Psychological Disorders (15.1) Flashcards
what is abnormal psychology? (15.1)
the psychological study of mental illness
what are asylums?
residential facilities for the mentally ill.
what does attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) mean?
A developmental disorder in which children show inappropriate levels of hyperactivity and impulsivity while also having problems maintaining their attention to people or activities.
culture-bound syndromes
the expressions of distress that are recognized across a given culture but that tend to not appear outside of that culture.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
a standardized manual to aid in the diagnosis of disorders.
maladaptive?
A behaviour that causes distress to oneself or others, impairs day-to-day functioning, or increases the risk of injury or harm to oneself or others.
Medical Model?
Sees psychological conditions through the same lens as Western medicine tends to see physical conditions –as sets of symptoms, causes, and outcomes, with treatments aimed at changing physiological processes in order to alleviate symptoms.
mental disorder defence?
claims that the defendant was in such an extreme, abnormal state of mind when committing the crime that they could not discern that the actions were legally or morally wrong.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
a developmental disorder associated with poor social skills and that may be accompanied by intellectual impairments.
understand advantages and criticisms associated with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR)
using the DSM-5-TR ensures that all psychologists and psychiatrists are using the same criteria to define different psychological disorders; this improves the reliability and consistency of psychological diagnoses. but it faces criticisms, psychologists need to decide if a symptom is severe enough to warrant treatment. the number of symptoms that must be present before a disorder is diagnosed seems somewhat arbitrary. although the large number of possible disorders may make it easier for mental health workers to make a diagnosis, it may also lead to unnecessary diagnosis, there is currently a need for more biological or genetic markers to be added to the diagnostic criteria for many disorders.
Analyzing whether the benefits of labelling psychological disorders outweigh the disadvantages.
They organize large amounts of information about symptoms, causes, and outcomes into terminology that mental health professionals can work with. from a practical point of view, this system meets the requirements of the insurance companies that pay for psychological services. the downside to this, is that if insurance and pharmaceutical companies have influence over how the guidelines are decided, then the whole system could be biases in favour of over-diagnosing and over-medicating people.
