Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Introduction: Understanding Psychological Disorders531>> Introduction: Understanding PsychologicalDisordersKey Theme• Understanding psychological disorders includes considerations of theirorigins, symptoms, and development, as well as how behavior relates tocultural and social norms.Key Questions• What is a psychological disorder, and what differentiates abnormalbehavior from normal behavior?• What is DSM-IV-TR, and how was it developed?• How prevalent are psychological disorders?Far Side cartoons often poke fun at people (and animals) with psychological issues. Whilehumorous, they are actually intended to make some serious points. By reviewing severalcommon misconeptions about psychological disorders we hope to dispell them.First, there’s the belief that “crazy” behavior is very different from “normal” behavior.Granted, sometimes it is, like the behavior of the young woman who was screaming“Fire!” when there was no fire. But as you’ll see throughout this chapter, the line thatdivides “normal” and “crazy” behavior is often not as sharply defined as most peoplethink. In many instances, the difference between normal and abnormal behavior is a matterof degree. For example, as you leave your apartment or house, it’s normal to checkor even double-check that the door is securely locked. However, if you feel compelledto go back and check the lock 50 times, it would be considered abnormal behavior.The dividing line between normal and abnormal behavior is also often determinedby the social or cultural context in which a particular behavior occurs. Forexample, among traditional Hindus in India, certain dietary restrictions are followedas part of the mourning process. It would be a serious breach of social norms if anIndian widow ate fish, meat, onions, garlic, or any other “hot” foods within sixmonths of her husband’s death. A Catholic widow in the United States would considersuch restrictions absurd.Second, when we encounter people whose behavior strikes us as weird, unpredictable,or baffling, it’s easy to simply dismiss them as “just plain nuts,” or “crazy,”as in the nurse’s insensitive response in the Prologue. Although convenient, such aresponse is too simplistic, not to mention unkind. It could also be wrong. Sometimestimes, unconventional people are labeled as crazy when they’re actually just creativelychallenging the conventional wisdom with new ideas.Even if a person’s responses are seriously disturbed, labeling that person as “crazy”or “just plain nuts” tells us nothing meaningful. What are the person’s specific symptoms?What might be the cause of the symptoms? How did they develop? How longcan they be expected to last? And how might the person be helped? The area of psychologyand medicine that focuses on these questions is called psychopathology—the scientific study of the origins, symptoms, and development of psychological disorders.In this chapter and the next, we’ll take a closer look at psychological disordersand their treatment.There is a third troubling issue: a strong social is attached to suffering from apsychological disorder (Thornicroft, 2006). Because of the social stigma that can beassociated with psychological disorders, people are often reluctant to seek the help ofhelp of mental health professionals (Arboleda-Florez & Sartorius, 2008). People whoare under the care of a mental health professional often hide the fact, telling only theirclosest friends—and understandably so. Being labeled“crazy” carries all kinds of implications,most of which reflect negative stereotypes about people with mental illness(Wirth & Bodenhausen, 2009). In the Critical Thinking box “Are People with aMental Illness as Violent as the Media Portray Them?” we discuss the accuracy ofsuch stereotypes in more detail.psychopathologyThe scientific study of the origins, symptoms,and development of psychologicaldisorders.