The harm may include significant internal anguish e. To illustrate, Janet has an extreme fear of spiders. Similar to how the symptoms of physical illness reflect dysfunctions in biological processes, the symptoms of psychological disorders presumably reflect dysfunctions in mental processes.
The internal mechanism component of this model is especially appealing because it implies that disorders may occur through a breakdown of biological functions that govern various psychological processes, thus supporting contemporary neurobiological models of psychological disorders Fabrega, Many of the features of the harmful dysfunction model are incorporated in a formal definition of psychological disorder developed by the American Psychiatric Association APA.
According to the APA , a psychological disorder is a condition that is said to consist of the following:. In truth, no single approach to defining a psychological disorder is adequate by itself, nor is there universal agreement on where the boundary is between disordered and not disordered. From time to time we all experience anxiety, unwanted thoughts, and moments of sadness; our behavior at other times may not make much sense to ourselves or to others.
Psychological disorders are conditions characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Although challenging, it is essential for psychologists and mental health professionals to agree on what kinds of inner experiences and behaviors constitute the presence of a psychological disorder. Inner experiences and behaviors that are atypical or violate social norms could signify the presence of a disorder; however, each of these criteria alone is inadequate.
Harmful dysfunction describes the view that psychological disorders result from the inability of an internal mechanism to perform its natural function.
Discuss why thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that are merely atypical or unusual would not necessarily signify the presence of a psychological disorder. Provide an example. Identify a behavior that is considered unusual or abnormal in your own culture; however, it would be considered normal and expected in another culture. Just because something is atypical or unusual does not mean it is disordered.
A person may experience atypical inner experiences or exhibit unusual behaviors, but she would not be considered disordered if they are not distressing, disturbing, or reflecting a dysfunction.
For example, a classmate might stay up all night studying before exams; although atypical, this behavior is unlikely to possess any of the other criteria for psychological disorder mentioned previously. Skip to main content. Psychological Disorders. Search for:. What Are Psychological Disorders? Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Understand the problems inherent in defining the concept of psychological disorder Describe what is meant by harmful dysfunction Identify the formal criteria that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors must meet to be considered abnormal and, thus, symptomatic of a psychological disorder.
Answer 1. Glossary atypical describes behaviors or feelings that deviate from the norm. Every culture and society has its own views on what constitutes abnormal behaviour and what causes it Brothwell, Ancient Hindu tradition attributed psychological disorder to sorcery and witchcraft. During the Middle Ages it was believed that mental illness occurred when the body was infected by evil spirits, particularly the devil.
Remedies included whipping, bloodletting, purges, and trepanation cutting a hole in the skull, Figure In France, one of the key reformers was Philippe Pinel , who believed that mental illness was caused by a combination of physical and psychological stressors, exacerbated by inhumane conditions. Pinel advocated the introduction of exercise, fresh air, and daylight for the inmates, as well as treating them gently and talking with them. Bucke , Charles K. Clarke , Clifford W. Beers , and Clarence M.
Hincks were instrumental in creating mental hospitals that treated patients humanely and attempted to cure them if possible Figure These reformers saw mental illness as an underlying psychological disorder, which was diagnosed according to its symptoms and which could be cured through treatment.
Dr Richard Bucke was appointed superintendent of the Asylum for the Insane in Hamilton in and a year later of the asylum in London, Ontario.
He believed mental illness was a failure of the human biological adaptive process. In his attempts to reform the crude treatment of mentally ill patients he abandoned the practice of pacifying the inmates with alcohol or restraining them, and inaugurated regular cultural and sports events for patients.
Dr Charles Clarke was an assistant superintendent at the Hamilton asylum in the early s, and later superintendent of the asylum at Kingston, Ontario. By he had changed the asylum from a jail to a hospital and was instructing nurses and attendants in the care of the mentally ill. Dix was a Massachusetts schoolteacher who wrote, lectured, and informed the public and legislators about the deplorable conditions in mental institutions like those shown in Figure She was successful in influencing a number of state legislatures either to establish or improve their mental institutions, and because of her efforts a mental hospital was built in St.
She also lobbied the Nova Scotia legislature and oversaw the building of a hospital for mental patients in that province. Phillipe Pinel was a French physician who became intensely interested in mental health in the s. He took a psychological approach as opposed to the prominent biological approach that was the custom and introduced new forms of treatments that involved close contact with and careful observation of patients.
At the time, his therapy was quite contrary to the usual practices of bleeding, purging, or blistering. Despite the progress made since the s in public attitudes about those who suffer from psychological disorders, people, including police, coworkers, and even friends and family members, still stigmatize people with psychological disorders. A stigma refers to a disgrace or defect that indicates that person belongs to a culturally devalued social group.
In some cases the stigma of mental illness is accompanied by the use of disrespectful and dehumanizing labels, including names such as crazy, nuts, mental, schizo, and retard.
The stigma of mental disorder affects people while they are ill, while they are healing, and even after they have healed Schefer, On a community level, stigma can affect the kinds of services social service agencies give to people with mental illness, and the treatment provided to them and their families by schools, workplaces, places of worship, and health-care providers.
