What is Abnormal Psychology?

 

Some Definitions by Psychologists- 

"Abnormal Psychology is the branch of psychology that is concerned with the behavior disorders, their diagnosis, their classification, their treatment and theories that explain them." ¬Strange, 1977

"Abnormal Psychology is a specialized field of psychology dealing with personality disturbances and behavior disorders." ¬Kisker, 1985

"Abnormal Psychology is the application of psychological science to the study of mental disorders." ¬Oltmanns & Emery, 1995

"Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology had long been referred to as that part of the field of psychology concerned with the understanding, treatment and prevention of abnormal behavior." ¬Carson & Butcher, 1992

Facts about Abnormal Psychology derived from above definitions :-

1. Abnormal Psychology or also called psychopathology is a distinct branch of psychology. 

2. Abnormal behavior is studied in abnormal psychology and emphasis is laid on diagnosis, classification, treatment, and prevention of abnormal behavior. 

3. In abnormal psychology, attempts are made to give theoretical explanation of abnormal behaviors. In this interpretation also, like other branches, important facts are explained in the form of some major principles. 

In conclusion, it can be said that abnormal psychology is such a branch of psychology in which the facts related to the diagnosis, classification, prevention and treatment of abnormal behavior and abnormal mental processes of a person are studied and as per the need, theories for its scientific explanation are constructed. 

What do we understand by abnormal behavior/ psychological disorder? 

A psychological disorder is: a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected. 

There are several different ways in which it is possible to define ‘abnormal’ as opposed to our ideas of what is 'normal'. 

1. Statistical infrequency: a person's trait, thinking, or behavior is classified as abnormal if it is rare or statistically unusual. 
2. Violation of social norms: a person's thinking or behavior is classified as abnormal if it violates the (unwritten) rules about what is expected or acceptable behavior in a particular social group. With this definition, it is necessary to consider the degree to which a norm is violated, the importance of that norm, and the value attached by the social group to different sorts of violations, e.g., is the violation rude, eccentric, abnormal, or criminal?
3. Failure to function adequately: a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life, or experience personal distress. 
4. Deviation from Ideal Mental Health: abnormality can be defined as a deviation from ideal mental health. This means that rather than defining what is abnormal, psychologists define what normal/ideal mental health is and anything that deviates from this is regarded as abnormal.
5. Ethnocentric: it refers to the tendency to view one’s own culture or ethnic group as the standard or norm, and to judge other cultures, values, behaviors, and beliefs based on those norms. Anyone who goes against their own norm is classified as abnormal. 

Models of Abnormality 

Behavioral Model

Behaviorism states that all behavior (including abnormal) is learned from the environment (nurture) and that all behavior that has been learned can also be ‘unlearnt’ (which is how abnormal behavior is treated).

Cognitive Model 

It assumes that a person's thoughts are responsible for their behavior. The model deals with how information is processed in the brain and the impact of this on behavior.

The basic assumptions are:

• Maladaptive behavior is caused by faulty and irrational cognitions.
• It is the way you think about a problem rather than the problem itself that causes mental disorders.
• Individuals can overcome mental disorders by learning to use more appropriate cognitions.

Biological Model 

This model of psychopathology believes that disorders have an organic or physical cause. The focus of this approach is on genetics, neurotransmitters, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, biochemistry, etc. The approach argues that mental disorders are related to the physical structure and functioning of the brain.

For example, differences in brain structure (abnormalities in the frontal and pre-frontal cortex, enlarged ventricles) have been identified in people with schizophrenia.

Diathesis-stress Model 

According to this model, the emergence of a psychological disorder requires first the existence of a diathesis, or an innate predisposition to that disorder in an individual, and second, stress, or a set of challenging life circumstances which then trigger the development of the disorder.

In the diathesis-stress model, these challenging life events are thought to interact with individuals’ innate dispositions to bring psychological disorders to the surface. For example, traumatic early life experiences, such as the loss of a parent, can act as longstanding predispositions to a psychological disorder. In addition, personality traits like high neuroticism are sometimes also referred to as diatheses.

Furthermore, individuals with greater innate predispositions to a disorder may require less stress for that disorder to be triggered, and vice versa.

Psychodynamic Model
The main assumptions include Freud’s belief that abnormality came from psychological causes rather than physical causes, that unresolved conflicts between the id, ego, and superego can all contribute to abnormality. 

Classification of Abnormality

Classification systems for mental disorders provide mental health professionals with an agreed upon list of disorders falling in distinct categories for which there are clear descriptions and criteria for making a diagnosis. 

Importance of Classification systems:

• It helps in gathering statistics for the purpose of determining incidence (no. of new cases occurring during a given period, usually an year) and prevalence (no. of people in the population as a whole that have the disorder) rates. 
• It facilitates research on the etiology (study of origins, causes of a disorder) and treatment of disorders.
• It conforms to the requirements of insurance companies for the payment of claims.

The most widely used classification systems are: 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5th edition 

The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) 11th edition 

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)

Although a number of classification systems have been developed over time, the one that is used by most mental health professionals in the United States is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013. Additions and revisions were made in March 2022, so the most current edition is called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). 

The first edition of the DSM, published in 1952, classified psychological disorders according to a format developed by the U.S. Army during World War II. 

In the years since, the DSM has undergone numerous revisions and editions. The DSM-5 includes many categories of disorders (e.g., anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and dissociative disorders). Each disorder is described in detail, including 

1. an overview of the disorder (diagnostic features), 

2. specific symptoms required for diagnosis (diagnostic criteria), 

3. prevalence information (what percent of the population is thought to be afflicted with the disorder), and 

4. risk factors associated with the disorder and 

5. information about comorbidity; the co-occurrence of two disorders.

The DSM-5 is divided into 22 chapters that include sets of related disorders. 

The current organization of the DSM-5 begins with neurodevelopmental disorders and then proceeds through internalizing problems (depression, anxiety, social anxiety, somatic complaints, post-traumatic symptoms, and obsession-compulsion) to externalizing problems (disruptive, impulse-control, conduct disorders and substance use, etc.).