week 1: from disorder to experience

defining experiences of distress

mind body dualism - discerning cause of underlying disorder and responsibility for actions is complex

terminology

illness/psychopathology/distress - medicalising mental health
- use of patient vs service user
- deictic = a word/expression where meaning is dependent on the context where it is used
focus on distress entails all difficult/unusual experiences associated w/ psychiatric diagnosis
- distress is not always associated with a diagnosis
- medical model intervention not always needed
no terminology is value free/viewpoint free - all imply causes and nature of what is being described (see reading)
important to be sensitive and respectful

taking a psychological approach to distress

psychiatrists qualified to diagnose/evaluate risk/treat people deemed to lack insight and capacity using dsm5/icd11
clinical psychologists make clinical assessments but do not diagnose/prescribe medication
“abnormal psychology” not always useful
definitions of abnormality in reading
therefore taking a psychological approach
- focussing on recent psychological research
- take a dimensional approach
- offering up to date critical engagement with psychiatry
- focusses on experience
- explicitly attempts to focus on links between bio/psych/social
categorical model = clear dividing line between mental health and illness and illnesses fit into discrete categories
dimensional model = does not assume sharp division between mental health and illness

stigma = strong feeling of disapproval that most people in a society have about something