Chapter 14 – Psychological Disorders
A. Conceptions of Mental Disorders
I. Psychopathology—also called abnormal psychology; refers to the study of mental
disorders ("disease process of the psyche/mind")
i. Early Conceptions of Mental Disorder
a. Evil spirits
b. Somatogenic hypothesis—the hypothesis that mental disorders
are caused by physical illness (e.g., infections, injury)
c. Psychogenic hypothesis—the hypothesis that mental disorders
arise via psychological processes (Freud believed this)
ii. Modern Conceptions of Mental Disorders—reflect the integration
of evidence from different scientific disciplines
a. Diathesis-Stress Models—describe psychopathology as developing
when a stressful event occurs for someone with a genetic risk (i.e.,
a biological predisposition), or diathesis, for a particular type of
disorder.
i. When your bucket (diathesis) overflows from water
(stress), you develop the disorder
b. Multicausal Models—emphasize that there may be many different
types of diatheses (e.g., biopsychosocial model)
B. Defining, Assessing, and Diagnosing Mental Disorders
I. Mental Disorder
i. Criteria
a. Deviate from cultural norms?
b. Maladaptive?
c. Self-destructive? Distress? Threaten others?
d. Discomfort or concern from others?
ii. Must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a
particular event (e.g., death of a loved one)
iii. Duration and severity are important
II. Prevalence—refers to how widespread a disorder is
, i. Point Prevalence—how many people have a disorder at a given time
ii. Lifetime Prevalence—how many people will have the disorder at any point in
their lives (46% of all people will have at least 1 mental illness in their
lifetime)
III. Assessment—refers to the set of procedures used to gather information about
an individual
i. Diagnosis—a statement that an individual has a particular mental disorder
a. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM 5)—a
manual that lists the symptom criteria required to make a diagnosis
● Problems include categorical vs. dimensional approach;
comorbidity (p factor?)
ii. Clinical Interviews—involve acquiring information in a face-to-face setting by
asking questions as well as observing behaviors (can be structured or
unstructured)
a. Signs (observed by the interviewer; from objective physiological
measures) vs. Symptoms (from the patient report)
iii. Self-report Measures—gather information by having the patient response
to questions on a questionnaire
iv. Projective Tests—tests based on the assumption that aspects of an
individual’s unconscious conflicts or motives may be inferred from their
responses to ambiguous stimuli, such as the Rorschach Inkblot Test or TAT;
although common among practicing clinicians, their use is not supported by
most researchers because of a lack of evidence for validity
v. Neuropsychological testing
IV. Labeling of mental disorders
i. Pros: gives clinicians and researchers a "common language"; can improve
treatment; facilitates research about causes of disorders
ii. Cons: labels bring stigma, which can prevent people from getting the help
they need; also can cause individual more stress because now labeled as
having a mental illness
C. Personality Disorders
I. Characterized by maladaptive patterns of typical personality traits
A. Conceptions of Mental Disorders
I. Psychopathology—also called abnormal psychology; refers to the study of mental
disorders ("disease process of the psyche/mind")
i. Early Conceptions of Mental Disorder
a. Evil spirits
b. Somatogenic hypothesis—the hypothesis that mental disorders
are caused by physical illness (e.g., infections, injury)
c. Psychogenic hypothesis—the hypothesis that mental disorders
arise via psychological processes (Freud believed this)
ii. Modern Conceptions of Mental Disorders—reflect the integration
of evidence from different scientific disciplines
a. Diathesis-Stress Models—describe psychopathology as developing
when a stressful event occurs for someone with a genetic risk (i.e.,
a biological predisposition), or diathesis, for a particular type of
disorder.
i. When your bucket (diathesis) overflows from water
(stress), you develop the disorder
b. Multicausal Models—emphasize that there may be many different
types of diatheses (e.g., biopsychosocial model)
B. Defining, Assessing, and Diagnosing Mental Disorders
I. Mental Disorder
i. Criteria
a. Deviate from cultural norms?
b. Maladaptive?
c. Self-destructive? Distress? Threaten others?
d. Discomfort or concern from others?
ii. Must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a
particular event (e.g., death of a loved one)
iii. Duration and severity are important
II. Prevalence—refers to how widespread a disorder is
, i. Point Prevalence—how many people have a disorder at a given time
ii. Lifetime Prevalence—how many people will have the disorder at any point in
their lives (46% of all people will have at least 1 mental illness in their
lifetime)
III. Assessment—refers to the set of procedures used to gather information about
an individual
i. Diagnosis—a statement that an individual has a particular mental disorder
a. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM 5)—a
manual that lists the symptom criteria required to make a diagnosis
● Problems include categorical vs. dimensional approach;
comorbidity (p factor?)
ii. Clinical Interviews—involve acquiring information in a face-to-face setting by
asking questions as well as observing behaviors (can be structured or
unstructured)
a. Signs (observed by the interviewer; from objective physiological
measures) vs. Symptoms (from the patient report)
iii. Self-report Measures—gather information by having the patient response
to questions on a questionnaire
iv. Projective Tests—tests based on the assumption that aspects of an
individual’s unconscious conflicts or motives may be inferred from their
responses to ambiguous stimuli, such as the Rorschach Inkblot Test or TAT;
although common among practicing clinicians, their use is not supported by
most researchers because of a lack of evidence for validity
v. Neuropsychological testing
IV. Labeling of mental disorders
i. Pros: gives clinicians and researchers a "common language"; can improve
treatment; facilitates research about causes of disorders
ii. Cons: labels bring stigma, which can prevent people from getting the help
they need; also can cause individual more stress because now labeled as
having a mental illness
C. Personality Disorders
I. Characterized by maladaptive patterns of typical personality traits
