PSYC 1000 Lecture Notes - Thalamus, Schizophrenia, Subset
8 Dec 2013
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Document Summary
What is abnormal: a lot of grey area between what is normal and abnormal exists, varies across individuals and cultures, no single definition is agreed upon by everyone, thoughts or emotions that fall outside cultural norms. Dysfunction: intense negative emotional reaction that doesn"t match the situation, behaviour interferes with individual"s daily functioning. Diagnosing psychological disorders: one reason to diagnose a disorder is to make decisions about the treatment. It helps to understand the cause of the symptoms of a disorder in order to treat it: the medical model: Psychological disorders can be seen as psychopathology (an illness of the mind) Disorders can be diagnosed (labeled as a collection of symptoms that go together) People with disorders can be treated with a goal of restoring mental health: the biopsychosocial approach. Biological influences: evolution, individual genes, brain structure and chemistry. Psychological influences: stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memories.
