Psychology Of Adjustment Study Guide:

Chapter 14:

1. What does the medical model propose?
The medical model proposes that it is useful to think of abnormal behavior as a disease, and has become the main way of thinking about mental illness today.
The model has brought much needed improvement in patient care.

2. What are signs that a mental illness is present and you should seek a mental health assessment? (empirical approach to diagnosing mental illness)
Symptoms which persistently get in the way of daily functioning and adjusting like: attending, sensing, remembering, speaking, organizing thoughts/intent, self-care, relating to others, a sense of thriving and goal seeking behaviors.

3. What is DSM-IV?
The diagnostic and statistical manuel of mental disorders which provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders.
It’s the closest we are able to get to an empirical basis for mental illness’ (fourth edition)
5 Axes:
Axis 1: clinical factors (includes clinical disorders
Axis 2: personality factors (personality disorders and intellectual disabilities)
Axis 3: Medical Factors
Axis 4: Social/environmental factors
Axis 5: GAF factors??

4. DSM 5
The fifth edition. In the US the DSM serves as a universal authority for phychiatric diagnosis.
Treatment recommendations, as well as health care providers, are often determined by DSM classifications, so the appearance of a new version has significant practical importance.
DSM dropped Asperger syndrome as a distinct classification, “bereavement exclusion” for depressive disorders, naming of gender identity disorder to gender dyssphoria, removing the A2 criterion for posttraumatic stress disorder because its requirement to specific emotional reactions to trauma did not apply to combat verans and first responders with PTSD.

5. Abnormal Behavior the medical model
Diagnosis- “involves distinguishing one illness from another”
Etiology – “refers to the apparent causation and development history of an illness”
Prognosis – “is a forecast about the probable cause of an illness”

6. What is the criteria of Abnormal Behavior?
Deviance- the behavior must be significantly different from what society deems acceptable
Maladaptive behavior- the behavior interferes with the person’s ability to function
Personal distress- the behavior is troubling to the individual

7. Prevalence of psychological disorders-
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution of mental or physical disorders in a population
Prevalence refers to the percentage of the population that exhibits a disorder during a specified time period
Research suggests that there has been a real increase in the prevalence in disorders, with the most common classes being substance use, anxiety and mood disorders
Substance use disorders (including alcoholism) are the most prevalent psychological disorders followed by anxiety disorders

8. What are Somatoform Disorders?
Physical ailments that cannot be fully explained by organic conditions and are largely due to psychological factors 9. What are the three types of somatoform disorders?
1. Somatization disorder- is marked by a history of diverse phsycial complaints that appear to be psychological in origin. It occurs mostly in women and symptoms seem to be linked to stress. Symptoms can include: cardiovascular, gastrointenstinal, pulmonary, neurological and genitourinary symptoms.
2. Conversion disorder- is charectorized by a significant loss of physical function with no apparent organic basis, usually in a single organ system. Common symptoms include: partial or total loss of vision or hearing, partial paralysis, larntitis or “mutism,” seizures or vominiting and/or loss of function in limbs.
3. Hypochondriasis- is charectorized by excessive preoccupating with health concerns and incessant worry about developing physical illness’. People with hypochondria are convinced their symptoms are real and