ThebFieldbofbAbnormalbPsychology
AbnormalbPsychology:bfocusesbonbpsychopathologybthebstudybofbthebsymptomsbandbcausesbofbmenta
lb distressbandbthebvariousbtreatmentsbforbbehavioralbandbmentalbdisorders.
Thosebwhobstudybpsychopathologybattemptbtobdescribe,bexplain,bpredict,bandbmodifybthe
behaviors,b emotionsb orb thoughtsb associatedb withb variousb mentalb conditions.
0bIncludesbbehaviorbthatbrangesbfrombhighlybunusualbtobfairlybcommon—
frombthebviolentb homicides,bsuicides,bandbmentalbbreakdownsbtobunsensationalbconcernsbsu
chbasbdepression,b anxiety,beatingbdisturbances,bandbsubstancebabuse.
Peoplebwhobworkbin bthebfield bofbpsychopathologybstrivebto balleviatebthebdistressband blife
b disruption bexperiencedbby bthosebwith bmental bdisorders band bthebconcernsbofbtheir bfriends
band b familybmembers.
DescribingbBehavior:
0 Ifba bpatient bwerebexperiencingbemotional bdistress,bthey bmightbdecidebto bseekbhelpbfro
mbab mentalbhealth bprofessional.
1 Abmentalbhealth bprofessionalbwillbthen btry btobformulatebabpsychodiagnosis,ban battempt
bto b describe,bassess,bandbunderstandbabpatients’bparticular bsituationband bthebpossibilitybt
hatbthey b mightbbebexperiencingbabmentalbdisorder.
2 Afterb gainingb ab betterb understandingb ofb theb patients’bsituation,b theyb wouldb workb alongside
b theb professional btobdevelopbabtreatmentbplan-bbeginningbwithbfocusbonbthebpatients’bmost
destressingbsymptoms
ExplainingbBehavior:
Etiology:bpossiblybcauses,bforbabnormalbbehaviorb(highbprioritybforbmentalbhealthb profess
ionals)
LoughnerbExample:bexaminedbandbdiagnosedbwithbsignsbofbSchizophrenia
Neverbworkedbwithbabmentalbhealthbprofessionalbbeforebthebshooting,bbutbreceivedbseveralb ps
ychiatricbevaluationsbwhilebimprisoned—bdiagnosedbwithbSchizophrenia
Manybcauses/explanationsbforbLoughner’sbactionsb:
5888 Hebwasbabright-
wingbpoliticalbextremistbwhobheldbpositionsbdiametricallybopposedbtob thosebofbReprese
ntativebGiffords.
5889
HisbinternetbpostingsbandbYouTubebvideosbsuggestedbthatbhebwasbconvincedbt
hatb thebU.S.bgovernmentbwasbbrainwashingbpeople
5890
AnbinteractionbbetweenbhimselfbandbGiffordsbreportedlybfueledbLoughner’sbrageba
ndb obsessionbwithbGiffords
5891
Friendsb notedb thatb heb seemedb tobundergob ab personalityb transformationb around
b theb timebhebdroppedboutbofbhighbschool.bHebexperienced bacademicbandbmilitarybfail
ures
5892 Hebwentbthroughbabroughbbreakupbwithbhisbhighbschoolbgirlfriend
substancebabuse
5893
Byballbaccounts,bLoughner bwasbfascinatedbwithblucidbdreaming,babstatebofbconscious
nessb wherebthebdreamerbisbhalfbawakebbutbawarebheborbshebisbdreaming.
LucidbDreaming:bthebabilitybto bcontrolbdreamsband bto bdiscern bmeaningbisbamongbthebg
oalsb ofbthosebwho bengagebin blucid bdreaming.bLoughnerbbecamebobsessed bwithbthisba
ndbkeptbab dream bjournal.
,NormalbandbAbnormalbbehaviorsbresultbfrom binteractionsbamongbvariousbbiological,b psychol
ogical,bsocial,band bsocioculturalbfactors.
Predictingb Behavior:
Itbisbvery bdifficultbto bpredictbifbsomeonebwillbbehavebviolently.bHowever,brisk bfactorsbs
uchb asbyouth,bmalebgender,baccessbto bweapons,band babhistorybofbfire-
setting,bviolence,b substancebabuse,bimpulsivity,bcruelty bto banimals,borblack bofbcompass
ionbareball bassociated b with bincreased bpotentialbforbviolence.
Questions:
WhybwasbitbthatbLoughnerbneverbreceived banybtypebofbpsychologicalbh
elpb orbtreatment?
Howbcouldbhebpurchasebfirearmsbduringbabperiodbofbobviousbmentalb deterior
ation?
Ifbcollegebofficialsbwerebconcernedbthatbhebwasbdangerous,bwhybdidbmentalbhealth
professionalsborbpolicebofficialsbnotbintervene?
