Unit 6 Flashcards
What is the definition of a mental disorder?
a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.
What are mental disorders usually associated with?
significant distress or disability in social, occupational or other important activities
What is the clinical significance of all disorders determined based on?
based on the impairment it causes in functional areas
-> attempt to mitigate the cultural effect
How does the DSM-5 define Delusion?
an often highly personal idea or belief system, not endorsed by one’s culture or subculture, that is maintained with conviction in spite of irrationality or evidence to the contrary.
What is Erotomanic delusion?
when someone falsely thinks that another person is in love with him or her
What does the DSM-5-TR include?
updated and expanded content while retaining the DSM-5 framework
-> e.g.: gender, formulation, adding new research
Which disorder is added newly into the DSM-5-TR?
the Prolonged Grief disorder
-> represents a prolonged maladaptive grief reaction that can be diagnosed only after at least 12 months after the loss happened
in which 5 areas can culture affect psychological disorders?
- Including knowledge about psychological problems.
- ways individuals explain and express their symptoms according to culture-based display rules.
- Diagnoses: Including professional and nonprofessional judgments.
- Treatment: The way people, including professionals, attempt to overcome psychopathological symptoms.
- The results of treatment are evaluated
What are two views on culture and psychopathology?
the relativist perspective
the universalities or absolutist perspective
What does the relativist perspective state?
Humans developed ideas, established behavioral norms and learned emotional responses according to a set of cultural prescriptions
-> different understanding of psychological disorders across culture
What does the Universalist or Absolutist perspective state?
Despite cultural differences, people share a great number of similar features
-> mental disorders should be ought to be universal
What can we say about psychopathology regarding culture?
it is unique for each culture and cannot be understood beyond the context in which it develops
-> culture specific and should have different meanings in different societies
What determines the way various psychological symptoms are displayed, understood and treated according to the relativist perspective?
the socioeconomic conditions, religious, social and political norms of each country
-> what is considered psychopathological in one culture can be considered normal in another
What does the relativist view targets and criticizes?
ethnocentrism or judgment of one cultural reality from the position of the other
what is an example for the relativist perspective?
spirit possession syndromes
What is an example for the universalist or absolutist view?
many disorders are characterized by almost identical symptoms across cultures
e.g.: alzheimers, dementia, parkinson, etc.
are there reports of different incidence of bipolar disorder based on race or ethnicity?
no
What are two viewpoints in an inclusive approach to psychopathology?
Central Symptoms (observed in practically all world)
Peripheral Symptoms (culture specific)
What are examples for central and peripheral symptoms in major depressive episodes?
central: dysphoria - generalized discontent and agitation, loss of energy and so on
peripheral: guilty feelings in Canada, shame in Taiwan
what does the culture-bound syndrome (cultural concepts of distress) define?
cultural syndromes defined as clusters of symptoms and attributions that tend to co-occur among individuals in specific cultural groups, communities or contexts
What can the phenomena described as cultural syndromes be differentiated into?
distinct categories:
- set of psychopathological symptoms not attributable to an identifiable organic cause - recognized as illness
- has locally salient features
- lacks some symptoms recognizable in the west
What is a historical term for a condition marked by fatigue, weakness, insomnia, aches and pains?
Neurasthenia
is the culture-bound syndrome recognized by western professionals?
not yet
What is kuru?
a progressive psychosis and dementia indigenous to cannibalistic tribes in new guinesa have
What does a state or set of behavior in culture-bound syndromes often include?
trance or possession states
-> hearing, seeing and communicating with the dead
What could trance or possessions be recognized as if not culturally appropriate?
could indicate psychosis, delusions or hallucinations in a western setting
What does the syndrome Windigo mean?
syndrome of cannibal obsessions, the existence of which is questionable (Marano, 1985). Used to justify the expulsion or execution of a tribal outcast
-> characterized by delusions of becoming possessed by a flesh-eating monster (the windigo)
are the symptoms of anxiety ventral or peripheral?
mainly central, some peripheral
What are central symptoms of anxiety?
persistent worry, fear, state of apprehensive anticipation - maladaptive and cause significant distress
What might be peripheral symptoms of anxiety?
western: view of success
japan: being offensive to others
…
when do we NOT speak of anxiety as a disorder?
when it is culturally appropriate
What was the most common label for symptoms of depression in the past?
melancholy
What are similar symptoms of depression in more than three quarter of individuals?
adness, tension, lack of energy, loss of interest, ideas of insufficiency, inability to concentrate
What are universal and peripheral symptoms of depression?
universal: dysphoria
cultural: headache in latin countries, heart problems in middle eastern etc.
