Summary Psychopathology

CHAP MENTAL
2TER Psychopathology
HEALTH
4‘Psyche’ = mind/soul ‘pathology’ = disease/illness  study psychological disorders.

DEFINING PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
 Establish separation of disorder & normal behaviour.

Statistical deviance No clear way to describe what is
 Use statistical norms abnormal & normal – different
 Out of norm = abnormal/ sign of mental illness circumstances & contexts
 Issue – depend on cultural/social perspective
 This is problematic – just because considered norm doesn’t mean its acceptable.

Maladaptiveness
 Extent to which behaviours/experiences are maladaptive to self/to others.
 Behaviour preventing individual from adapting for good = abnormal.
 Based on assumption that ppl should change & adapt for survival.
 Problem = Like SD views from external perspective rather than internal.

Personal distress Common Symptoms of Psychological
disorders:
 Suffering accompanies psychological disorders.
 Difficulty sleeping / sleeping
 Exceptions (eg. Ppl w/APD don’t feel appropriate forms of distress). too much.
- Often find pleasure in inflicting pain on others.
 Not all distress = unhealthy  Tired most of day.
 Distress = normal response  Difficulty concentrating.

 Worrying about a lot of
different things.
HISTORY OF MENTAL ILNESS  Eating less/more.

Early Era  Washing hands
frequently.
 Related to evil spirits – borrow hole into skull (they’ll leave)

Ancient Era
 Evidence naturalistic shift
 Hippocrates (Greek physician) – father of modern medicine (even though incorrect)
- Mental illness – imbalance of essential fluids (Blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile)

Middle Ages
 Naturalistic approach fell out – Religion dominated.
 Supernatural belief (again) – punishment for sins/ demonic possession
 Exorcisms/ witch hunts

,  Mentally ill – punished/killed
 Began locking up – best known St Mary of Bethlehem.

Renaissance Era
 Treated more humanely
 Witchcraft questioned
 Johann Weyer (German physician) – unstable, cannot be held responsible for actions
 Reginal Scot – Discovery of witchcraft (medical illness)

Asylum Era
 Understanding increase but institutionalisation also increased.
 Inhumane treatments
- Restraining
- Dark cells
- Subjected to torture-like treatments (Electric shocks, bleedings, powerful drugs &
starvation).
 Gradually challenged.
 Philippe Pinel – treated w/ kindness & consideration to recover (Country retreat – peaceful
conditions).
 Despite developments – some countries still treat badly


Scientific Era
 Discovery that general paresis (caused paralysis & insanity) had biological cause – could be
treated.
 Fuelled research for other biological causes.
 Formed foundation of modern-day psychiatry.
 Understood to be medical illnesses – many attempts to identify, understand & treat.
 Emil Kraepelin – Classification system – Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders.
 Sigmund Freud – psycho-analysis (mental illness caused by forbidden wishes & instinctual
drives being repressed).
- Behaviourism school – better understand by observing how abnormal behaviour is learnt
by external enviro.
- Behaviour therapy – change factors in environment
 Ongoing debate about which treatment is better.
 Psychotropic drugs (mood influencing) – 1950s

ALTERNATE UNDERSTANDINGS OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
 Diff to Western approach.
 China & India – don’t separate physical from mental.
 SA – difficulties linked to social relationship problems.
 Religious healing – indigenous beliefs w/Christianity.
 Consult indigenous healers, herbalist, prophets.
 Should be approached together.