PSY240H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Moral Treatment, Insulin Shock Therapy, Electroconvulsive Therapy
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PSY240H1 Full Course Notes
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Psychological disorder: a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected. **most psychological disorders are simply extreme expressions of otherwise normal emotions, behaviours and cognitive processes** Three criteria: psychological dysfunction within an individual, associated with distress or impairment in functioning, response that is not typical or culturally expected. Note: each criterion on its own does not define abnormal behavior. Refers to the breakdown in cognitive, emotional or behavioural functioning. Knowing where to draw the line between normal and abnormal dysfunction is often difficult. Therefore, problems are often considered to exist on a continuum or as a dimension, rather than as categories. This criterion is satisfied if the individual is extremely upset. It is normal to feel distressed it is apart of human nature. For some disorders, suffering and distress is absent. Thus, defining psychological disorder by distress alone does not work.
