Psychopathology1 - History, Classification, Assessment Flashcards
What are the four main objectives of abnormal psychology?
Describing - what behaviours are evident;
Explaining - why they’re evident;
Predicting - outcome;
Managing - problematic behaviour
Describe the Relativist view of abnormality and provide evidence
Symptoms and causes vary across cultures; eating disorders are more prevalent in Western countries
Describe the Absolutist view of abnormality, and why both views have merit
A disorder is caused by the same biological factors; schizophrenia exists cross-culturally, but developing countries deal with it better; varies according to context
List the main elements of Abnormality
Personal suffering; Maladaptiveness; Irrationality and incomprehensibility; Unpredictability and loss of control; Emotional distress; Interference in daily functioning; Vividness and unconventionality (deviations from norm); Observer discomfort; Violation of moral standards
What four main areas does the DSM-5 focus on?
Clinical presentation (specific symptoms clustering together); Etiology (causes); Developmental stage (children vs. adults); Functional impairment (immediate and long-term consequences)
What did Thomas Szasz argue about the label “mental illness”
That it really just means “problems in living”, and the label’s used as a means of social control and oppression
What was Drapetomonia, and what can labelling lead to?
A mentally ill term for black slaves who escaped for freedom; stigma and discrimination
What are the requirements to practice psychology professionally?
APS membership (6 year degree + 2 years supervised experience); APS College of Clinical Psychologists membership (post-grad degree in clinical psych + 2 years supervised experience)
Define Epidemiology
The study of the frequency and distribution of disorders within a population
What do Incidence and Prevalence refer to?
Number of new cases of a disorder appearing in a population within a specific time period;
Number of active cases in the population within a time period
What does Lifetime Prevalence refer to?
Proportion of population affected by mental illness at some point during their lives
What’s the term for the presence of more than one condition?
Comorbidity
According to Queensland statistics, what’s the rate of mental illness occurring during the lifespan?
One in every four people; over half a million where it interferes with their daily lives
100 Australians attempt suicide every day, of these, around what percentage are males?
77%
What age groups show the highest rate of suicide?
35-44 years
According to NCS-R, which mental illness shows the highest rate of lifetime prevalence?
Major depression (17%)
Hippocrates classified mental disorders into what three categories?
Mania (excessive behaviour); Melancholia (depression); Phrenitis (brain fever)
According to Hippocrates, all forms of disease could be attributed to natural causes, and were seen as an imbalance in which essential fluids?
Blood; Phlegm, Yellow and Black bile
What was the dominant view of mental disorders during the Middle Ages?
A supernatural view - abnormal behaviour was interpreted as the work of the devil or witchcraft (exorcisms; burning at the stake)
During the Renaissance period demonology was criticised and there was a more humane view of mental illness. What role did Paracelsus and Weyer play in this?
Paracelsus believed the stars and planets affected the brain; Weyer was the first physician to specialise in the treatment of mental illness
Describe the conditions of the first established asylums in the mid 16th century
Confinement; torturous practices; medical treatments (bloodletting, purgatives); more about isolation from society than treatment
How did the rise of modern thought in the 19th century impact on the treatment of mentally ill people?
They were treated morally; The revolution led to a focus on individual rights, humanitarian ideas and establishing reforms to care for them (e.g.Phillipe Pinel); people improved
Late 19th century saw the rise of the Scientific Model. List the five categories in Pinel’s Classification system
Melancholia; Mania; Mania with delirium; Dementia; Idiotism
Kraepelin followed up Pinel’s categories in the 1920s, and made an important distinction between which two disorders?
Dementia praecox (schizophrenia) and Manic depressive psychosis