Printed Page 536

REVIEW Basic Concepts of Psychological Disorders

Learning Objectives

Test Yourself by taking a moment to answer each of these Learning Objective Questions (repeated here from within the module). Research suggests that trying to answer these questions on your own will improve your long-term memory of the concepts (McDaniel et al., 2009).

Question

40-1 How should we draw the line between normality and disorder?
ANSWER: According to psychologists and psychiatrists, psychological disorders are marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior.

Question

40-2 How do the medical model and the biopsychosocial approach influence our understanding of psychological disorders?
ANSWER: The medical model assumes that psychological disorders are mental illnesses with physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured through therapy, sometimes in a hospital. The biopsychosocial perspective assumes that three sets of influences—biological (evolution, genetics, brain structure and chemistry), psychological (stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memories), and social and cultural circumstances (roles, expectations, definitions of “normality” and “disorder”)—interact to produce specific psychological disorders. Epigenetics also informs our understanding of disorders.

Question

40-3 How and why do clinicians classify psychological disorders, and why do some psychologists criticize the use of diagnostic labels?
ANSWER: The American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) contains diagnostic labels and descriptions that provide a common language and shared concepts for communication and research. Most U.S. health insurance organizations require a DSM diagnosis before paying for treatment. Some critics believe the DSM editions have become too detailed and extensive. Others view DSM diagnoses as arbitrary labels that create preconceptions, which bias perceptions of the labeled person's past and present behavior.

Question

40-4 Why is there controversy over attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?
ANSWER: A child (or, less commonly, an adult) who displays extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity may be diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and treated with medication and other therapy. The controversy centers on whether the growing number of ADHD cases reflects overdiagnosis or increased awareness of the disorder. Long-term effects of stimulant-drug treatment for ADHD are not yet known.

Question

40-5 Do psychological disorders predict violent behavior?
ANSWER: Mental disorders seldom lead to violence, but when they do, they raise moral and ethical questions about whether society should hold people with disorders responsible for their violent actions. Most people with disorders are nonviolent and are more likely to be victims than attackers.

Question

40-6 How many people have, or have had, a psychological disorder? Is poverty a risk factor?
ANSWER: Psychological disorder rates vary, depending on the time and place of the survey. In one multinational survey, rates for any disorder ranged from less than 5 percent (Shanghai) to more than 25 percent (the United States). Poverty is a risk factor: Conditions and experiences associated with poverty contribute to the development of psychological disorders. But some disorders, such as schizophrenia, can drive people into poverty.

Terms and Concepts to Remember

Test yourself on these terms.

Question

psychological disorder (p. 528)
medical model (p. 529)
epigenetics (p. 530)
DSM-5 (p. 531)
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (p. 532)
a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior.
the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.
the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.
a psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity.
the concept that diseases, in this case psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital.

Experience the Testing Effect

Test yourself repeatedly throughout your studies. This will not only help you figure out what you know and don’t know; the testing itself will help you learn and remember the information more effectively thanks to the testing effect.

Question 14.1

1. Two major disorders that are found worldwide are schizophrenia and .

Question 14.2

2. Anna is embarrassed that it takes her several minutes to parallel park her car. She usually gets out of the car once or twice to inspect her distance both from the curb and from the nearby cars. Should she worry about having a psychological disorder?
ANSWER: No. Anna's behavior is unusual, causes her distress, and may make her a few minutes late on occasion, but it does not appear to significantly disrupt her ability to function. Like most of us, Anna demonstrates some unusual behaviors that are not disabling or dysfunctional, and, thus, do not suggest a psychological disorder.

Question 14.3

3. What is susto, and is this a culture-specific or universal psychological disorder?
ANSWER: Susto is a condition marked by severe anxiety, restlessness, and fear of black magic. It is culture-specific to Latin America.

Question 14.4

4. A therapist says that psychological disorders are sicknesses and people with these disorders should be treated as patients in a hospital. This therapist believes in the model.

Question 14.5

5. Many psychologists reject the “disorders-as-illness” view and instead contend that other factors may also be involved—for example, the person's bad habits and poor social skills. This view represents the ________ approach.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Question 14.6

6. Why is the DSM, and the DSM-5 in particular, considered controversial?
ANSWER: Critics have expressed concerns about the negative effects of the DSM's labeling. Recent critics suggest the DSM-5 casts too wide a net on disorders, pathologizing normal behavior.

Question 14.7

7. One predictor of psychiatric disorders that crosses ethnic and gender lines is .

Question 14.8

8. The symptoms of ________ appear around age 10; ________ tend[s] to appear later, around age 25.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Use image to create your personalized study plan, which will direct you to the resources that will help you most in image .

[Leave] [Close]