Concepts Of Abnormality And Mental Health: Definition, Diagnosis And Treatment

Concepts of Abnormality and Mental Health

Definition

Example

Abnormality

Abnormality can be defined as a psychological disorder due to psychological changes in the functioning of the brain. The behaviors of the individuals are undesirable which leads to deviation from the social norms.

The analysis of the case of a child abuse behavior by his father shows that the child is abused by his father as the father learned the abusive behavior from his father and did not learn the appropriate techniques of parenting (prezi.com, 2015).

Normality

Normality can be defined as the state in which an individual remains normal. A behavior is considered as a normal behavior if it is most common behavior that conforms with the behavior existing in the society (Baxter, 2006).

A father taking care of his children using minimum abusive words or expression. This is normal behavior executed by the father towards his child. It shows that the father is aware of the parental techniques (Abnormal Psychology, 2015).

Definitions

Explanation

Evaluation

Statistical Infrequency

The behavior of the individual will be considered as abnormal if it is rare or statistically unusual.

It can be said the one whose IQ level is less than the normal level of IQ is considered to be an abnormal person. But a person whose IQ level is more than the ideal level of IQ is not considered as an abnormal person. The person would be considered as intelligent. It is seen that the abnormal behavior is rare. It is statistically unusual for an individual to showcase such behavior. But prolonged abnormal behavior is not acceptable to the society (Supplemental Material for Multilevel Models From Biology to Psychology: Mission Impossible?, 2013).

Deviation from the Social Norms

The deviation of the behavior of individual from the rules acceptable in a particular group is considered to be abnormal.

In such cases the behavior of the individual is considered to incomprehensible and it might make other feel threatened of uncomfortable. The degree of the disorder depends on the range to which the norm set in the society is violated. The individual may portray certain behavior which is abnormal in nature, eccentric (Hoeksema, 2015).

Failure to function adequately

Inability of the individual to meet the demands of the everyday life is considered abnormal.

The features that shows the failure to function properly includes maladaptiveness , loss of control , unpredictable behavior , irrational behavior .There are certain behavior executed by the individual that causes discomfort in the individual. Violation of the social and moral standards is also shown by the individual (Comer, 2014).

Deviation from ideal mental health

The behavior of the individual deviates from the normal or ideal behavior.

The ideal characteristics that are considered includes positive view about oneself, capability of the individual for growth and development, autonomy in the behavior of the individual and lack of independent behavior portrayed by the individual and development of positive relationship and friendship. A normal individual will show environmental mastery and will be able to meet the day to day demand of various situations. On the other hand an abnormal person suffers from mental disorder. The individual is not able to showcase the following features (Hindman and Kring, 2010).

Explanation

Evaluation

DSM IV

DSM –IV listed more than 250 types of mental disorders. According to this type, mental disorder is a clinically significant behavior or a psychological syndrome that is seen in an individual. The reason for such type of behavior can be as a result of certain amount of distress and disability in the individual (SLADE and WATSON, 2006).

According to DSM it is stated that it cannot be assumed that the mental disorders are completely discrete entities with boundaries which are absolute in nature dividing it from the other types of mental disorders. It has five axes on the basis of which it is assessed. They are clinical disorders, general medical conditions, personality disorder or retardation mentally, problems that occurs psychologically and due to environmental factors and other functioning disorders. Example – Alzheimer’s disease, mental retardation (Durand et al., 2003).

ICD

International classification of diseases is an international standard classification of diagnosis for variety of the health conditions. However it cannot be said to be similar with mental disorder. The symptoms of the disorder can be recognized clinically. The behaviors have been associated with various cases of distress which interfere with the personal functions of the individual (Fichter and Quadflieg, 2001).

 There are ten main groups on the basis of which the disorders are classified. They are mental disorders which are symptomatic in nature. The behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substances, schizophrenia, mood related disorders, disorders related to stress and somatoform disorders. It includes psychological disturbances, behavioral disorders, mental retardation. The disorders at the time of psychological development are also included. The emotional disorders can also be considered that arise at the onset of childhood and adolescence (Swift, Hall and Teesson, 2001).

Explanation

Evaluation

Biology

The underlying assumption of the model is that the mental illness is a result of physical illness and therefore the diagnosis and treatment of the disease can be done in a specific way.

