Introduction to Psych Disorders Notes PDF

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING Chapter: 15 Author: David G. Myers 1 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE TERM PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS? ‘Mental health workers view psychological disorders as patterns of thoughts, feelings or actions that are deviant, distressful or dysfunctional’ (Myer...

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING Chapter: 15 Author: David G. Myers 1 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE TERM PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS? ‘Mental health workers view psychological disorders as patterns of thoughts, feelings or actions that are deviant, distressful or dysfunctional’ (Myers, 2013, p.606) 2 DEFINING ABNORMALITY Introduction 3  ABNORMALITY The field concerned with the scientific study of abnormal thoughts, behaviour and feelings is psychopathology. The presence of abnormality is determined by the presence of a number of factors: 4  STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY Statistical infrequency looks at abnormality as anything that is different from the average. This means that any human characteristic (especially behaviour) which is less common amongst human beings, is considered as Very often when human characteristics are translated into abnormal, from this perspective. numbers and plotted on a graph, they seem to fall within a normal This factor is therefore looking at numbers: it does not distribution. The highest number look into what is good or bad, desirable or undesirable. of people would fall somewhere in the middle. Some people’s characteristics would fall at both ends. 5  DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS The word ‘norm’ refers to ‘something that is standard, usual or typical of a group’ (Flanagan, 2000; p.118) Social norms are established by people in a particular social context Deviation from social norms is a factor that considers abnormality as any behaviour that does not conform to social norms These norms vary over time. For example, homosexuality was considered abnormal and classified as a disorder up to the 1990s 6  FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY Failure to function adequately refers to the individual’s ability to go about their daily life without being distressed. From this point of view, abnormality is seen in terms of not being able to cope (communication with others, taking care of themselves, etc.). Abnormality also refers to distress resulting in people around the individual who is functioning inadequately (e.g., someone with narcissistic personality disorder may not be in touch with their inability to function adequately but their relatives and friends may end up distressed by their behaviour) 7  DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH Deviation from ideal mental health refers to the fact that there are particular indicators for us to determine the presence of mental ‘sickness’; these indicators suggest an absence of sound mental health Jahoda (1958) explains that indicators of good mental health by referring to individuals’ ability to: o Be autonomous and able to live with relative independence o Have a realistic perception of their experiences o Grow psychologically and reach their potential o Have a good self-esteem and a solid sense of identity o Function well in their environment o Cope with difficult situations and integrate them in their psyche 8 INCIDENCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS It is estimated that over 1.1 billion people worldwide had a mental or substance abuse disorder in 2016 (The World Health Organization - WHO) ‘Rates and symptoms of psychological disorders vary by culture, but no known society is free of two terrible maladies: depression and schizophrenia’ (Myers, 2013; p. 605) 9 UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS Which models do we use to understand these phenomena? FABRIKA 10  IN THE PAST… In the past, treatments for psychological disorders included: ▪ exorcism, ▪ being caged like animals, ▪ being beaten, ▪ burned, ▪ castrated, ▪ mutilated, or ▪ transfused with animal’s blood, ▪ trephination A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE… From the humane view ▪ Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) and others sought to to the scientific view of reform brutal treatment by promoting a new the mentally ill: understanding of the nature of mental disorders Pinel’s humane (Myers, 2013). environmental ▪ Pinel insisted that madness was not due to demonic interventions improved possession, but an ailment of the mind. lives but often did not effectively treat mental ▪ His “treatment” involved improving the environment illness and replacing the asylum beatings with patient But then… dances.  When physicians discovered that syphilis led to mental disorders, they started using a medical model THE MEDICAL MODEL to review the physical causes of these disorders. According to the Medical Model, abnormal behaviour is like a disease (psychopathology). It ‘needs to be diagnosed on the basis of its symptoms and treated during therapy, which may include time in a psychiatric hospital (Myers, 2013; p.609) By doing so, medical professionals also try to predict the development of the abnormal behaviour in the future, i.e., the prognosis.  OTHER PERSPECTIVES WHICH HELP TO UNDERSTAND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS Neuroscience - seeks to identify the organic components of mental disorders but does not insist on an exclusively biological cause. Psychological theories trace abnormal behaviour to a person’s interaction with the environment. These include: o Psychodynamic theory - which emphasise unconscious conflicts originating in childhood. o Behavioural theory – which stresses inappropriate conditioning. o Cognitive theory – which focuses on unhelpful ways of perceiving the self and the environment. o Socio-cultural approach – which examines the influence of social forces on behaviour and diagnoses. o Biopsychosocial approach – which assumes that biological, socio‐cultural, and psychological factors combine and interact to produce psychological disorders.  THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH Taken from: Myers, 2013; p.609 CLASSIFYING DISORDERS It is important to diagnose a disorder in order to decide about treatment. This helps to understand the nature/cause of the psychological symptoms. FABRIKA 16  CLASSIFYING DISORDERS The manuals There are two important manuals that help psychologists diagnose psychological disorders: Diagnoses are helpful because they: 1. create a verbal shorthand for referring to a list of associated symptoms 2. allow us to statistically study many similar cases, learning to predict outcomes 3. guide treatment choices 17 THE DSM-5-TR Diagnostic & Statistical Manual 5 Text Revision The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) It describes symptoms typically associated with psychological disorders, as well as information about possible treatments and prognoses It is used by mental health policy makers, insurance providers etc. to plan and fund therapeutic interventions for mental disorders The last version of the DSM was published in 2022. Typically, a number of years go by between different editions of such manuals. In-between editions, experts in the field continue to study and research the area of mental health , aiming to capture better the nature and course of each disorder. THE ICD-II International Classification of Diseases The ICD is published by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The last edition was published in 2018. Similar to the DSM, it includes descriptions and diagnostic guidelines on mental and behavioural disorders. Used since 1994 by WHO members states. ‘The ICD is […] used by health insurers whose reimbursements depend on ICD coding; national health programme managers; data collection specialists; and others who track progress in global health and determine the allocation of health resources. The new ICD-11 also reflects progress in medicine and advances in scientific understanding’ (https://www.who.int)  CRITIQUE OF DIAGNOSTIC MANUALS Diagnostic manuals are highly criticised for different reasons, such as: It is often difficult to clearly mark the boundaries between what is ‘normal’ and what is ‘disordered’ The way we see the world and human behaviour is influenced by a recipe-like list of symptoms (behaviours and mental states) and diagnostic labels. Due to the changes in diagnostic labels individuals may lose on treatment or benefits, e.g., children previously diagnosed with Asperger may as a result lose benefits/services. 20 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS 21 Anxiety Disorders OCD PTSD Schizophrenia Mood Disorders Personality Disorders 22