While media portrayal of mental illness is often sympathetic, negative stereotypes still remain in newspapers, magazines, film, and television. See the following video for an example. Television advertisements may perpetuate negative stereotypes about the mentally ill. The most significant problem of the stigmatization of those with psychological disorder is that it slows their recovery.
People with mental problems internalize societal attitudes about mental illness, often becoming so embarrassed or ashamed that they conceal their difficulties and fail to seek treatment. Despite all of these challenges, however, many people overcome psychological disorders and go on to lead productive lives. People do not choose to have a mental illness. Second, we must all work to help overcome the stigma associated with disorder.
Organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association CMHA help by working to reduce the negative impact of stigma through education, community action, and individual support. Psychologists have developed criteria that help them determine whether behaviour should be considered a psychological disorder and which of the many disorders particular behaviours indicate. These criteria are laid out in a 1,page manual known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM , a document that provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders American Psychiatric Association, The DSM is used by therapists, researchers, drug companies, health insurance companies, and policymakers in Canada and the United States to determine what services are appropriately provided for treating patients with given symptoms.
The first edition of the DSM was published in on the basis of census data and psychiatric hospital statistics. Since then, the DSM has been revised five times.
The fifth edition DSM-5 is the most recent edition and was published in The DSM does not attempt to specify the exact symptoms that are required for a diagnosis. Rather, the DSM uses categories, and patients whose symptoms are similar to the description of the category are said to have that disorder.
The DSM frequently uses qualifiers to indicate different levels of severity within a category. For instance, the disorder of mental retardation can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Each revision of the DSM takes into consideration new knowledge as well as changes in cultural norms about disorder. Homosexuality, for example, was listed as a mental disorder in the DSM until , when it was removed in response to advocacy by politically active gay rights groups and changing social norms.
The current version of the DSM lists about disorders. Most insurance companies will not pay for therapy unless the patient has a DSM diagnosis. Two common critiques of the DSM are that the categorization system leaves quite a bit of ambiguity in diagnosis and that it covers such a wide variety of behaviours. Zack, aged seven years, has always had trouble settling down. He is easily bored and distracted. In school, he cannot stay in his seat for very long and he frequently does not follow instructions.
He is constantly fidgeting or staring into space. Zack has poor social skills and may overreact when someone accidentally bumps into him or uses one of his toys. At home, he chatters constantly and rarely settles down to do a quiet activity, such as reading a book. But what do the symptoms mean?
Does Zack simply have a lot of energy and a short attention span? Boys mature more slowly than girls at this age, and perhaps Zack will catch up in the next few years. One possibility is for the parents and teachers to work with Zack to help him be more attentive, to put up with the behaviour, and to wait it out.
ADHD is a developmental behaviour disorder characterized by problems with focus, difficulty maintaining attention, and inability to concentrate, in which symptoms start before seven years of age Canadian Mental Health Association, In adults the symptoms of ADHD include forgetfulness, difficulty paying attention to details, procrastination, disorganized work habits, and not listening to others.
The diagnosis of ADHD has quadrupled over the past 20 years, and it is now diagnosed in about one out of every 37 Canadian children. ADHD is also being diagnosed much more frequently in adolescents and adults Barkley, You might wonder what this all means. Perhaps drug companies are also involved, because ADHD is often treated with prescription medications, including stimulants such as Ritalin.
Although skeptics argue that ADHD is overdiagnosed and is a handy excuse for behavioural problems, most psychologists believe that ADHD is a real disorder that is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Jared is able to maintain eye contact and enjoys mixing with other children, but he cannot communicate with them very well. Here he was tested by a pediatric neurologist, a psychologist, and a child psychiatrist. He diagnosed Jared with a pervasive developmental disorder , because while his comprehension and expressive language was poor, he was still able to carry out nonverbal tasks, such as drawing a picture or doing a puzzle.
The psychologist believed that the autism diagnosis was correct because, like other children with autism, Jared, has a poorly developed ability to see the world from the perspective of others, engages in unusual behaviours such as talking about trucks for hours, and responds to stimuli, such as the sound of a car or an airplane, in unusual ways. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.
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Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. What exactly is a psychological disorder? How is a psychological disorder diagnosed? Defining exactly what constitutes a psychological disorder can be tricky and, definitions have changed over time. The first problem is that a mental health professional must first decide exactly how to define "disorder.
How do you decide what's normal and what's abnormal? If you were to define disorder as something that lies outside of the statistical norm, then people who are considered exceptionally talented or gifted in a particular area would be regarded as abnormal.
So rather than focus on actions that are considered outside of the normal statistically speaking, psychologists tend to concentrate on the results of those behaviors. Behaviors that are considered maladaptive and cause significant personal distress and interrupt daily functioning are more likely to be labeled as disorders. Today, many mental health professionals agree that psychological disorders are characterized by both personal distress and impairment in multiple areas of life.
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