Psychopathology Ch 1 + 4

Abnormal behavior

exists along a continuum, no clear division between ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’

up to subjective judgement 

Sitgma

public - discrimination against people with mental illness

systemic - lack of resources due to public health policies

personal - internalization of negative cultural stereotypes

Dysfunciton

behavior is abnormal if it interferes with person’s ability to function

Distress

behavior is abnormal if it causes emotional/physical pain

Deviance

behavior is abnormal if it exists outside cultural/societal norms

Dangerousness

behavior is abnormal if it can harm self/others

supernatural theory

abnormal behavior/disease caused by curse, sin, demonic possession

drilling holes in skull

trephination, thought to let evil spirit out of the mind, stop abnormal behavior

Uterus

mania/melancholy in women was thought to be caused by a wandering uterus = hysteria

Hippocrates

wrote that abnormal behavior stemmed from imbalance of blood, black bile, yellow bile, phlegm

classified disorders as melancholia, epilepsy, mania, and brain fever

Ancient theories of abnormal behavior

evil spirits, imbalance of yin/yang

Mideval views on abnormal behavior

witchcraft, psychic epidemics, confinement to asylums

Mental Hygine movement + Moral treatment

patients improve when connected to nature, deserve humane conditions

Modern Mental Health Care/Community Care

patient’s rights movement - integration into community = better effects

Halfway houses, day treatment centers

Correlation studies

look at relationship between 2 variables

+ coefficient = as iv increases, so does dv

- coefficient = as iv increase, dv decrease

Prevalence

proportion of population with disorder

Efficacy

will treatment work in highly controlled setting

Effectiveness

how well therapy works in real world setting

Operationalization

defines a variable and how it is measured

Generalizability

applying what has been learned from sample to larger groups/population