PSY 120 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16: Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Document Summary
Diagnosing psychological disorders: psychological diagnosis: a label for a person"s mental health disorder assigned by identifying and classifying patterns of behaviour. Labels can lead to damaging preconceptions: psychological disorders are now widely recognized as diseases of the brain rather than character weaknesses. Historical perspective of psychological disorders: some people with psychological disorders were caged, beaten, burned, etc. in the middle ages, medical model: the concept that psychological abnormalities are diseases that, like biological diseases, have symptoms, causes, and cures. Contemporary views of psychopathology: biological approach: a method of analyzing a psychological disorder in which physical problems are looked for as the root cause. E. g. depression caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain: psychoanalytic approach: a method of analyzing a psychological disorder in which unconscious conflicts and other possible underlying psychological factors are examined. Alzheimer"s disease results from deterioration of neurons that produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Gender differences: women may be more comfortable sharing their psychological problems than men are.
