PSYC 1200 Lecture Notes - Beck Depression Inventory, American Psychiatric Association, Mental Disorder
11 Dec 2013
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Document Summary
A statistical statement referring to relatively rare patterns of thought or behaviour (e. g. great thinkers, gifted athletes, criminals) It does not refer to mental disorders (e. g. depression, anxiety) because they are relatively frequent. A legal concept that merely refers to whether a person knows the consequences of their actions. Often people with psychological disorders fully appreciate the consequences of their actions (e. g. people afflicted with depression or phobias), but are powerless to change their behaviour. You might be disordered if your culture thinks you are disordered (e. g. speaking to a deceased relative in north america could be a sign of a mental disorder, but in china, it is considered normal). Problem: over time, different cultures vary on whether behaviour is considered deviant. You might be disordered if your actions cause harm to yourself or others. Problem: labels many behaviours as mental disorder that do not seem to fit (e. g. smoking, boxing, being a soldier).
