1. Abnormal Psychologyti on d uct ro InAn

2. What are we studying?AbnormalBehaviourPsychopathologyMental DisorderMental IllnessDeviant Behaviour 3. The study of mental disorder involves:Definition: What do we mean by mentaldisorder?Classification: How do we distinguish betweendif ferent mental disorders?Explanation: How do we understand mentaldisorder?Treatment: How do we treat mental disorder? 4. Why study abnormal psychology?Abnormal behaviour is par t of our commonexperienceLots of unanswered questions and complexitiesPreparation for future careers www.apa.org/students/ 5. Mental Health ProfessionalsClinical Psychologist (Ph.D., C. Psych.)Psychiatrist (M.D.)Psychiatric Social Worker (M.S.W.)PsychoanalystTherapist 6. What do we mean by mental disorder?Who has a mental disorder? Mass murders? People who want to cut off their arms and legs? People who cant pay attention and concentrate? 7. Is the concept of Mental Disorder problematic?I should like to make clear, therefore, that although I consider the concept of mental illness to be unser viceable, I believe that psychiatr y could be a science. I also believe that psychotherapy is an ef fective method of helping people not to recover from an illness but rather to learn about themselves, others and life. Szasz 8. Why clarify the definition of mental disorder?Influences what is seen as pathologicalInfluences explanation, classification andtreatmentClarifies the role of professionals 9. Two broad ways to define mental disorderIn general, the concept of mental disorder can be defined as: A biomedical, culturally independent, value-freeconcept Or as a social, culturally relative, value-based concept. 10. Overview of definitions that will be discussedMental disorder as a statistical deviationMental disorder as dysfunctionMental disorder as personal discomfor tMental disorder as maladaptive behaviourMental disorder as norm or value violation 11. Mental disorder as statistical devianceA person has a mental disorder whentheir behaviour, ability, or experienceis significantly dif ferent from average. 12. Mental disorder as statisticaldeviance 13. Mental disorder as statistical devianceProblems:We want to use the term disorder to describesome conditions that are statisticallyfrequentpositive deviations are not distinguished fromnegative deviationswe do not want to call all negative deviationsa disorder 14. Uggo Betti: Allof us are mad. If it werent for thefact that every one of us is slightlyabnormal, there wouldnt be any pointof giving each person a separatename. 15. Mental disorder as a dysfunctionA person has a mental disorder when a mentalmechanism is not per forming the naturalfunction it was designed to per form.Problems: Natural selection does not design mechanisms 16. Sedgwick (1982): Allsickness is essentially deviancyfrom some alternative state of affairswhich is considered more desirableThe attribution of illness alwaysproceeds from the computation of agap between presented behaviour (orfeeling) and some social norm. 17. Mental disorder as a dysfunctionProblems cont: For many mechanisms there is a wide range ofadaptive functioning across people and situations (fearresponse). 18. Mental disorder as a dysfunctionProblems cont: Many things that we want to call a disorder mightactually be adaptive reactions. 19. Mental disorder as personal discomfortA person has a mental disorder if theyexperience personal distress.Problems: What about the person who abuses drugs or believesthey are receiving messages from outer-space without experiencing distress? 20. Mental disorder as maladaptive behaviourA person has a mental disorder if they engagein behaviour that prevents them frommeeting the demands of life.Problems: There may be situations that people should not adaptto This approach emphasizes fitting in as beingultimately important 21. Mental disorder as norm or value violationA person has a mental disorder if they haveexperiences and exhibit behaviours that areinconsistent with the norms and values ofsociety.Examples: Behaviour that is harmful to oneself or others Poor reality contact Inappropriate emotional reactions Erratic behaviour 22. Mental disorder as norm or value violationProblems: What if violation is result of external circumstances Such a criteria can seem too arbitrary and open toabuse 23. DSM-IV definition of mental disorderA mental disorder is conceptualized as aclinically significant behavioural orpsychological syndrome or pattern thatoccurs in an individual and that is associatedwith present distress or disability or with asignificantly increased risk of suf feringdeath, pain, disability, or an impor tant lossof freedom. 24. DSM-IV definition of mental disorderThe syndrome or pattern must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a par ticular event, for example, the death of a loved one. It must currently be considered a manifestation of a behavioural, psychological, or biological dysfunction in the individual. 25. Cross cultural issuesHow one thinks about the role of culturedepends on your definition of mentaldisorder 26. Cross cultural issuesIf biomedical, then culture influences how adisorder impacts members of dif ferentcultures Different risk Idiom of distress 27. Cross cultural issuesIf culturally based, then influences what will be considered a disorder Behaviour or experience may not be a disorder in allcultures 28. Non-Western approaches to mental disorderOf t endo not separate psychology and spirituality Disruption in relation to spirit worldOf ten based on more collective and less individualistic conceptualizations Disruption in interpersonal relations 29. The study of mental disorder involves:Definition: What do we mean by mentaldisorder?Categorization: How do we classify mentaldisorder?Explanation: How do we understand mentaldisorder?Treatment: How do we treat mental disorder? 30. REFERENCES:Linienfeld, S. O., & Marino, L. (1995). Mental Disorder asa Roschian Concept: A critique of Wakefield s HarmfulDysfunction analysis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology,104(3), 411-420.Szasz, T. (2000). Second commentar y on Aristotlesfunction argument. Philosophical Psychiatr y andPsychology 7(1), 3-16.Wakefield, J. (1992). The concept of mental disorder: On the boundar y between biological facts and social values. American Psychologist, 47(3), 373-388.