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Abnormal psych 1 - notes
Abnormal Psychology (PSY 412)
Campbellsville University
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Abnormal psych → Abnormal behavior v {mental illness, psychopathology}
● Deviance- doing/feeling something that deviates from the norm ● Distressful- some level, but not always what you think {personality disorder→ thinks they're fine - not distress - untold} ● Dysfunctional - keeping them from living their life normally, might be different than how it was before (jobs, friendships, etc) ● Dangerous - can have danger, most people are not dangerous with a mental illness - more of a myth than anything
- Trephining - procedure - used instruments to make holes in the skull to let the “evil” out which is supposed to cure their mental illness
Hippocrates - medical model V Natural causes are behind mental/physical illness Brain, heredity, injuries
- Could be treated → preventative, fix
Modern perspective
- Physical
- Environmental - home life, trauma, poor coping skills
- Often combination
DSM-5 - diagnostic & statistical manual of mental disorders - Bible for abnormal psych -how to diagnose ● Diagnostic criteria ● Specific types - (major depression/adjustment disorder/postpartum)
● Prevalence - how many people have this disorder at some point in thier life ● Gender - and culture related issues ● Developmental course - defiant, struggle to adopt mindset → at risk to be “psychopath” ● Differential diagnosis - what your symptoms look like, compared to others- can be similar symptoms, but can use the differences to rule out {effective treatment plans making them worse?} ● Comorbidity - more than 1 disorder at a time (anxiety/depression) (substance abuse - common)
● Descriptive, not explanatory - can diagnose, but you might not find out why ● Does not provide treatment plans - up to the therapist
Risks of diagnosing: - Stigmatizing - attached to certain disorders/mental health (personality disorders) - Ineffective or harmful treatment - Self-fulfilling prophecies - might not be willing to try as hard (excuse) - Poor view of therapy and therapists
To reduce risks
- Make client a part of the process
- Open: ended and closed questions
- Consult with supervisor & colleagues
- Get info from others who know client
- Consider earlier diagnosis without narrowing thinking
- Dont jump to diagnostic conclusions
- Risk-benefit analysis - more likely to help or hurt if i diagnose?
- Better to under, rather than overdiagnose
- Think horses, not zebras - dont overstretch - read room - whats more likely ?
Also, consider - Is behavior justified given the circumstances? - Is behavior developmentally normal? - Is there a reliable pattern of “more days than not?” - Is it causing problems/distress? - Rule out substance abuse/medical condition
Abnormal psych 1 - notes
Course: Abnormal Psychology (PSY 412)
University: Campbellsville University
