PSYCH 340: Chapter 1
Three components of psychopathology:
- Affect: study of emotions and maladaptive feelings
- Behavior: understanding nature of maladpative behaviors and how they develop
- Cognition: study of maladaptive thought processes
Define objectivity.
Non-biased understanding and treatment of mental illness
What happens when all subjectivity is lost?
Therapy becomes like checking off a checklist. No empathy isn't good because it would be difficult to connect to a client
5 components of abnormal behavior:
- Statistical infrequency
- Violation of social norms
- Disability/dysfunction
- Personal suffering
- Unexpectedness
Explain diability/dysfunction.
Inability to leave the house or perform everyday tasks like get out of bed, go to work, speak to friends, etc.
Explain statistical infrequency.
Does it happen often? More than usual? Should it be happening that much?
Explain violation of social norms.
Going against "status quo"
Explain unexpectedness.
The situation should not typically occur.
Ex.: You should not be having an anxiety attack over a sink full of dirty dishes
3 pre-scientific inquiries about psychopathology:
- Demonology
- Supernatural explanations
- Possessions by demons
What is trepanning and which pre-scientific inquiry is it associated with?
Trepanning is the making of holes in the skull in order to release the body of whatever is controlling a person. Associated with demonology
What has trepanning been adapated to treat?
It is used today to treat epilepsy by surgically releasing pressure in the brain
What is Hippocrates' major contribution to psychopathology?
He separated medicine from religion and advocated for natural causes and treatments of mental illness
Define somatogenesis.
Belief that mental disorders originate from physical functions (the body = soma)
Define psychogenesis.
Belief that mental disorders originate from psychological processes
When asylums first opened, what were they used for?
Admitted anyone who didn't fit the social norms, like hysterical women, homeless people, and others with undiagnosed/diagnosed mental illness. It became a tourist attraction, like a circus or a zoo. Patients endured horrible living conditions and were often treated inhumanely
Who is Benjamin Rush?
Considered the father of psychiatry. He improved conditions in asylums (but his methods would never pass today)
Who advocated for a more humanitarian approach in treatment? (2)
Philippe Pinel and Dorothea Dix
Explain Mesmer's theory of animal magnetism.
Belief that everyone has an innate animalistic drive to realign mind and body; striving to reach a sort of orgasmic experience in life
What treatment method was used to treat hysteria in early psychopathology?
Hypnosis
What is deinstitutionalization?
Replacing long-term psychiatric stays in hospitals with community care: offering services in the community for the mentally ill with a goal to reduce isolation.
What is a risk of deinstitutionalization? (define)
Transintitutionalization: moving from one psychiatric hospital, or prison, to another and not receiving adequate/effective care.
Define self-stigma.
The tendency to internalize mental illness and pose a negative connotation to these feelings and emotions.
Which mental illness is very stigmatized?
Borderline Personality Disorder
Who are likely to be stigmatized (mental illness or not)?
- Sexual minorities (LGBTQ+)
- Men
- People with low SES