Psychopathology

• A mental disorder is a condition in which people display abnormal moods, thoughts, and behaviours that are long-lasting.
• Psychopathology is the study of mental disorders.
• The DSM is a tool for diagnosing mental disorders.
• To diagnose patients who might have mental disorders Doctors use the self-report technique and the DSM.
• The method of collecting data that asks participants to provide information about their own feelings, thoughts, and behaviours is called the self-report technique.
• Psychopathology is the study of mental disorders.
• Psychopathology research is beneficial for everyone.
• Psychopathology research can be used to prevent absenteeism.
• The study of mental disorders, which is called psychopathology, is good for the economy, because it helps us find treatments that make people healthier. And when people are healthier, they are more productive.
• There are four ways of defining abnormality in psychology.
• The four ways of defining abnormality in psychology are:

  1. deviation from social norms
  2. deviation from ideal mental health
  3. failure to function adequately
  4. statistical infrequency
• Before we can diagnose someone with a mental disorder, we first need to define what counts as abnormal. There are four possible definitions of abnormality.
• Strength of deviation from social norms definition of abnormality: The definition helps to minimise harm to others.
• A positive consequence of classifying people as being abnormal using the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is the definition means that we can treat people, and prevent them from causing harm to others.
• WEAKNESS: Using the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality, diagnoses of mental disorders are not consistent over time. This means that the diagnosis may lack reliability/temporal validity
• Deviation From Social Norms: Weaknesses: It means that our classification of mental disorders has to be updated all the time, as social norms change. AND  It means that our diagnoses of mental disorders lack reliability, because they’re not consistent over time.
• Second limitation of using deviation from social norms to define abnormal behaviour: People from ethnic minorities might be considered abnormal, because they’re being judged by social norms that are different to their own culture AND People from ethnic minorities might be misdiagnosed as having a mental disorder, because they are judged by different cultural norms.
• A second weakness of the deviation from social norms definition of abnormality is that social norms vary across cultures.
• When a person behaves in a way that is different to everyone else’s behaviour, we say that they deviate from normal behaviour.
• To determine if a person has ideal mental health or not, Marie Jahoda came up with 6 or six criteria.
• According to the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality, the more a person deviates from ideal mental health, the more abnormal they are.
• Jahoda’s six criteria for ideal mental health:

  1. positive self-attitude
  2. behaving independently
  3. self-actualisation
  4. resistance to stress
  5. accurate perception of reality
  6. environmental mastery
• Of Jahoda’s list, the first two criteria are having a positive self-attitude and behaving independently.
• According to Jahoda, self actualisation is when a person constantly tries to develop and improve themselves.
• The third and fourth of Jahoda’s six criteria are: self-actualisation and resistance to stress.
• Deviation form ideal mental health - strengths: by using Jahoda’s criteria, it enables patients who are diagnosed as abnormal to set themselves clear goals for achieving ideal mental health.
• Deviation from ideal mental health - weaknesses: The criteria are difficult to measure objectively AND The criteria are overly demanding.
• The third definition of abnormality is called failure to function adequately. According to the third definition, a person is abnormal if they are unable to cope with everyday life.
• One strength of the failure to function adequately definition of abnormality is that abnormal behaviours are easy to observe and measure.
• Failure to function adequately: The behaviours that indicate that a person isn’t coping with everyday life are easy to observe and measure. Based on this definition, people who are abnormal are easily identified and diagnosed.
• he failure to function adequately definition of abnormality fails to identify people who do cope well with everyday life, but that have a mental disorder.
• weaknesses of the failure to function adequately definition of abnormality:

  1. People with mental disorders aren’t always unable to cope with everyday life.
  2. Some maladaptive behaviours cause failure to cope with everyday life, but they are not signs of a mental disorder.
• the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality says that behaviour is considered abnormal if the behaviour is statistically infrequent and it also says that behaviour is considered abnormal if only a small percentage of people display the behaviour.
• Psychologists usually consider the top 2.5% and the bottom 2.5%​ of a normal distribution to be abnormal.
• Doctors use normal distributions to determine whether a trait is statistically infrequent.
• A cut-off point of 5%​ is usually used to determine abnormality.
• When behaviour or trait is shared by 5%​ of the population or less, it is defined as abnormal.
• using the statistical frequency definition have on diagnoses means that doctors will be more objective, it relies less on the doctor's interpretation of the patient and the doctor is less likely to display personal bias.
• weaknesses of the statistical infrequency definition of abnormality:

  1. Some traits are statistically infrequent but they’re also desirable.
  2. Some mental disorders aren’t statistically infrequent.
• The deviation from social norms definition of abnormality states that an individual is considered abnormal if their behaviour differs significantly from what society considers acceptable.