ABNORMAL
PSYCHOLOGY

CONTENTS
1. DEFINING ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY AND
ABNORMALITY
2. CATEGORIES OF DISORDERS
3. TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDERS

WHAT IS ABNORMAL
PSYCHOLOGY
 A BRANCH OF PSYCHOLOGY DEVOTED TO THE STUDY
OF THE CLASSIFICATION, AETIOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS,
TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF MENTAL DISORDERS
AND DISABILITIES. ALSO CALLED PSYCHOPATHOLOGY.
 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY IS THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MENTAL
DISORDERS AND THEIR TREATMENT

WAYS OF DEFINING
“ABNORMAL”
SUBJECTIVE DISCOMFORT: FEELINGS OF ANXIETY,
DEPRESSION, OR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. BUT PEOPLE WE
WOULD CONSIDER DEFINITELY ABNORMAL MAY NOT FEEL
SUBJECTIVE DISCOMFORT.
SOCIAL NONCONFORMITY: DISOBEYING SOCIETAL
STANDARDS FOR NORMAL CONDUCT; USUALLY LEADS TO
DESTRUCTIVE OR SELF-DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR.
STATISTICAL ABNORMALITY: HAVING EXTREME SCORES ON
SOME DIMENSION, SUCH AS INTELLIGENCE, ANXIETY, OR
DEPRESSION. BUT HAVING A NUMERICALLY RARE
CHARACTERISTIC ISN’T ALWAYS A DISORDER (E.G., HAVING
AN IQ OF 180)

STATICALLY ABNORMAL

EARLY THEORIES ABOUT
ABNORMALITY
 ANCIENT SOCIETIES ATTRIBUTED ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR TO DIVINE
OR SUPERNATURAL FORCES.
 THEY BELIEVED THAT ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR WAS EVIL SPIRITS
TRYING TO GET OUT. EXORCISTS WERE USED TO RID PEOPLE WHO
BEHAVED ABNORMALLY.
 GREEK PHYSICIANS HIPPOCRATES AND GALEN BELIEVED THAT
ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR REFLECTED NATURAL CAUSES.
 IN THE 19TH CENTURY, GERMAN PHYSICIAN WILHELM GRIESINGER
ARGUED THAT ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR WAS CAUSED BY DISEASES OF
THE BRAIN.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SCHOOLS AN
DISORDER

CATEGORIES
OF DISORDERS

D S M 4
DIAGNOSTIC STATISTICAL MANUAL OF
MENTAL DISORDERS: THE BIG BOOK OF
DISORDERS PUBLISHED BY ‘THE
AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION’.
DSM WILL CLASSIFY DISORDERS AND
DESCRIBE THE SYMPTOMS.
DSM WILL NOT EXPLAIN THE CAUSES OR
POSSIBLE CURES.

SOME DSM-IV CATEGORIE
 MOOD DISORDERS
 PERSONALITY DISORDERS
 DISORDERS FIRST DIAGNOSED IN
CHILDHOOD
 ORGANIC MENTAL DISORDERS
 SUBSTANCE RELATED DISORDERS
 SCHIZOPHRENIA DISORDERS
 PARANOID DISORDERS
 IMPULSE CONTROL DISORDERS
Anxiety Disorders
Somatoform Disorders
Factitious Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Sexual & Gender Identity Disorde
Eating Disorders
Sleep Disorders
Adjustment Disorders

METHODS OF
TREATMENT

 PSYCHOTHERAPY
PSYCHOTHERAPY IS THE PRACTICE OF SPENDING TIME
WITH A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFESSIONAL TRAINED TO HELP
DIAGNOSE AND TREAT MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL
PROBLEMS. DURING PSYCHOTHERAPY, ONE HOPES TO
LEARN ABOUT THEIR CONDITION AND MOODS, FEELINGS,
THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIOURS, HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF
ONE'S LIFE AND RESPOND TO CHALLENGING SITUATIONS
WITH HEALTHY COPING SKILLS.

BEHAVIOUR THERAPY
BEHAVIOURISTS BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE LEARNED
THESE THINGS THROUGH REWARDS AND
PUNISHMENTS. BUT, JUST AS WE HAVE LEARNED THEM,
WE CAN UNLEARN THEM TOO.

HUMANISTIC THERAPY
HUMANISTS BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE GOOD-AT-HEART AND
TRY TO HELP PEOPLE GROW TO REACH THEIR FULL
POTENTIAL.

COGNITIVE THERAPY
WHAT WE THINK ABOUT A SITUATION IMPACTS WHAT
WE FEEL IN RESPONSE TO A SITUATION.
IF WE BLAME OURSELVES FOR SOMETHING BAD, WE’RE
LIKELY TO FEEL DEPRESSED. IF WE THINK IT THROUGH
AND SEE SOMETHING ELSE AS THE CAUSE, WE DON’T.

 GROUP THERAPY
GROUP THERAPY IS THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF
THERAPY—IT SAVES THERAPIST TIME AND PATIENT
MONEY.
IT SHOWS PATIENTS THAT THEY ARE NOT ALONE AND
THAT OTHERS SHARE THEIR PROBLEMS.

BIOMEDICAL THERAPIES
BIOLOGICAL APPROACHES INCLUDE DRUG THERAPY,
ELECTROCONVULSIVE SHOCK THERAPY (ECT), AND
PSYCHOSURGERY.

HOSPITALIZATION AND
COMMUNITY-BASED
CARE
THE MENTAL HOSPITAL PROVIDES A STRUCTURED
TREATMENT ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE IN ACUTE
CRISIS AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNABLE TO ADAPT TO
COMMUNITY LIVING.

REFERENCE
• LEARNERS.ORG
• PSYCHOLOGY.ABOUT.COM
• SIMPLYPSYCHOLOGY.ORG
• PEARSONHIGHERED.COM
• WIKIPEDIA.ORG