chapter 15: mental health and psychopathology

How are mental health disorders diagnosed?

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders

Categories of the prevalence of disorders

1. Prevalence

2. Incidence

3. Lifetime incidence

Prevalence

Current rate of a particular disorder at a given time

Incidence

Number of new cases of a disorder diagnosed in a period of time

Lifetime incidence

Number of cases of a disorder that occur during a persons lifetime

Gender differences in mental health

• women have higher levels of internalizing disorders

• Men have higher levels of externalizing disorders

Culture bound

Mental disorders that tend to occur in specific cultural groups

Universal

• appear across cultures and have symptoms that cluster into stable patterns

Amok (mengamok)

• common in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines

• Individual experience period of social withdrawal and apathy before engaging in and committing a random violent attack

• Murder or suicide

• Following attack, attacker may commit suicide or have no recollection

Anorexia nervosa

• loss of appetite

• Fear of weight gain

• Possible hospitalization

• Death rate highest in mental health disorders

Bulimia nervosa

Eating large amounts of food and purging

Hwa Byung (anger disease)

• commonly found in korea

• Fatigue, body soreness, heavy chest

Susto (fight)

• commonly found folk illness in Mexico, Latin, and Central America

• If scared enough, capable of soul separating from body

• Causes fright, nerves

• Hard time sleeping, shakes

Hikikomori

• found in japan

• Depressive state

• Can’t leave home

• Likes to be alone

Schizophrenia

• brain disorder that can result in distorted perceptions, diagnosed thinking

• Strongest genetic marks

Luhrman and colleagues study on schizophrenia

• interviews US, Ghana, India

• All people reported hearing voices, experiences however differed by culture

• US- interpreted negative voices

• Ghana and India- interpreted positive voices

Depression

• chemical imbalances to the brain

• Little to no serotonin

• Expression and treatment may vary

• 3.4% of global population

Psychotherapy

• talking w trained professional who helps person learn about themselves and acquire coping skills to improve their lives

• Largely supports independent self

Cultural mismatch

• describes situations where there are cultural differences and beliefs

Flicker and colleagues study on ethnic matching for teens

Hispanic teens experienced better outcomes with those with same ethnicity