Chapter 18 Psychological Disorders Section One: What are Psychological Disorders?

Psychological Disorders Behavior patterns or mental processes that cause serious personal suffering or interfere with a person’s ability to cope with everyday life.

Identifying Psychological Disorders A difficult thing to do Criteria is used (Measurements or standards) 4 CRITERIA: Typicality Maladaptivity Emotional Discomfort Socially Unacceptable Behavior

Typicality "Is the behavior considered normal or abnormal for the average person?“ A behavior may be judged abnormal if it occurs infrequently in a given population. But, this alone does not determine what is normal.

Maladaptivity "Is the person able to function in society?“ People who suffer from psychological disorders may be so disabled or dysfunctional that they are unable to get along with others, hold a job, eat properly or clean themselves. People who are maladaptive are destructive to themselves.

Emotional Discomfort “Does the person feel helpless or hopeless? Ex. People who are depressed often suffer feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, guilt, etc. Keep in mind that many psychological disorders cause little or no emotional discomfort.

Socially Unacceptable Behavior “Does the behavior violate society’s accepted norms?” (Norms are a rules for accepted and expected behaviors in a particular culture)

Consider the following behaviors on the next few slides and decide whether or not there is evidence of a psychological disorder. (Use the criteria) A. A man walks up to a window, through which no one can see him, carrying a chair. He puts down the chair, opens the window, takes off his clothes, and seats himself in the chair. Why? He says he feels the need for an “air bath”.

B. Every morning, a woman who lives in a New York City suburb asks her husband to bring in the morning newspaper, which the carrier throws just inside their fence. She does this because she is terribly afraid of encountering a poisonous snake. Her husband, concerned about her behavior, repeatedly tells her that no poisonous snakes have been seen in their area for over 30 years. Nevertheless, she is afraid to leave the house.

C. A teenage boy packs a blanket and some water C. A teenage boy packs a blanket and some water. Ignoring near-freezing temperatures, he climbs a near by mountain, spreads the blanket on the ground, sits cross-legged on it, closes his eyes, and remains there throughout the night. In the morning, he runs home and tells his father he has seen a vision.

D. A teenage girl misses school for three days D. A teenage girl misses school for three days. She periodically breaks into tears. She finds it nearly impossible to get out of bed in the morning, although she cannot sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. She has no appetite and becomes nauseated if people urge her to eat.

Classifying The most widely used is the DSM or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the APA. It is subject to on-going revisions. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS CAN ONLY BE DIAGNOSED BY A SKILLED PROFESSIONAL AFTER CAREFUL EVALUATION!!

DSM U.S. insurance companies require a DSM classification before they will cover therapy for a disorder. It divides disorders into 16 clinical syndromes with descriptions and estimates of the # of people who have each disorder. It does NOT list possible causes.

DSM 1950s-1st Edition-didn’t mention the term “anorexia nervosa”. 3rd Edition dropped “homosexuality” as a disorder. The 1st edition had 60 categories, the 4th edition (1990s) had more than 400! Terminology changes. Example today we say “Bipolar” for someone who used be called “Manic Depressive”.

What is “insanity”? Legal term pertaining to a defendant's ability to determine right from wrong when a crime is committed. Insanity is a concept discussed in court to help distinguish guilt from innocence. It's informed by mental health professionals, but the term today is primarily legal, not psychological. There's no "insane" diagnosis listed in the DSM.