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Chapter 1 - Abnormal psych (Case study (Husband with Schizophrenia) (Baby…
Chapter 1 - Abnormal psych
psychopathology
The scientific study of mental disorders
Abnormal psychology
The application of psychological sciences to the study of mental disorders. Includes investigations of the causes and treatments.
Case study (Husband with Schizophrenia)
Baby was about to be born, had insecure job at library. Wife was VERY worried about money, more than husband's health.
Started to believe that co-workers were contaminating his food, became socially withdrawn and felt his memory was failing.
His odd behaviour caused Kevin to be fired and caused his wife to scream at him. Kevin did not show any emotion.
Kevin's speech became increasingly odd
Was admitted into a hospital, received intramuscular injections and started to realize his thoughts were not true and that they could have never happened.
Results: Kevin showed psychotic symptoms for a long period of time. He was diagnosed with Schizophrenia
Psychosis
A severe mental disorder in which thoughts and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality
Recognizing the presence of a disorder
Syndrome
Needs to have multiple symptoms occuring together at once.
Duration of symptoms
Mental disorders are defined in terms of persistent maladaptive behaviours.
Failure to perform social and occupational roles
Defining abnormal behaviour
Harmful dysfunction
Jerome Wakefield
Must meet two criteria
The condition results from the inability of some internal mechanism to perform its natural function
The condition causes some harm to the person as judged by the standards to the persons culture. these negative consequences are measured in terms of the persons own subjective distress.
DSM-5 (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders)
places emphasis on the consequences of symptoms. Defined by clusters of persistent maladaptive behaviours that are associated with personal distress / impairment in social functioning
excludes voluntary behaviours as well as beliefs and actions that are shared by religious, political or sexual minority groups
Examples: Yippie party (throwing money off balcony as political gestures)