Abnormal Psychology
Understanding  Psychological Dysfunction
Psychopathology
Definition of Mental
Disorder
» a syndrome characterized by clinically
significant disturbance in an individual’s
cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
that reflect a dysfunction in the
psychological, biological, or
developmental processes underlying
mental functioning
» there’s usually a significant distress or
disability in social or occupational
activities
Diagnoses Are Made On the Basis of:
o clinical interview
o clinical assessment
o DSM-5 text description
o DSM-5 criteria
o Clinician judgement
 Personal Distress
» a person’s behavior may be classified
as disordered if it causes him a great
distress or unpleasant feelings or
emotions that impact level of
functioning
» this psychological discomfort
interferes with the daily activities and
functioning
» e.g. extreme anxiety, sadness or
destruction
» this is the point at which a person
has a significant impairment in life
area, such as work, home,
interpersonal or social life is
impaired
» often called as “hitting rock
bottom”
 Danger
» behavior that are detrimental or
may cause harm to the person or
people around them.
 Deviance
» Statistical Deviance – that the
behavior does not occur often in
society
» Social Deviance – that most
people in the community find the
behavior to be “odd”.
Clinical Description
Present
» the presenting problem of the client
Prevalence
» how many people in the population as
a whole have the disorder?
Incidence
» how many new cases occur during a
given period?
Onset
» how did the disorder begin?
Course
» Chronic Course – the disorder will
last for a long time or a life time
» Episodic Course – the disorder will
last for a few months but may reoccur
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» Time-limited Course – the disorder
will improve without treatment
Etiology
» what is the origin of the disorder?
» what are the factors contributed to the
development of the disorder?
Treatment Development
» what kind of treatment can help to
alleviate the psychological suffering?
» kinds of treatment include
pharmacologic, psychosocial,
psychotherapy or combine treatments
Causal Factors
Biological Influences
Predisposing Factors
 Genetics – psychological factors
transferred from the parent to offspring
Precipitating Factor
 Exposure – exposure to neuro toxins,
accident, drug, or alcohol
Psychological Factors
Social Factors – gender, social class,
culture, environment, ethnicity
Behavioral – some psychological disorder
such as phobias can be cause by classical
conditioning
Emotional Factors – frustration, anger,
fear, and extreme sadness can lead to
psychological disorders
Research Methods
1. Observation/ Assessment
2. Case Study
3. Correlation Studies
4. Experimental Studies
Classification of Disorders
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorder
» a publication that is periodically revised to
reflect the most up to date knowledge
concerning psychological disorders
» originally developed in 1952, when
American Psychiatric Association
published DSM
DSM I
» based on theoretical assumption that
emotional problems or reaction caused
the disorder it described.
» criteria were very vague and had poor
reliability
DSM II
» published 1968
» was the first classification of Mental
Disorder based on system contains in
the Internal Classification Diseases
(ICD)
DSM III
» published in 1980
» has major improvement over its
predecessors
» DSM III-R was published in 1987,
that serves as interim manual until
more complete overhaul
DSM IV
» has the intention of providing an
empirical base for the diagnoses in the
new manual
» DSM IV-TR was published in 2000,
refinement intended to enhance the
educational value of the volume
Multi-Axial Assessment
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» involves an assessment on several
axes, each of which refers to a
different domain of information that
may help the clinician plan treatment
and predict outcome
Axis I: Clinical Disorder
» these are called “clinical syndromes”
a meaning that each is a collection of
symptoms that constitute a particular
form of abnormality
» focuses on diagnosing specific clinical
disorders, such as mood disorders
(e.g., depression, bipolar disorder),
anxiety disorders (e.g., generalized
anxiety disorder, panic disorder), and
psychotic disorders (e.g.,
schizophrenia). It addresses the
primary mental health concerns.
Axis II: Personality Disorder and Mental
Retardation
» it includes sets of disorder that
represent enduring characteristics of
an individual’s personality or abilities.
» these are the personality traits that are
inflexible and maladaptive and that
cause either subjective distress or
considerable impairment in the
person’s ability to carry out the task of
daily living
» assesses personality disorders (e.g.,
borderline personality disorder,
narcissistic personality disorder) and
intellectual disabilities. These
conditions often involve long-standing
patterns of behavior and cognition.
Axis III: General Condition
» for documenting a client’s physical
condition
» considers any medical or physical
conditions that might impact the
individual's mental health, such as
chronic illnesses or neurological
disorders. These conditions can
influence the onset or course of mental
disorders.
Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental
Problems
» events of pressure that may affect the
diagnosis, treatment, or outcome of
the client’s psychological disorder
» valuates psychosocial and
environmental factors that contribute
to an individual's mental health issues.
These stressors may include recent life
events, ongoing difficulties, or
environmental factors that can affect
mental well-being.
Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning
» it is used to document the clinician’s
overall judgement of a client’s current
functioning at the point of admission
or discharge, or the highest level of
functioning during the previous year
» assigns a numerical score to reflect the
individual's overall level of
functioning, ranging from 0 (severely
impaired) to 100 (excellent
functioning). It provides a snapshot of
the person's ability to cope with daily
life and their overall psychological
health.
Abnormal Psychology