Mental Health and Psychopathology

Table of Contents

Mental Health and Psychopathology

Mental Health

The maximum functioning of the Body, Mind, and Soul is called Mental Health.

Abnormal Psychology:

The scientific study of abnormal behavior in an effort to describe, predict, explain, and change the abnormal pattern of functioning. Abnormal behavior can also be described through 4 D’s:

1. Deviance= Different, Extreme, Unusual, or Bizarre.
2. Distress= Unpleasant and upsetting to the person.
3. Dysfunction= Interfering with the person’s ability to conduct daily activities in a constructive way.
4. Dangerous= Harmful to oneself or to others.
  Mental Health and Psychopathology

INSANITY:

It is primarily a legal term. It is mainly concerned with judgment. E.g., an insane person cannot judge between right and wrong and dangerous and benevolent objects. (Obscene= Lunacy & Madness)

MENTAL ILLNESS/ MENTAL DISEASE:

It is a Psychological or Behavioral abnormality. It is typically a medical term, which assumes that the Psychological or Behavioral abnormality is caused by a psychic germ or a somatic illness is caused by some biological infestation.

MENTAL DISORDER:

It is slightly a neutral term, which indicates the psychological or behavioral disorders are caused by biological, psychological, behavioral, and cognitive or any other problems.

BEHAVIOURAL DISORDER:

A general term for any aberrant or maladaptive pattern of behavior that is sufficiently severe to warrant the attention of counselors or therapists.

EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE:

It is a very narrow term, in the sense that it only represents the condition in which emotional reactions are inappropriate for the situation presented.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER:

It is a pattern of abnormal behavior, emotion, or thought that significantly interferes with an individual’s adaptation to important life’s demands and often causes distress in the individual or in others.

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PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:

The scientific study of mental disorders. The term also refers to a scientific domain that includes the research work, symptoms, issues, explanation, and treatment of these mental disorders.

ABNORMALITY:

Significant deviation from the commonly accepted pattern of the behavior, emotion, or thought.

Characteristics of a Good Clinical Classification System

Provides information about the cause(s) of a condition.
Provides a common language for communication among clinicians and researchers.
Enable clinicians to give patients and their families a short and long-term outlook.
Indicates possible treatment.
Suggests paths to prevention.

Some Milestones in the History of attempts to Classify Maladaptive Behavior

1796	Edinburgh physician William Cullen attempts to classify mental disorders using an approach based on biologist/s system for classifying plants and animals.
1879	English psychiatrist William Maudsley suggests classifying mental disorders in terms of identifiable symptoms.
1883	German Psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin publishes the first edition of an influential textbook that describes and classifies several mental disorders.
1957	A 6^th edition of the International Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death is published and includes for the first time a section devoted to mental disorders.
1980	The 3^rd edition of American Psychiatrist Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is published. It builds on Maudsley’s emphasis on the importance of observable symptoms, and charts the course for current widely used classification systems.

Some terms used in discussions of Clinical Cases

Diagnosis	The conclusion reached concerning the nature of the patient’s problem, based on clinical observation.
Classification	Placing a clinical condition into a category based on shared characteristics.
Syndrome	A group of signs and symptoms that together indicate or describe a disorder.
Multiaxial system	A classification system that has multiple dimension.
Etiology	The cause(s) or origin(s) of a condition.

Four Contributions of Diagnosis and Classification

The Complexity of Clinical phenomenon is reduced, leading to better treatment planning.
Communication between clinicians is facilitating (they are more likely to understand each other).
The likely course and outcome of a clinical condition can be more confidentially predicted.
Clues are provided with regard to the condition’s cause.

Comparing the Models

	Biological Model	Psychodynamic Model	Behavioural Model	Cognitive Model	Humanistic Model	Existential Model
Cause of dysfunction	Biological Malfunction	Underlying conflicts	Maladaptive learning	Maladaptive thinking	Self-deceit	Avoidance of responsibility
Research Support	Strong	Modest	Strong	Strong	Weak	Weak
Consumer designation	Patient	Patient	Client	Client	Patient or client	Patient or client
Therapist role	Doctor	Interpreter	Teacher	Persuader	Observer	Collaborator
Key therapist techniques	Biological intervention	Free association and interpretation	Conditioning	Reasoning	Reflection	Varied
Therapy goal	Biological repair	Broad Psychological change	Functional behaviours	Adaptive thinking	Self-actualization	Authentic life

Credited: Sheeraz Ilyas Shaikh

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