The History of Psychopathology

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The History of Psychopathology

• A historical perspective on abnormal behavior

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What is Psychopathology?

• The study of abnormal thoughts, behaviors, and
  feelings.
• Psycho means mind.
• Pathology means pathogen or organism causing
  disease.

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Factors that determine whether behavior is
abnormal or not

• 1.Statistical infrequency
•  
• 2.Violation of norms
•  
• 3.Personal Distress
•  
• 4.Dysfunction
• Unexpectedness

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Statistical infrequency

• Abnormal behavior is often infrequent.
• mania depression occur in 1 of the pop.

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Problem

• Not all unusual behavior is abnormal!!
• (E.g., superior athletic ability, geniuses)

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Violation of norms

• Abnormal behavior often violates the social norms
  of a given culture.
• (E.g., experiencing hallucinations, talking to
  inanimate objects,)

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Problem

• The violation of norms explicitly makes
  abnormality a relative concept.
• Criminals and prostitutes violate social
  norms, but would not fall within the context of
  abnormal psychology.

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Personal Distress

• Behavior may be abnormal if it creates great
  distress.
• (E.g., people with depression experience
  considerable distress.)

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Problem

• Not all distressed individuals are mentally ill
  some mentally ill individuals do not show
  distress (psychopaths).

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Dysfunction

• Does the behavior impair an individuals ability
  to function in life (work, personal
  relationships)?
• (E.g., substance-use disorders)

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Problem

• Some individuals with a DSM diagnosis, live
  functional lives (e.g., transvestites).

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Unexpectedness

• Distress disability are considered abnormal
  when they are unexpected responses to stressors.
• E.g., (anxiety disproportionate with the
  situation).

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Problems with classifying behavior as abnormal

• Several factors need to be examined.
• Societal norms may change which behaviors are
  deemed abnormal.
• E.g., Homosexuality was once classified as a
  mental disorder in the DSM (up till 1973).

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1. Clinical Psychologist

• -Ph.D. or Psy.D.
• -4-7 yrs graduate study
• -1-year internship in APA accredited hospital or
  mental health facility.
•  

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History of Psychopathology

• Mental illness was thought to be the result of
  supernatural forces (angry Gods, possession by
  demons).
• Scholars, theologians, and philosophers
  believed a troubled mind was the result of
  displeased Gods or possession.

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Demonology the Devil made me do it!

• Abnormal behavior (hallucinations, delusions,
  paranoia) resulted from demonic possession.
• Treatment drive the evil spirits out of the
  body.
• -stone-age trephination
• -exorcism prayers, brews, flogging, starvation,
  etc.

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Mental illness a biological problem.

• By 5th century B.C., mental illness--thought to
  be result of biological problem in the brain.
• -Hippocrates- argued that deviant behavior was
  result of physical causes.
• -The view that deviant behavior occurs because of
  disease in the body is called Somatogenesis.

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Hippocrates (contd.)

• Thought cognitive functioning could be restored
  by balancing the four humors in body  blood,
  black bile, yellow bile, phlegm).

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The Dark Ages

• With decline of Roman Greek civilizations/ rise
  of Church as dominant power in Europe, demonology
  makes a come-back!!
•  
• Treatment- exorcisms

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Mental illness witchcraft (1300s)

• Hallucinations delusions--evidence of
  witchcraft.
• Most accused were not mentally ill, but forced to
  confess crimes they didnt commit.
• Treatment beatings/death by hanging or burning.
  

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Mentally ill housed in asylums (1500s)

•  
• After crusades, mentally ill were confined to
  asylums.
• Asylums (originally leprosariums), were converted
  after crusades when leprosy was on a decline.
• Most famous St. Marys of Bethlehem in London
  (founded in 1243). Called Bedlam.
• Deplorable conditions- little food, little
  patient care, blood letting practices, spread
  of diseases.

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Asylums became attraction.

• Bethlehem- became hot tourist spot, where people
  gawked at Londons mentally ill.
• Treatment- patients were drained of blood
  purposely frightened.

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Moral Treatment (1790s )

• Philippe Pinel humanitarian treatment of
  mentally ill in asylums.
• Patients formerly chained shackled were
  released free to roam the buildings.
• Treatment cannabis, opium, alcohol.

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Medical model (recent)

• Mental illness may have biological,
  psychological, and/or social cause.
• Treatment drugs, psychotherapy, ECT

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Psychopathology crime

• Currently, it is well known that some forms of
  psychopathology predispose individuals to perform
  criminal acts.
• Some of the mental disorders linked with criminal
  behavior are conduct disorder,
• antisocial personality disorder, and
  psychopathy.

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