Abnormal Psychology:
Classification & Disorders
AP PSYCHOLOGY: UNIT XI
Designated Unit:
Unit IV
States of Consciousness
Introduction: Fact or Falsehood?
 Research suggests that the stigma & stress
associated with being homosexual increase
the risk of mental health problems…

True
 In America, research indicates that there are
more prison inmates with severe mental
disorders than there are psychiatric
inpatients in all of the country’s hospitals…

True
Introduction: Fact or Falsehood?
 About 30% of psychologically disordered
people are dangerous; that is, they are more
likely than other people to commit a crime…

False
 Identical twins who have been raised
separately may develop the same phobias…

True
 Dissociative identity disorder is a type of
schizophrenia…

False
Introduction: Fact or Falsehood?
 In North America, today’s young adults are
three times as likely as their grandparents to
report having experienced depression…

True
 White Americans commit suicide nearly
twice as often as black Americans do…

True
 There is strong evidence for a genetic
predisposition to schizophrenia…

True
Introduction: Fact or Falsehood?
 An estimated one in seven Americans suffers
from a clinically significant mental
disorder…

True
Abnormal Psychology:
The Basics
PART ONE
“Walk Around the Block”
Activity
This activity requires 5 student volunteers who are comfortable with
“acting” in front of the class…
You will need to imagine that our classroom is a busy city block…
As the volunteers are acting out their roles, you should attempt to figure
out what they are doing & why they are acting the way they are….
Character
1
2
3
4
5
Just
robbed a
bank
Is getting
married
this
evening
His or her
spouse
just left
him/her
Just
escaped
from a
mental
hospital
Has a job
interview
in 30
minutes
Abnormal: The Basics
 Stereotypes & Stigmas
 Psychological disorders
are incurable
 Those with psychological
disorders are violent
 People with psychological
disorders behave in a
bizarre manner; are considerably different from
“normal” people

Impact of these labels and/or stereotypes?
Abnormal: The Basics
 Is it really possible to
categorize human beings
into neat & tidy boxes?


Normal or abnormal?
Mentally healthy or
mentally ill?

Does abnormal behavior
necessarily mean illness?
Abnormal: The Basics
 The Medical Model (18th & 19th centuries)
 Proposed that it is most useful to think of “abnormal
behavior” as any other medical disease


Provided us with many terms:
 Mental illness, psychological disorder,
psychopathology, etc.
Its influence remains strong today…
What was the focus prior to this?
 Has the medical model outgrown its usefulness?

Abnormal: The Basics
 Terminology
 Diagnosis


Etiology


Involves distinguishing
one illness from another
The apparent causation &
developmental history of
an illness
Prognosis

Forecast about that probable course of an illness
Abnormal Psychology:
The Criteria
PART TWO
Abnormal: The Criteria
 Deviance
 Behavior that deviates from
what society considers
acceptable/normal

Varies considerably from
one culture to the
next
 Examples
• Transvestic
fetishism
• Hoarding
Abnormal: The Criteria
 Maladaptive Behavior
 A situation in which
day-to-day functioning is
impaired/negatively
impacted

Example
 Substance abuse
Abnormal: The Criteria
 Personal Distress
 An individual’s self-report
of personal distress

Examples
 Depression
 Anxiety disorders
 Note: In order to diagnose a psychological
disorder, only one of the three major criteria
needs to be present…
Abnormal Psychology:
The Perspectives
PART THREE
Perspective
Explanation of Behavior
Implications
Psychoanalytic
Disorders/abnormal behaviors
stem from unresolved
childhood conflicts
Must examine one’s early life,
including one’s earliest
memories
Behavioral
Disorders/abnormal behaviors
are learned responses (i.e.
reinforcement)
Must analyze how behavior has
been learned, as well as what
“reinforces” its continuation
Cognitive
Disorders/abnormal behaviors
are caused by cognitive
processes (thoughts & beliefs)
Must examine one’s thoughts &
beliefs; change is the key to
“fixing” maladaptive behavior
Humanistic
Individuals are responsible
for their own behavior, even
disordered/abnormal behavior
Must examine self-concept;
disordered individuals do not
have self-worth
Sociocultural
Disorders/abnormal behavior is
shaped by family, society &
culture
Believe that one’s relationship
with others can support & even
cause abnormal behavior
Abnormal Behavior:
Classifications
PART FOUR
Abnormal: Case Study
Anne is a sixteen-year-old girl living in a medium-sized city in the Midwest.
Her family includes a mother, father, fourteen-year-old brother and a great
aunt, who has living with the family since Anne was four. Anne is a junior at
City High School and is taking a college-preparatory program. Her
appearance is strikingly different from the other girls in her class. She
wears blouses which she has made out of various scraps of material. The
blouses are accompanied by the same pair of overalls everyday, two
mismatched shoes and a hat with a blue feather. She is a talented artist,
producing sketches of her fellow classmates that are remarkably accurate.
She draws constantly, even when told that to do so will lower her in grade
in classes where she is expected to take lecture notes. She has no friends at
school, but seems undisturbed by the fact that she eats lunch by herself and
walks around campus alone.
Abnormal: Case Study
Her grades are erratic; if she likes a class she often receives an A or B, but
will do no work at all in those she dislikes. Anne can occasionally be heard
talking to herself; she is interested in poetry and says she is “composing” if
asked about her poetry. She refuses to watch television, calling it a
“wasteland.” This belief is carried into the classroom, where she refuses to
watch videotapes, saying they are poor excuses for teaching. Her parents
say they don’t understand her; she isn’t like anyone in their family. She and
her brother have very little in common. He is embarrassed by Anne’s
behavior and doesn’t understand her either. Anne seems blithely unaware
of her apparent isolation, except for occasional outbursts about the
meaninglessness of most people’s activity.
Abnormal: Classifications
 The Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders
(DSM-V)


Published by the APA
Fifth edition released
in 2013

Describes 400 psychological disorders, as opposed to 60
in the 1950s
Abnormal: Classifications
 The DSM-V takes a multi-axial approach
 Axis I: Major Clinical Syndromes
 Axis II: Personality Disorders
 Axis III: General Medical
 Axis IV: Social/Environmental
 Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning
 Purpose of the DSM-V?
 To classify disorders
 To describe symptoms
 DOES NOT discuss causes or potential cures
Abnormal: Classifications
 Example of a DSM-V multi-axial evaluation
 49 year-old male
Axis I: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD); substance
(cocaine) abuser
 Axis II: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
 Axis III: Hypertension
 Axis IV: Psychosocial stressors (recent divorce, permitted
to see children only infrequently, job is in jeopardy…)
 Axis V: Current GAF (46)

Abnormal: Classifications
 Issues with the DSM-V?
 Critics of the DSM-V argue that labels may stigmatize
individuals


On the other hand, labels may be helpful for healthcare
professionals when communicating with one another &
establishing therapeutic processes
“Insanity” labels raise ethical questions regarding
how society should treat people who have disorders
and have committed crimes
Abnormal Behavior:
Specific Disorders
DSM-V Axis I Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders
Schizophrenic Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
DSM-V Axis II Disorders
Personality Disorders
***For more information, please see the chart that
was completed in class…
PART FIVE