What are symptoms of schizophrenia?
Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and catatonic behavior.
-> 1% of population affected
-> universal symptoms
-> more common in black people and men
where are suicide rates higher?
in high pressure cultures
-> germany, taiwan, United States
-> highest: Sri Lanka and Hungary (ethnic violence, rapid social developments?)
What remains the most serious contributor to suicide?
depressive illness
What are personality disorders?
Enduring patterns of behavior and inner experience that deviate markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture. It is a persistent behavioral pattern that leads to the individual’s distress and impairment in one or several important areas of functioning
What does the DSM-5 suggest about personality disorders?
that judgments about appropriate and inappropriate traits vary across cultures.
-> psychologists are expected to make a determination according to the tolerance threshold
What is the tolerance threshold?
- Measure of tolerance or intolerance toward specific personality traits in a cultural environment.
- Low thresholds indicate societal intolerance, while high thresholds indicate societal tolerance.
- Societies with higher diversity acceptance have higher tolerance thresholds
What do personality disorders represent in a cultural context?
a deviation from what is considered “standard” personality in a specific social and cultural environment
What is the first assumption about personality disorders?
hypotheses about specific culture-bound personality traits that are prevalent in some cultural groups and less prevalent in others
What examples illustrate culture-bond traits?
Conscientiousness and deeply seated habits of self-discipline have been cultivated in German culture for many years. This could explain a higher occurrence of OCD in Germans compared to other nations with different cultural conditions.
What is the second assumption about personality disorders?
it embraces assumptions about specific social and cultural circumstances that determine views serving as “filters” for evaluating personality traits and disorders
How can cultural filters affect the evaluation of traits?
Some traits are considered “standard” in one culture but seen as excessive or abnormal in another
Why should cultural sensitivity be applied to personality disorders?
Cultural sensitivity involves being aware of differences without assigning them a value—positive, negative, better, or worse
How does culture influences substance abuse?
Variation in attitudes toward consumption, patterns of use, accessibility and prevalence
e.g.: alcohol, marijuana
-> therefore not universal criterion
What do some authors say regarding addictive behavior?
it has biological factors
What are psychodiagnostic biases?
the cultural background of the professional can influence his perception of different behaviors
What can cultural settings affect?
diagnostic practices
→ may also play a significant role in psychotherapy.
what do many psychologists argue today?
that professionals could use religion as a factor facilitating psychotherapy
what may facilitate the development of so-called repressive adaptive style rooted in an individuals desire to hide the symptoms?
shame of mental illness
What does the type of therapy: Intercultural mean?
Includes a professional who knows the language and culture of the client (he could belong to this cultural group)
What does the type of therapy: Bicultural mean?
- Two practitioners: Western + a native healer from the patient’s cultural background.
*To consider the patient’s cultural identity and background while also utilizing evidence-based Western
techniques and perspective.
*Effective for individuals who may feel disconnected from their cultural roots or who have experienced cultural conflict.
What does the type of therapy: Polycultural mean?
*Patient’s meetings with several therapists who represent different cultures.
*To provide the patient with exposure to different cultural perspectives and beliefs, as well as to address any cultural conflicts or misunderstandings that may arise during the therapeutic
process. The aim is to create a holistic and inclusive healing process that acknowledges the complexity of cultural identities.
Who has higher psychological functioning and sees less pathology in their clients?
matched therapists
-> it reduces diagnostic mistakes
What is the framework for successful patients-therapist interactions?
- Therapist asks client to give their interpretation of the problem.
- Therapist offers her explanation of the problem.
- Both explanations are compared
→A joint explanatory concept
