Module 1

A. Criteria for abnormality

1. Social norms criteria
2. Statistical Frequency criteria
3. Maladaptive behavior criteria

B. Characteristics of abnormal behavior (4Ds)

1. Dysfunction
2. Deviance
3. Distress
4. Dangerousness

C. Historical perspectives of abnormality

1. Physical Theories
2. Supernatural perspectives
3. Psychological theories

D. Ancient Theories of Abnormality

1. Ancient Chinese
2. Egyptians
3. Greek and romans
4. Hippocrates
Classifications of Abnormal behavior:
a. Epilepsy
b. Melancholia
c. Brain Fever
d. Mania

5. Medieval Theories
a. Psychic Epidemics
b. Tarantism
c. Lunatic
6. Renaissance theories
7. Modern theories
a. Medical-Model
i. Role of nervous system
 ii. Chemical imbalance
iii. Genetic make-up
b. Cognitive-Behavioral
c. Psychoanalytic

E. Assessing Mental Disorders

1. Types of assessment
a. Assessment
b. Clinical assessment
2. Assessment tool’s properties
a. Reliability
i. Inter-rater
ii. Test-retest
iii. Parallel forms
iv. Internal Consistency
b. Validity
c. Standardization
3. Commonly used assessment tools
a. Clinical interview
b. Symptoms questionnaires
c. Personality inventories
d. Projective tests
e. Intelligence tests
f. Neuropsychological tests
g. Brain imaging techniques
i. Computerized tomography (CT)
ii. Positron-emission tomography (PET)
iii. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
h. Psychophysiological tests
i. Behavioral observation and self-monitoring
4. Challenges in Assessment
a. Resistance (4Fs)
i. Fear iii. Fatigue
ii. Faking iv. Frustration
b. Evaluating children
c. Evaluating individuals across cultures
F. Diagnosing mental disorders
*Diagnosis
*Clinical diagnosis – Symptoms, syndromes

1. Development of DSM by APA

Pub. # of # of
Edition
Year Disorders Pages
I 1952 106 132
II 1968 182 119
III 1980 265 494
III-R 1987 292 567
IV 1994 297 886
IV-TR 2000 297 943
V 2013 157 947
Axis
I – Clinical Disorders
II – Disabilities
III – Contextual factors
IV – Quality of life

Axis I: Clinical Disorders

1. Depressive
2. Anxiety
3. Somatic and Dissociative
4. Neurocognitive
5. Substance related
6. Sleep-wake
7. Sexual, gender and paraphilic
8. Feeding, eating and eliminating
9. Psychotic
10. Neurodevelopmental
11. Manic and impulse control symptoms
12. Personality
Axis II: Disabilities
1. Personal care and survival
2. Occupational functioning
3. Family functioning
4. Broad social functioning

Axis III: Contextual factors

1. Family/housing
2. Education/work
3. Economic/legal
4. Cultural/environmental
5. Personal

Axis V: GAF (Global Assessment Functioning)

DSM: Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages
1. Classification system for professionals
2. Study and explain mental disorders
3. Therapists can design treatment programs
Disadvantages
1. Labelling creates negative associations, powerful social and
political effect.
2. Labels in fairness on clinicians
3. Culture-subjective

G. Theory on mental disorders

*Biopsychosocial approach
*Theory
*Diathesis
1. Biological
a. Brain Dysfunction
b. Biochemical Imbalance
i. neurotransmitters – excitatory, inhibitory; reuptake,
degradation
ii. hormones
 c. Genetic Abnormalities
2. Psychological theories
a. Behavioral theories
i. Classical conditioning
ii. Operational conditioning
iii. Modeling
iv. Observational learning
b. Cognitive
c. Psychodynamic
d. Humanistic
e. Family systems
f. Emotion-focused
g. Socio-cultural
i. Socio-economic factor
ii. Famine, war or natural disasters
iii. Social stigmas
iv. Implicit or explicit rules about types of abnormal
behavior

H. Treatments of mental disorders

*Therapy
1. Biological Therapies
a. Drug therapies
i. antipsychotic drugs- psychosis (hallucinations and
delusions)
ii. antidepressant drugs- depression
iii. lithium- mania
iv. antianxiety drugs- anxiety (fear worry tension)
b. Electroconvulsive therapy
c. Psychosurgery
2. Psychological therapies
a. Behavioral therapies
i. Removal of reinforcements
ii. Aversion
iii. Relaxation Exercises
 iv. Distraction Technique
v. Flooding or implosive therapy
vi. Systematic desensitization
vii. Response shaping
viii. Behavioral contracting
ix. Modeling and observational learning
3. Cognitive therapy
4. Psychodynamic Therapies
a. Free Association
b. Resistance
c. Transference
d. Catharsis
f. Defense mechanisms
-. Regression
-. Denial
-. Displacement
-. Reaction formation
-. Rationalization
-. Intellectualization
-. Projection
-. Identification
-. Sublimation
5. Humanistic Therapies
a. Client centered therapy
b. Reflection
6. Family system therapy
a. behavioral f.s. therapy
7. Emotion-focused therapies
a. Dialectical behavior therapy
8. Sociocultural therapies
Psychopathology- Nature, symptomatology development and
treatment of psych. Disorders
-Maintaining objectivity
-Avoiding preconceived notions
- Reducing stigma

Psychological disorders / Abnormal behavior

a. Psychological dysfunction
-breakdown in cognitive, emotional or behavioral
functioning
b. Personal Distress
-Great distress; unrest
c. Disability or impairment
-in areas of life
d. Deviation or social norm violation
- a typical or not culturally expected
-occurs infrequently

Clinical Description
- Unique combination of behaviors, thoughts and
feelings that make up a specific disorder.
CLINICAL: type of problems you’ll find in a clinic or
hospital.

1. Presents: Presently problem

2. Prevalence: People on the population that has the
disorder
3. Incidence: Cases occur in a given period
4. Onset: beginning of disorder
a. acute – begin suddenly
b. insidious – develop gradually over an extended
period
5. Course – disorders follow an individual pattern
a. Chronic – last a long time
b. Episodic – likely to recover w/in a few mos only to
suffer; specific time and period
 c. Time-limited – disorder will improve w/o treatment
in a relatively short period
6. Prognosis – anticipated outcome
7. Etiology – factors that contribute to the dev’t of the
disorder
8. Treatment dev’t – alleviating the psych. Suffering
9. Outcome research