MULTI-DIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY VLINICAL ASSESSMENT AND
DIAGNOSIS
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRADITIONS
1. Philippe Pinel – Moral Therapy in France
2. William Tuke – Moral Therapy in England
3. Dorethea Dix – Mental Hygiene Movement
4. Benjamin Rush – Moral Therapy in US
HUMANISTIC TRADITIONS
1. Abraham Maslow – Postulated hierarchy of
needs.
2. Carl Rogers – Person Centered Therapy,
Unconditional Positive Regard, Empathy to the
clients.
3. Thomas Szasz – Societies invented the
concept of mental illness “problems in living.”
4. Hans Selye – General Adaptation Syndrome
(GAS).
GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME
STAGE 1: Alarm – Initial Body Symptoms
STAGE 2: Resistance – Body begins to repair itself.
STAGE 3: Exhaustion – Stress or other effects.
BEHAVIORAL TRADITIONS
1. Classical Conditioning – Ivan Pavlov learning
with stimulus and response.
2. Operant Conditioning – BF Skinner, Edward
Thorndike. Reinforcement and Punishment.
1. MULTI-DIMENSIONAL APPROACH
Multidimensional integrative approach are: biological
dimension, psychological dimension, emotional
influences or social influences that contributes a
variety of psychopathology.
A multiple influences is what we called
multidimensional model.
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ASPECTS
Biological – Brain dysfunction, biochemical
imbalances, genetic abnormalities.
Behavioral – Conditioning, learning, modeling,
observations.
Social – Support system, people or environment,
events and experiences.
2. GENETIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Genes – A long molecules deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
at various locations on chromosomes, within the cell
nucleus.
- A total of 43 chromosomes, a normal human
cell, 23 pairs and 22 pairs of autosomes, 1 pair
sex chromosomes.
- Both chromosomes in the 23rd pair are call the
X chromosomes (XX female), the mother
contributes an X chromosomes but the father
contributes Y chromosomes (Y male).
2 TYPES OF GENES
- Dominant Gene – Pair of genes strongly
influence a particular trait.
- Recessive Gene – Trait that is only expressed
when both allele is present.
Mendelian Laws of Genetics – It predict fairly
accurately how many offspring will develop a certain
trait, characteristic or disorder.
Huntington’s Disease – Degenerative brain disease
that causes deterioration in a specific area of the brain
which is the basal ganglia.
Phenylketonuria (PKU) – Mental retardation which
present at birth, unable to metabolize or break down
foods, cause by a defect in a single gene.
3. DIATHESIS STRESS MODEL
Diathesis – A condition that makes someone
susceptible or vulnerable to developing disorder.
- The smaller the vulnerability, the greater the
life stress required to produce the disorder.
Tith greater vulnerability, less life stress is
required.
4 FACTORS IN DEVELOPING A DISORDER
1. Predisposing Factor
2. Precipitating Factor
 3. Perpetuating Factor
4. Protective Factor
DIATHESIS: GENES
5 HTT Gene – A substance called chemical transporter
that affects the transmission of serotonin in the brain.
SS Allele – Risk for having a MDD, tend to doubled if
they had at least 4 stressful life events.
LL Allele – Able to cope better with stress, any
stressful childhood experiences did not affect the
incidence of MDD in adulthood.
4. CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM,
NEUROTRANSMITTERS, STRUCTURE OF THE
BRAIN
Central Nervous System – Processes all information
received from our sense organs.
- Brain uses an average of 140 billion nerve cells
called neurons.
Parts of the Neurons
- Dendrites
- Axon
- Synapses
- Action Potentials
- Terminal Button
- Synaptic Cleft
- Nodes of Ranvier
Neurotransmitters – Neurotransmitters are often
referred to as the body’s chemical messengers. They
are the molecules used by the nervous system to
transmit messages between neurons, or from neurons
to muscles.
2 Effects: Excitatory or Inhibitory
Reuptake – Neurotransmitter released quickly broken
down and brought back to the synaptic cleft again.
NEUROTRANSMITTERS
Production:
Agonists – Increase the activity of neurotransmitter.
Antagonists – Decrease or block the neurotransmitter.
Inverse Agonists – It produces effects opposite to
those produced by the neurotransmitter.
Categories:
Monoamine Class – Modulation of psychomotor
function, cardiovascular, respiratory and
gastrointestinal control, sleep mechanisms, hormone
secretion, body temperature, and pain.
Glutamate – Excitatory transmitter that turn
on many different neurons leading to action.
GABA (Gamma amino butyric acid) – Inhibit
the transmission of information and action
potentials.
Amino Acid Class – Inhibitory and excitatory
messengers in the nervous system.
Serotonin – Regulated the behavior, moods,
and thought process.
Norepinephrine – Also called as
noradrenaline, responsible for alertness and
arousal.
Dopamine – Also known as catecholamine
turn on the brain circuits.
L-dopa – Dopamine agonist.
HORMONES
- Releases directly to the bloodstreams.
Epinephrine – Response to stress.
Thyroxine – Metabolism and growth.
Cortisol – Stress Hormone.
Oxytocin – Love Hormone.
5. STRUCTURE OF THE BRAIN
Brain Stem – Most ancient part of the brain
responsible for moving, breathing, sleeping, and
present in animals.
HINDBRAIN
- Medulla – Blood pressure, breathing, and
circulation.
- Pons – Coordinating Movements.
- Cerebellum – Motor coordination and
balance.
MIDBRAIN

- Coordinates movements with sensory input

and contains parts of reticular activating
system (RAS).

FOREBRAIN

- Thalamus – Relay sensory information to

higher region of the brain.
- Hypothalamus – Vital body functions,
emotional, and motivational state.
- Limbic System – Emotional processing and
memory.
o Amygdala – Response (fear), memory
and emotions.
o Hippocampus – Short- and long-term
memory.
o Nucleus Accumbens – Motivational
and Action.
- Basal Ganglia – Includes caudate nucleus.
- Cerebral Cortex – Largest part of the brain,
plan, reason, create, contains 80% neurons.

BRAIN LOBES

Frontal Lobe – Higher cognitive functions (thinking,

reasoning, planning).

Parietal Lobe – Sensations of touch and body

functioning.

Temporal Lobe – Sounds, hearing, auditory.

Occipital Lobe – Visual and eyes.