Introduction to Psychopathology

1
Introduction to Psychopathology

• Goals for today
• Scientist-practitioner model (3 parts to the
  study of disorders)
• Historical and current conceptions of
  psychopathology

2
Scientist-Practitioner Model
Description
Study of Psychological Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome
3
Descriptive Approach
Description
Study of Psychological Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome

• Symptoms
• Sex ratio
• Prevalence
• how many people in a population as a whole have a
  disorder?

• Incidence
• how many new cases of a disorder occur within a
  given time?

4
Descriptive Approach
Description
Study of Psychological Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome

• Course
• Typical pattern of development
• Prognosis
• Predicted development/outcome

5
Scientist-Practitioner Model
Description
Study of Psychological Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome
6
Description
Causes of Psychopathology
Study of Psychological Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome

• Etiology
• the study of why a disorder begins

• Multiple Causation
• biology, psychology, learning history, culture,
  and social factors

7
Scientist-Practitioner Model
Description
Study of Psychological Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome
8
Description
Treatment and Outcome
Study of Psychological Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome

• What are the costs and benefits of treatments?
• Which treatments work best (for which disorders,
  which people, etc.?)

9
The Fisher King

• Small Group Exercise on Perspectives in Causation

10
How has abnormal behavior been conceptualized
over the course of history?
11
Historical Perspectives on Abnormality
Biological Theories
Similar to physical disease, mental illness
breakdown of some systems of body (e.g.,
syphillis).
Supernatural Theories
Divine intervention, curses, demonic possession,
and personal sin.
Psychological Theories
Mental disorders as the result of learning,
trauma, or other psychosocial causes.
12
Historical Perspectives on Abnormality
Biological Theories
Madness tape, 3 -- recent history of
biological theories and therapies