence,
“in 2007, X percent of Australians had Y disease” - Lifetime prevalence
“during their lifetimes, X percent of Australians have Y disease”
What does the Incidence of a mental disorder refer to?
The proportion of healthy individuals that will develop said disorder within a specified time period.
ie. how many new cases will arise.
“every year, X percent of Australians develop Y disease for the first time”
How do we find Psychiatric Epidemiology?
◦ Community studies using large ‘representative samples’
◦ Internationally: National Comorbidity Survey; Epidemiologic Catchment Area study.
◦ Australia: National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (ABS; 1997, 2007)
What are some problems with Psychiatric Epidemiology?
Our methods are insufficient to find out the number of people seeking or receiving treatment.
Many would remain undiagnosed.
What may influence a person’s ability to seek help?
◦ cultural reasons ◦ financial reasons ◦ education ◦ knowledge ◦ beliefs
How many categories of ‘Mental Disorder’ are there?
400+
But only the major ones are in the DSM (~297)
Why might it be important to distinguish different time-frames for prevalence rates?
Because they will produce quite different numbers.
How is incidence and prevalence different?
Prevalence is looking at how many currently have a disorder now/this year/during their lifetime.
Incidence projects how many now healthy people WILL develop a disorder.
Why might knowing the incidence of a mental disorder be useful.
For prevention & detection.
What is the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in adults?
Give a % range.
32-48 %
What is the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in people before age 21?
Give a % range.
35-49 %
According to the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.,
What disorder has the highest % of people who sought help?
And what %?
Schizophrenia 48%
According to the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing,
What is the Life-time prevalence of any mental disorder?
45%
According to the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing,
How many Australians aged 16-85 experienced an anxiety, affective or substance disorder at some point in their life?
How many of these received help?
7.3 million
~1/3
What diagnoses today are closest to the historical idea of a mental illness?
◦ Historically: mental illness = ‘madness, insanity’
◦ gross distortion of external reality (hallucinations,
delusions), or disorganisation of speech, affect, behaviour
(confusion, memory loss, etc).
◦ Similar to today’s diagnoses of psychosis, schizophrenia, and dementia
What is Abnormal Psychology the study of?
The
1. Description (classification, diagnosis)
2. Causation
3. Maintenance &
4. Treatment
of psychological disorders /mental disorders / ‘abnormal behaviour’
Provide an argument to support the notion that mental disorders are over-diagnosed?
ALL symptoms, including those that are expectable reactions to environmental stressors and those that are forms of social deviance, are considered mental disorders.
What is the ‘single most serious flaw in current psychiatric thinking’?
The failure to consider whether or not the symptoms of psychiatric disorders are actually harmful internal dysfunctions
