Unit 6 Psychopathology assignment
P1
Psychopathology refers to any behaviour which is extreme or difficult to control, and it’s the
study of mental illness or mental distress or the manifestation of behaviours and experiences
which may be indicative of mental illness or psychological impairment. There are many
professions that may be involved in studying mental illnesses or distress.
(https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/psychopathology.htm)
Mental and physical illnesses have been around from the start, so our perspective on these
illnesses was different than they are now, our understanding and expertise on it are more
advanced therefore our diagnoses have changed for the better.
Mental health and psychopathology are heavily married together, mental health is considered to
be a broad spectrum that ranges from psychologically healthy and psychologically unhealthy -
being psychologically healthy means that the individual's mental state is in good condition and
they can withstand all their stresses in their life and can achieve their potential. Whereas,
psychologically unhealthy is the complete opposite meaning their mental state is in poor
condition, which is considered as abnormal behaviour as not the majority of people suffer from
this type of behaviour.
Statistical Definitions are very beneficial as they determine if the presence of a particular
symptom is significantly different than the general population which is essentially the norm that
can be considered psychopathology - the statistical “norm” is the mean (average) or modal
(most frequent) example of a particular behaviour. So for instance, you’d see whether a specific
symptom is considered as a “norm” in society amongst people, whether it’s common.
A more in-depth example is that many people within society display traits of anxiety, but for one
individual to be diagnosed with anxiety or an anxiety disorder, their level of anxiety and
symptoms would need to be significantly higher than the rest of the population. Norms are
beneficial as they help explain psychopathology, so those who suffer from high levels of anxiety
would then benefit and help them if they did anxiety techniques that help them manage it. You
not only need to focus on people on the high part of the spectrum but towards the bottom -
norms used in several areas of psychopathology, especially when considering the intelligence of
someone with learning disabilities, their symptoms and intelligence is compared to other norms
the same age. This allows you to have an understanding and if any recurring patterns are
happening.
Social and political norms can be influential with what is clinically psychopathological - so
behaviour that is substantially at odds with what is considered acceptable so the “norm” within
society is often considered to be in some way abnormal - may differ from what is statistically
abnormal. Essentially what is acceptable and what is abnormal is usually specific to cultures,
politics, different society and particular times in history. A well-known example of this is, that in
1997, it was illegal to be homosexual as a man, which at times resulted in them being
criminalised. Society norms change as times change, such as women not being able to vote or
gay couples not being able to get married - although some people may disagree still, the
majority of modern countries will allow these to happen now.
, Biological models argue that there are many influences on mental disorders such as that the
consequence is associated with our genetics and physiology - meaning that it examines our
feelings, thoughts and behaviours. One significant factor this model states is genetics, for
example when exploring psychology in families, you can look at twins to understand the overall
likelihood of that family member or the individual developing the psychological disorder. The
likelihood is called concordance - which relates to the disorder being genetic. The
diathesis-stress model is still biological, and it can be used to elaborate how some individuals
will have inherited vulnerability to developing a disorder if exposed to certain stressors within the
environment - this links to severe psychological disorders such as schizophrenia. A different
perspective for neuroscience is another way to explain biology to mental disorders - this model
instead focuses on the brain structure and function with consideration of hormones. For
example, it’s known that any damage to the frontal lobes which is the section of the brain that is
associated with our problem solving and planning so essentially it’s our “control panel” for our
personality (how we act and handle ourselves). Damage to this has been known to contribute to
several mental disorders including attention disorders, lack of motivation and an overall
reduction in emotional - hence why some serial killers have known to have damage done to
their frontal lobe (damage to that area has known to cause aggression and impulsive
behaviour). A case that proves this, regarding the damage to the frontal lobe causes
aggression, is when Phineas P. Gage, had a metal rod that went through his head (through the
frontal lobe) and survived, and due to this, it affected his emotions and overall aggression
resulting in him being very violent. The amygdala which is a part of the limbic system helps
process all emotions we experience, this area of the brain is a critical part of the development
and control of phobias and anxieties. Therefore, those who suffer from more phobias and
anxieties tend to have a higher level of brain activity within the amygdala when they’re exposed
to their phobias. A small amygdala has been linked with a fear of spiders according to Fisler et
al 2013 - from this, we can assume that a smaller amygdala may lead to a vulnerability for
phobias.
Chemicals in the brain that help the messages to be sent through the body which are
neurotransmitters have been linked with several mental disorders, such as psychosis and mood
disorders - our chemicals heavily influence a lot of things. For example, low levels of serotonin
can link to anxiety and depression, this is because serotonin stabilizes our moods and makes us
happier. Lower levels of norepinephrine can lead to ADHD.
Psychological models - There are three and these models propose dysfunction or disruption
in a psychological process can lead to the development of a mental disorder. These models
consider symptoms or distress as often being a normal response to a difficult situation and
experience.
The psychodynamic model looks at how early childhood experiences can impact the
development of an individual, therefore suggests that unconscious feelings from early trauma
may later contribute to later hysteria which is essentially fear or panic in a situation when it’s too
much out of context. Due to this childhood trauma, the mind tries to protect against later distress
by essentially repressing the memories that would cause them to be in distress. An example of
this would be if an individual was sexually abused as a child, their brain may have attempted to
repress and forget about those memories. This repression is considered a defence mechanism