The physical illness results in biochemical imbalances and changes in the nervous system. These factors affect results in mental instability and illness of the individual. The medical model can be therefore defined as the biological model. The physical problems are objective in nature whereas the biological problems are far more subjective.

Behaviorism

 The behavior of the individual is observed and measured in this form of therapeutic treatment. It assumes that the behavior is a result of environment rather than genetics. The behaviorist possesses a deterministic view of the mental disorders.

The model has led to the development of several behavioral therapies which has been successful. It has led to scientific study and evaluation.

Psychoanalytical model

The model assumes that the root causes of the mental disorders are psychological. The problems lie in the unconscious mind and the individuals lack defense mechanisms to protect themselves from anxiety.

The observations of the psychoanalytical therapists are borne out of their everyday experiences. The childhood traumas of the individual are recollected by the individual who leads to such trauma. The theory provides a comprehensive framework that describes the personality of the individual. This mental illness can be treated by identifying the root cause of the problem that subsides in the unconsciously in the patient (Alanko et al., 2009).

Biological Therapy

Pros

Cons

ECT

Electroconvulsive therapy reduces the number of the neural connections that are involved with depression and other illness. This gives rise to new connections in the other parts of the brain. It gives rise to the growth of new neurons and hippocampus.

ECT is considered as an extreme form of treatment. The treatment is uncontrolled and unwarranted in nature. It makes the patient docile. It leads to loss of memory. It also leads to loss of self esteem and the person. The person is unable to perform the routine task appropriately.

Psychosurgery

Psychosurgery is a neurosurgery for violent patients to reduce the level of stress of the individuals. It is done to provide treatment for mental disorders like anxiety, depression and OCD. The symptoms of these disorders could be reduced by the psychosurgery.

Psychosurgery results in permanent inability of the individual to inhibit the impulses. It creates an unnatural tranquility in the individual. The surgical procedure is highly risky. Failure to carry the procedure in an effective way can result in health risks. It leads to several health problems like bleeding of the brain, stroke, infection, problems in the heart, nausea. It can also lead to infection. The after effects of the surgery include change of mood frequently with insomnia. It can also lead to panic attacks.

Medication

The medication via drugs is preferred by the patients. It reduces the suffering of the patients. The drugs are absorbed via the blood easily. It produces dependable and reproducible effects. The treatment via medication is non invasive in nature and leads to high level of satisfaction of the patients.

Medication treatment can be uncooperative sometimes as the absorption of the drug occurs slowly. There are various side effects to the medication treatment. It can lead to degradation of the stomach acid and the enzymes. It also leads to various side effects in the body like certain local reactions (Kalat, 2001).

Psychological Therapy

Pros

Cons

Cognitive

Cognitive approach changes the thought process of the individual and the actions of the individual are influenced by the behavioral therapy. The negative thoughts of stress, depression are eradicated from the mind in this form of therapy. Individuals suffering from insomnia, stress disorder are benefitted.

The process requires full commitment from the patients which is hard to obtain. It can only deal with simple mental hazards. The complex problems cannot be solved by this therapy. The therapy fails to explore the underlying problems of the disease. The therapy is time limited thus the long term problems cannot be treated.

Humanistic

The therapy focus on the positive nature of human kind. The change is brought in the individual by bringing a positive outlook in the thought process of the individual. The individuals are benefitted from the core components of the therapy that help to bring the desired change in the individual.

The outcomes of humanistic approach such as self actualization and self awareness cannot be tested in a scientific manner. The treatment produces mixed results. The success rate of this form of treatment is less.

Psychoanalytical

The deeply ingrained personality problems of the individuals are solved by this form of therapy. The therapist tries to understand the deep root cause of the problem. The success rate of the therapy is more.

The process of treatment is lengthy. The patient has to be very involved with the therapist and it involves several weekly visits. This might be strenuous for the patient.

CBT

The cognitive behavioral therapy examines the thought process of the individual. Several behaviors are suggested to help the individual. These include deep breathing exercises and other forms of exercise. It provides treatment to individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.

This form of psychological therapy is more oriented towards bringing change in the behavior of the individual. The patients are given less opportunity to talk with the psychoanalyst. The success rate of the treatment is less (Pfammatter, 2006).