Abnormal Psychology Psychology Ms. Currey

Reminder Psychology: is the study of the way people think feel and act in everyday life.

I. Psychological Disorders Behaviors or mental processes that cause pain or make it so a person CAN’T deal with everyday life.

Goals for the today: 1. How do psychologists define a psychological disorder? (4 criteria) 2. How were psychological disorders treated in the past vs today? 3. What causes disorders? 4. How are psychological disorders diagnosed?

A. Identifying Psychological Disorders Almost 1/3 of people in the U.S. have some sort of psychological disorder at some point in their lives. So how do you know if you have a psychological disorder?

A. Identifying Psychological Disorders People with psychological disorders usually aren’t that different) from “normal people” (or the majority of the population). They often just have an exaggeration or are more extreme in terms of certain thoughts or behaviors.

A. Identifying Psychological Disorders Example: Wanting to be clean is pretty “normal” Having an urge to wash your hands until they bleed is not normal.

B. Symptoms of Psychological Disorders Note: Just because someone may exhibit some of these symptoms it does NOT necessarily mean that they definitely have a psychological disorder! It is EXTREMELY difficult to diagnose someone with a psychological disorder

B. Symptoms of Psychological Disorders Psychologists look at 4 different things to try to figure out if a person may have a psychological disorder.

1. Maladaptivity Do a person’s thoughts or actions make it hard for them to live normally in everyday life? Does the person have thoughts or behaviors that are dangerous to themselves or others? Ex) Alcohol abuse; suicide thoughts; physically abusive to others or oneself

2. Unjustifiable Behavior Behavior doesn’t have rational basis. Behavior doesn’t make sense in a given context.

3. Disturbing Behavior Behavior hurts or bothers other people

4. Typicality How does a person’s thoughts or behavior compare to most people in that person’s culture? Are they “normal”?

History of treatment 15 th century: disorders because of demon possession Treatment: torture or execution to release bad spirits.

History cont. 18 th century: no more executions BUT people who had disorders were locked up or displayed like zoo animals. NOT treated!

Humane treatment rare until…. 1800s: Philippe Pinel Psychological Disorders= sickness Treatment: talk to patients, treat them gently and provide clean living conditions.

If Disorders are a sickness, what causes them? Medical? Physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated and cured. Still used today! Depression, Schizphrenia treated with medicine.

Problem w/medical model Doesn’t consider how environment or culture can lead to disorders. So…..

Bio-Psycho-Social Model Studies how biological, psychological, and social factors COMBINE to produce psychological disorders. Nature AND Nurture.

Part 1: Biological Genetic predisposition: Some disorders run in the family! Some people naturally can’t handle trauma as well as others. Esp apparent in people with Depression.

Part 2: Psychological People have different ways of thinking about an event. Ex: Breakup

Part 3: Social Roles and expectations, definitions of normality and disorders. People in the West are more likely to feel pressure to be thin or find true love.

III. Classifying Psychological Disorders Once a psychologist believes that someone shows some signs of maybe having a psychological disorder they need to classify it to try to figure out exactly what disorder someone has so that it can be treated.

Why do Psychologists classify? 1. Describe the disorder 2. Predict future cause of disorder 3. Treat disorder properly 4. Research disorder’s causes

III. Classifying Psychological Disorders DSM IV TR: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4 th edition with Text Revision) Most widely used classification system for psychological disorders.

17 Dif categories of disorders Page 567 in textbook

How are disorders diagnosed? See green box p567. Based on selecting 1 or more syndrome Decide if it’s a personality disorder or mental retardation. Are other medical problems present? Are there environmental problems? How does this person function in day to day life?

Does the DSM IV always work? Study in 1987: Psychologists diagnosed 75 patients. 83% of the time they had the same diagnosis. DSM IV is NOT perfect.

Problems Study in 1999 found that 48% of Americans would qualify for a diagnosis at some point in their lives! DSM can create labels that are hard to shake. “People with disorders are CRAZY!”

Stigma Prisoners in Rosenhan exp Treated differently even when symptoms no longer displayed.

Media TV: 70% of people with disorders are criminals or violent Real life: 90% of people with disorders are NOT dangerous

The real stats: 1991 in U.S. Alcoholism: 23.8% men, 4.6% women Depression: 5.2% men, 10.2% women Schizophrenia: 1.2% men, 1.7% women

Drawbacks to labeling It doesn’t tell us HOW people get disorders. Good things: Helps us understand and communicate about disorders so we can plan treatment.

B. 6 Major Types of Psychological Disorders 1. Anxiety Disorders 2. Mood Disorders 3. Dissociative Disorders 4. Schizophrenic Disorders 5. Personality Disorders

Dr. Phil Abnormal Psych!

Exit Slip 1. How do psychologists define a psychological disorder? (4 criteria) 2. How were psychological disorders treated in the past vs today? 3. What causes disorders? 4. How are psychological disorders diagnosed?