13a Defining and Classifying Psychological Disorders

This person insisted that madness was not "demon possession" but a sickness of the mind caused by severe stresses and inhumane conditions.

Pinel

Philippe Pinel suggested that mental illness was:

a sickness of the mind.

How the interaction between our biology, our psychology, and our social-cultural environments influences our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions is the focus of the:

biopsychosocial approach.

In a study examining the biasing power of _____ labels, researchers went to mental hospital admissions offices and complained of "hearing voices" saying "empty," "hollow," and "thud." This was the only complaint they reported and they displayed no other symptoms. They were admitted and released an average of 19 days later.

diagnostic

After study participants were told that a videotaped interviewee was a psychiatric patient, they characterized the person with phrases like "passive type" or "frightened of his own impulses." This study best illustrates the biasing power of _____.

diagnostic labels

Elsa is a 50-year-old teacher who is openly gay. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Elsa's homosexuality is not classified as a _____.

disorder

Last week Becky read that labels can bias perceptions, so she does not support placing diagnostic labels on psychological problems. If you were trying to convince her that these types of labels do have benefits, you might tell her that mental health professionals use labels to:

do all these things listed

Dysfunctional thoughts, emotions or behaviors may not be considered a sign of a disorder unless they _____ with one's life.

interfere

Dysfunctional thoughts, emotions, or behaviors may NOT be considered a sign of a disorder unless they:

interfere with one's life.

According to the _____, mental illness needs to be cured through therapy.

medical model

To study a disorder, psychologists and psychiatrists must first _____ and _____ it.

name; describe

By using a classification system, psychologists and psychiatrists can:

quickly describe a complex set of behaviors.

Labels of mental illness can be _____.

self-fulfilling

This is a condition experienced in Latin American cultures, where an individual may experience severe anxiety, restlessness, and a fear of black magic.

susto

Qwan often finds himself anxious in social situations. He avoids eye contact with others and regularly dismisses his fears of blushing uncontrollably as shyness. If Qwan was Japanese, he might be suffering from:

taijin-kyofusho.

Arianna displays very dysfunctional behavior. She is unable to care for herself, cannot dress herself, and has limited understanding of her surroundings. Prior to the reform movement influenced by Philippe Pinel, Arianna's behavior would most likely have been considered:

the result of demon possession.

The American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as an illness until the year _____.

1973

Tonya is interested in studying psychological disorders. If she wants to study the classification system most often used in the United States, she should read the _____.

DSM-5

Around the world, people may experience the same genetically based disorder quite differently, depending on their personal expectations and their cultural definition of abnormality. This best illustrates the need for what model?

a biopsychosocial approach

Erin is released after a 4-week stay at a psychiatric hospital. She needs to find an apartment near her job, because she can't afford a car. When she talks to potential landlords, she should not tell them she was in a psychiatric hospital because many people react negatively to those labeled "_____."

mentally ill

An integrated understanding of psychological disorders in terms of three interactive environments is most clearly provided by:

the biopsychosocial approach.

Last week Angela read that labels can bias perceptions, so she does not support placing diagnostic labels on psychological problems. If you were trying to convince her that these types of labels do have benefits, you might tell her that mental health professionals use labels to choose the most effective course of _____.

treatment