Defining Abnormal

History

Dr. John Clarke, a physician in New England, trepanning a skull (1664)

Diagnosing mental disorders has come a long way. Historically, people with mental illness received crude and often cruel treatment. For example, Ancient Hindu tradition attributed psychological disorders to sorcery and witchcraft. Further, during the Middle Ages people believed mental illness occurred when the body was possessed by evil spirits or demons. People were subjected to whipping, bloodletting, purges, and trepanning, which involved cutting a hole in the skull to release the spirits or demons. Eventually, a common treatment for people with mental illness involved placing them in asylums or “madhouses.”

By the end of the Nineteenth Century, reformers sought to create hospitals that treated patients humanely and attempted to cure them. These reformers saw mental illness as the result of an underlying psychological disorder that needed to get diagnosed according to its symptoms, and could be cured through treatment.

Modern Psychology

Bio-Psycho-Social Model

The bio-psycho-social model refers to how modern psychology views mental illness through the lens of three factors: biological, psychological, and social. The biological factor involves biological components of illness, such as genetics. The psychological factor refers to the influence of thought patterns and response to stress. Finally, the social factor takes into consideration individual social and cultural aspects such as home environment, relationships, and socioeconomic status.

Modern Diagnosing

How do psychologists determine whether an individual exhibits abnormal behavior? Not only can deciding whether abnormal behavior exists prove difficult, actually determining the proper diagnosis can become challenging as well. Looking at symptoms, severity, and duration helps identify the presence of a psychological disorder. Take a moment to explore the set of criteria psychologists use to determine psychological disorders. Click the player to begin.

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Classifying Disorders

As previously discussed, behavior tends to follow a cluster or set of symptoms. This consistency has enabled psychologists to develop a system for classifying abnormal behavior. Proper classification is extremely important so people can be diagnosed and treated correctly, therefore, the classification system is constantly reviewed and updated.

The American Psychological Association (APA) publishes the most commonly used classification system for psychological disorders. This book is called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), and contains sixteen categories. Each category divulges disorders and accompanying symptoms. The DSM currently has published its fifth revision, and is thus referred to as the DSM-V. This version lists more than 400 disorders. As with other revisions, the DSM-V added, merged, eliminated, and revised symptoms of various disorders. Moreover, this process stirs controversy, due the fact that medicine and society at large view it as the standard for evaluating what behaviors are normal or abnormal. In fact, insurance companies also use the DSM-V to justify coverage of disorders. Most insurance companies will not cover individuals seeking mental health help unless the doctor or mental health professional provides a diagnosis code from the DSM on their filed paperwork. In this interactivity, review a list of the major classified disorders from the DSM-V. Click the player to begin.

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Effects of Psychological Disorders

Having a psychological disorder impacts individuals, families, and society. Many such effects result from stigma surrounding mental health; whereby individuals diagnosed with a mental illness may be thought to have less value by the general public. This often prompts discrimination, and unequal treatment. Beliefs about mental illness differ among individuals, families, cultures, and religions. In this interactivity, learn more about the effects of psychological disorders on individuals, families, and society. Click the player to begin.

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Defining Abnormal Review

Now that you have had a chance to learn about the intricacies of defining the term abnormal, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Click the player to get started.