Transcript File - Ms. von Muller

DO NOW ACTIVITY
What
do you think of
(either other words or
images) when you hear
“psychological disorder”
or “mental illness”?
Psychological
Disorders
6.1 Notes
What are Psychological
Disorders?
 Behavior
patterns or mental processes
that cause serious personal suffering or
interfere with everyday life
 ¼ of U.S. population experience a
psychological disorder (maybe more)
 To identify a disorder, must distinguish
between normal and abnormal
behaviors, thoughts, or feelings
Normal vs. Abnormal
 Normal:
defined as being what
majority of people experience
 Abnormal: thought to be what ever
deviates from majority
 Difference b/t people with disorders
and “normal” people is
exaggeration of certain behaviors
or thoughts
What behaviors could
be considered
“abnormal?”
Are there behaviors that could be
considered normal sometimes, and
abnormal at other times?
Symptoms of
Psychological Disorders
 Several
patterns of behavior and
mental processes suggest a person
has a disorder
 General criteria:
 Typicality
of behavior
 Interference with daily life
 Level of emotional discomfort
 Social acceptability
Typicality
 Normality
of behavior is determined
by how often it occurs (or how
typical it is) for most people
 Just because most people don’t do
something doesn’t always mean it’s
abnormal
Interference with Daily Life
 Also
called “maladaptivity”
(mal=bad)
 Behaviors or mental processes that
cause anxiety and stress or are
hazardous to self or others
Emotional Discomfort
 Anxiety
and depression cause great
emotional discomfort
 Suffer from feeling helpless, hopeless,
worthless, guilty, and extremely sad
 Lose interest in things once enjoyed
 Believe life is no longer worth living
Socially Unacceptable
Behavior
 Behaviors
that violate society’s
accepted “norms” or “rules”
 Importance of cultural context—what’s
normal in one culture may be abnormal
in another
Classifying
Psychological Disorders
 Psychologists
say it’s important to have widely
agreed upon classification for disorders

Need to know how many people have disorder,
and if other factors are associated with it
 Commonly
use Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
 Categorized by observable signs and
symptoms
 Different editions over the years
Stigma of Mental Illness
 Stigma:
when someone is viewed
negatively because of a distinguishing
characteristic or personal trait that’s
considered a disadvantage
 Negative attitudes and beliefs toward
people with psychological disorders are
very common
Harmful Effects of Stigma
 Increases
reluctance to seek help or
treatment
 Feel misunderstood by others
 Fewer opportunities for work, school, etc.
 Suffer bullying, physical violence, or
harassment
 May lead to lack of self-confidence
John Oliver-Mental
Health Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=NGY6DqB1HX8
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are some politicians doing with mass
killings and mental illness? Why do you think
they are taking this position? (Do you
recognize any of the politicians?)
According to the video, how common is
mental illness in the United States?
As many mental institution close, where are
the mentally displaced?
According to the video, what actually works
to support the mentally ill?