PSY 1102 Lecture 6: Chapter 15 Psychological Disorders

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1102
• Professor: Gary Capstick

Document Summary

Psychological disorders - not just unusual behaviour: patterns of thoughts, feelings, or actions that are deviant, distressful, dysfunctional. Interfere with life, relationships to a certain degree, but, some very minimally e. g snake phobia. Understanding psychological disorders: a) medical model - psychiatry - medical doctors. First seen as demonic possession, treated with torture, prisons. People started to realize we really can x psychological disorder in 1800s - Syphillis - we really can x disorders, something biological. Apply the same approach to psychological disorder as with physical illnesses or diseases. The psychological illness is diagnosed on the basis of symptoms. Treatment at a clinic or psychiatric hospital. Monday, july 11, 2016: b) biopsychosocial approach - psychology. Not always physical but biology a factor. Behaviour, adaptive or maladaptive, has multiple causes. Biology - biochemistry, brain activity, pathogens, genetic predispositions. Psychology - stress, thinking style, learning history.