Class notes
Introduction to Psychological Disorders
- Institution
- University Of Cape Town (UCT)
- Book
- Psychology
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PsychologicalDisorders
Defining abnnoraaliyy
1. Deviance froa yhe syayisyical nora
Frequently occurring behaviour = normal
Rare behaviour = abnormal
BUT rare does not always mean the presence of psychopathology (such as a high IQ)
Who determines the cut-of oint? 1% of people? 50% of people?
2. Deviance froa yhe social nora
Person’s behaviour difers from society’s norms
Should behaving diferently = psychopathology?
Assumes socially normal behaviour is adaptve
Can be used as a means of social control: diferent genders often eppected to behave in certain Days
Homosepuality used to be classifed as a disorder in the DSM
3. Subnjecyive discoafory/disyress
Symptoms cause signifcant distress
AlloDs people to judge their need for treatment
But.. Dhat if a person’s behaviour is harmful but not distressing? Eg: substance abuse
What if behaviour causes distress to others but not to themselves? Eg: narcissism
4. Maladapyive bnehaviour
Individual cannot functon efectvely in daily life
Person may be a threat to self and/or others
Could symptoms become adaptve?
Working definiyion
Used by psychologists to determine Dhether or not psychological functoning is abnormal
Psych. disorders must fill at least 2 of these criteria:
, - Unusualness
- Deviance from the social norm
- Signifcant distress/discomfort
- Malada tve (leads to inability to functon)
- Danger to self and/or others
Psychological disorder defned as: paterns of behaviour or psychological functoning that causes people signifcant
distress, causes them to harm themselves or others, or harms their ability to functon in daily life.
Epample: depression
Depressed mood; insomnia or hypersomnia; recurrent thoughts of death or suicide (distress)
Loss of interest or leasure in actvites; diminished concentraton or indecisiveness (maladaptive)
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide (unusualness and dangerous)
Hisyory of Psychological disorders
Deaonic possession
Symptoms of psychopathology are a result of being possessed by evil demons
Sudden changes in behaviour and personality = possession
Treatment = eporcism
Tre hinaton: boring a hole into the skull to release demons responsible for abnormal behaviour
Wiychcrafy
Witches believed to be renounced by god and voluntarily having made a pact Dith the devil
Massive persecuton, especially amongst Domen
Thousands accused of Ditchcraft and epecuted for “abnormal” behaviour
Diagnostc tests designed to identfy Ditches (Dater-foat test)
Means of social control
Iabnalance of bnody’s viyal fuids
Hippocrates: Illnesses of body and mind have natural causes
Health of body and mind depends upon balance of 4 humors / vital fuids:
- Phlegm
- Black bile
- YelloD bile
- Blood
The aedical aodel
General aresis: psychological symptoms include personality changes, mood changes and dementa
1905: discovered that general paresis had a hysical cause (untreated syphilis)
Lent support to the Somatogenic Hypothesis: biological im airments cause/epplain psychological problems (eg.
Seratonin is involved Dith depression)
Gave rise to medical model and psychiatry
Psychological orders can therefore be diagnosed and treated
, HoDever, it can be tricky/impossible to fnd a direct cause for a psych. disorder
Diagnosis and Classifiaaion
DSM: Diagnostc and Statstcal Manual of mental disorders
Lists all of the psychological disorders and their symptoms
In 1952 there Dere only 128 diagnoses and 132 pages. NoD, there are 541 diagnoses and 947 pages.
Positve aspects of DSM
- Create a common language for research and data sharing
- Understand the cause of psychopathology
- Develo efectve treatment and reventon strategies
- Assess the efectveness of treatments
- Organise services and su ort (need diagnosis to access)
- Forensics, special educaton needs, fnancial compensaton, medical aid
Negatve aspects of DSM
- Assumes disorders are universal
- Locates the disorder within the individual
- Labelling people can be stgmatsing and harmful (prejudicial)
- Labelling people infuences how they see themselves and how others see them
- Defnes disorders as discrete enttes (you either have it or you don’t)
- High rates of comorbidity (79% meet the criteria for more than one disorder)
- ‘hodgepodge collecton of disorders’: rare/common; too much self-control/too litle self-control
Anxieyy Disorders
Anpiety =
- Future-orientated mood state accompanied by a strong afect
- Free-floating anxiety: anpiety that in unrelated to any realistc and s ecific known factor
Worry is more of a thought
Anpiety disorders: Dhere the most dominant symptom is epcessive or unrealistc anpiety.
Syapyoas of anxieyy
Emotonal Cognitve Somatc Behavioural
Restlessness Worry Increased heart rate Freezing up
Irritability Poor concentraton SDeatng Escape (fight)
Sense of dread Antci atng harm Rapid breathing Aggression (fght)
Terror Fear of losing control Muscle tension Avoidance
or dying Dilated pupils Decreased a ette
Hy ervigilance
Whay are anxieyy disorders?
An excessive or aroused state characterised by feelings of apprehension, uncertainty and fear
The anpiety is:
• Out of ro orton to the threat posed
• A state that the individual constantly fnds themselves in
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