PSY 1001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Philippe Pinel, Moral Treatment, Middle Ages
15 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Psychology 1001 / Temple University
Chapter 15: Psychological Problems and Disorders / April 16-19
Book and Lecture notes
Book: Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding (4th Edition) / Professor: Dr. Drabick
*Disclaimer: Most of the definitions used in this these notes are copied directly from the book. All sources listed on the last page. *
Notes by: Kirstin Ortiz
What is Mental Illness?
• Complexity
• Statistical Rarity
• Subjective Distress; not every mental illness causes emotional pain all the time
• Impairment
• Societal Disapproval
• Biological Dysfunction; many people with psychological disorders have trouble caring
for themselves and functioning on their own
*Psychological disorders need to be carefully diagnosed because many symptoms are part of
regular human functioning; none of the symptoms should be isolated and used by themselves
for diagnostic purposes
Demonic Model – View of mental illness in which behaving oddly, hearing voices, or talking to
oneself was attributed to evil spirits infesting the body
➢ Popular during the middle ages; mostly extinct but some people still believe it (to
an extent) and perform exorcisms, etc.
Medical Model (Renaissance)– View of mental illness as a physical disorder requiring medical
treatment
➢ Introduced the idea of an asylum (defined below)
Asylum – Institution for people with mental illnesses created in the 15th century
➢ Medical treatment in this era was dangerous and, in some cases, deadly – one
example is bloodletting, or the process of making someone bleed so the “extra
blood” that “caused” these illnesses could be disposed of
➢ Asylums in this time were also often grotesque in this period; people with
mental health issues were seen as lesser humans and were abused and isolated
Moral Treatment (Pinel and Dix) – Approach to mental illness used today calling for dignity,
kindness, and respect for those with mental illness; introduced by Philippe Pinel in France and
Dorthea Dix in America
➢ A good move towards treating these people with respect, but still not at the level
of medical treatment that we are at today
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Deinstitutionalization – The governmental policy of the 1960s and 1970s that focused on
releasing hospitalized psychiatric patients into the community and closing mental hospitals
➢ Also, a good move forward but there wasn’t good after care; halfway houses and
the like didn’t offer proper support
• Culture-Bound Syndromes exist; psychiatric disorders and symptoms can vary among
regions because of culture differences
➢ E.g. In Japan, social anxiety is often the result of not wanting to offend others
(collectivist society) whereas in the U.S. it is often caused by not wanting to
embarrass oneself (individualist society)
➢ Some syndromes have clearer presentation in certain cultures. In addition, some
culture-bound syndromes may have the similar symptoms, but are not the same
(E.g. Amok, an Asian culture-bound syndrome, may seem like anxiety disorder
but is better characterized by that specific disorder due to specific symptoms that
aren’t like anxiety disorder)
➢ Many mental disorders, especially those that are severe seem to exist in most
(perhaps all) cultures
Misconceptions About Psychiatric Diagnosis:
1) Psychiatric diagnosis is nothing more than pigeonholing, that is, sorting people into
different “boxes”
➢ Reality – Psychiatric diagnosis implies only that people with a particular
disorder are alike in at least one important aspect; psychiatrists realize that
people with mental illness are all unique in their personalities and their
symptoms
2) Psychiatric diagnoses are unreliable
➢ Reality – For major mental disorders such as schizophrenia, mood
disorders, anxiety disorders, and alcoholism, interrater reliability
correlations are usually between .8 and 1; although certain disorders do
have low interrater reliability
3) Psychiatric Diagnoses are invalid
➢ Reality - Many “disorders” that are not backed by scientific research such
as “chocoholism” and “internet addiction” are discussed often in pop
psychology and make this misconception seem true. But there are certain
(reliable) criteria that must be met for a psychiatric disorder to be
officially valid in the health world.
4) Psychiatric Diagnoses Stigmatize People
➢ Reality – Stigma is attached to certain psychiatric disorders, but the
effects of this stigmatization only last so long if present at all
Labeling Theorists – Scholars who argue that psychiatric diagnoses exert powerful negative
effects on people’s perceptions and behaviors
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) – Diagnostic system containing
the American Psychiatric Association (APA) criteria for mental disorders. The current version
used in practice is the DSM-5
➢ 18 classes of disorders
➢ Diagnostic criteria and decision rules – The DSM-5 states criteria that one
must meet to be diagnosed; for each disorder there is a list of symptoms
and conditions that one must meet (E.g., one may have to show 5 out of 9
symptoms along with other conditions to be diagnosed)
➢ Thinking organic – The DSM-5 warns against diagnosing an individual
who shows symptoms that are present because of a different medical
issue (E.g. Hypothyroidism can cause symptoms of depression)
➢ The DSM-5: Other Features – It is a valuable source of information
concerning other characteristics such as prevalence – percentage of
people within a population who have a specific mental disorder
Five Axes of the DSM-IV-TR (NOT in DSM-5; should be looked at as a historical fact):
1) Major mental disorders
2) Personality disorders and developmental disabilities
3) Associated medical conditions
4) Life stressors
5) Overall level of daily functioning
• This was a useful holistic approach; medical disorders could be considered, so
psychologists could see if, say, cancer was causing anxiety
*Reasons for changing this:
• Certain disorders (like personality disorders) were looked at as un-treatable
• No one was doing research on axes 3-5
*The DSM-5 boasts a biopsychosocial approach, meaning it considers psychological, social, and
biological influence in diagnosis
• E.g. In, say, the United States a psychiatrist might consider cutting oneself to be a
symptom of a mental disorder. But in some other cultures “tribal scars” are normal
• The DSM-5 is extremely useful and praised in the field of psychology, but it also has its
share of criticisms:
➢ Some of the disorders in the DSM-5 do not meet criteria for validity
➢ High comorbidity – Co-occurrence of two or more diagnoses within the
same person (E.g. People who are diagnosed with depression are also
often diagnosed with anxiety disorder)
➢ Reliance on the categorical model – Model in which a mental disorder
differs from a normal functioning in kind rather than degree (E.g. One
either “has a disorder or not”, as opposed to the more accurate stance that
there are varying levels of functionality regarding mental disorders
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Chapter 15: psychological problems and disorders / april 16-19. Book: psychology: from inquiry to understanding (4th edition) / professor: dr. drabick. *disclaimer: most of the definitions used in this these notes are copied directly from the book. What is mental illness: complexity, statistical rarity, subjective distress; not every mental illness causes emotional pain all the time, societal disapproval, biological dysfunction; many people with psychological disorders have trouble caring. Impairment for themselves and functioning on their own. *psychological disorders need to be carefully diagnosed because many symptoms are part of regular human functioning; none of the symptoms should be isolated and used by themselves for diagnostic purposes. Demonic model view of mental illness in which behaving oddly, hearing voices, or talking to oneself was attributed to evil spirits infesting the body. Popular during the middle ages; mostly extinct but some people still believe it (to an extent) and perform exorcisms, etc.
