Psychology 1100E Lecture Notes - Lecture 42: Thomas Szasz, Sigmund Freud, Trepanning
23 Mar 2019
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Line between normal and abnormal is distinct. Three d"s criteria for abnormal behaviour: deviancy, dysfunctionality, distress. 8 people presented themselves at emergency at different hospitals. They claimed they had been hearing voices saying: empty, hollow, and thud . All were admitted with a provisional diagnosis of schizophrenia. Once admitted they made no further claims of hearing voices. All were released within 7-59 days with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in remission . Many took this as an indictment of the whole system of diagnosis of mental illness. At points in history, deviant people were often thought to be possessed with evil spirits. Trephination was viewed as one way to release these spirits. Of course, burning at the stake was another solution. In more enlightened periods such deviance began to be viewed as part of medicine. E. g. , confusion was assumed to be a symptom of some disease. It assumes: symptoms will vanish when the cause (pathogen) is discovered and eliminated.