Answers:
CivilbCommitmentborbinvoluntarybconfinement,brepresentsban bextremebdecisio
nb thatbhasbmajorbimplicationsbforban bindividual’sbcivilbliberties
5888
Ourblegalbsystemboperatesbunderbthebassumptionbthatbpeoplebarebinnoc
entb untilbprovenbguilty
5889
Lockingbsomeonebup bbeforebheborbshebcommitsbabdangerousb
actb potentiallybviolatesbthatbperson’sbcivilbrights
SincebLoughnerbapparentlybneverbsoughtbmentalbhealthbtreatment,bhebwasbnotbinb
contactbwithbabmentalbhealthbprofessionalbwhobwouldbhavebrecognizedbthebpotenti
alb dangerbfrombhisbdeterioratingbmentalbconditionbhowever,bifbhebdidbseekbhelp,bh
isb therapybwouldbremainbconfidentialbunlessbthebtherapistbbecamebawarebofbabclear
bandb presentbdangerbtobothers.
Regardingbthebpurchasebofbfirearms,bLoughnerbmetbno bcriteriabin bArizonabthatb p
reventedbhimbfrombpurchasingbweapons.bitbisbpossiblebforbsomeonebwith bab d
eterioratingbmentalbconditionbto bappearbrelativelybnormal.
Psychotherapy:ba bprogram bofbsystematicbinterventionbdesigned bto bimproveba bperso
n’sb behavioral,bemotional,borbcognitivebstate.
Justbasbtherebarebmanybwaysbtobexplainbmentalbdisorders, btherebarebmany btherapies
andbmany bprofessionalbhelpersbofferin
gb theirbservices
ManybbelievebthatbLoughner’sbviolentbrampag
eb couldbhavebbeen bpreventedbifbhebhad brecei
vedb psychotherapy…
Treatmentbmightbhavebincluded:
0 Appropriatebmeds
1 Angerbmanagement
2 Socialbskillsbtraining—
b educatingbLoughnerband b
hisb family baboutbSchizoph
renia
3 Perhapsbeven btemporary
hospitalizationbto bstabilizebhisbmentalbcondition
,ViewsbofbAbnormality:
MainbobjectivebofbAbnormalbPsychology:bunderstandingband btreating bdistressingbbehavior
b caused bby bmentalbillness
ThebDiagnosticbandbStatisticalbManualbofbMentalbDisordersb(5thbed.;bDSM-
5;b American bPsychiatricbAssociationb[APA],b2013)bindicatesbthatbabmentalbdisorde
rbhasb thebfollowingbcomponents:
Involvesba bsignificantbdisturbancebin bthinking,bemotionalbregulation,borbbehav
iorb caused bby babdysfunctionbin bthebbasicbpsychological,bbiological,borb devel
opmentalbprocessbinvolvedbin bnormalbdevelopment;
Causesbsignificantbdistressborbdifficulty bwith bday-to-daybfunctioning;band
Isbnotbmerelybabculturallybexpectedbresponsebtobcommonbstressorsborblossesborba
reflectionbofbpoliticalborbreligiousbbeliefsbthatbconflict bwith bsocietalbnorms
ThebFourbMajorbFactorsbInvolvedbinbJudgingbPsychopathologybare:
b Distress:
0 Affectsbsocialb(maybbecomebwithdrawn,borbatbthebotherbextreme, bmaybengagebi
nb inappropriate/dangerousbsocialbinteractions),bemotionalb(involvebextremebor
b prolongedbreactionsbsuchbasbanxietybandbdepression),borbphysicalb(suchbasbast
hma,b hypertensionborbwithbsymptomsbofbfatigue, bpain,borbphysicalbupsbandbdo
wns)b functioning
Deviance:
1 Somebexamplesbincludebfalsebperceptionsbofbrealityb(suchbasbhallucinations),
banb intensebpreoccupationbwithbrepetitivelybwashingbone’sbhands, borbdemon
stratingb extremebpanicbinbabsocialbsetting
2 Certainbbehaviorsbarebconsideredbabnormalbinbmost bsituations…thesebbehaviorsbincl
udeb refusal btobleavebyourbhouse; bdepressionbsobseverebthatbyoubsleepbmostbofbthebda
y;bstarvingb yourself bbecausebyoubare bsobfearful bofbgainingbweight; bexperiencingbfreq
uentbnightmaresb involvingbabtraumabyoubexperiencedbetc.
Dysfunction:
3 Oftenbconsideredbwhenbdeterminingbifbsomeonebhasbabmental bdisorder.
4 Onebwaybtobassessbdysfunctionbisbtobcomparebsomeone’sbperformancebwith
btheb requirementsbofbabrole
Ex:banbemployeebwhobsuddenlybcannot bfulfill bjobbdemandsbmaybbebexperiencing
b emotional bdifficulties
5 Dysfunctionbcanbalsobbebassessedbbybcomparingbanbindividual’sbperformancebwithbh
isborb herbpotential
Forbexample, babsuddenbdropbinbacademicbperformance bmay bsignalbthatba bcollege
studentbisbexperiencingbeffectsbfrombsubstancebabuseborbfrombanxiety,bdepress
ion,b orbotherbcommonbmentalbdisorders.
Dangerousness:
6 Onlybabsmallbminoritybofbactsbofbviolencebinvolvebsomeonebwithbabseverebm
entalb illnessb(Frazel bandbGrann,b2006).
7 Drugbandbalcohol babusebisbmuch bmoreblikelybtobresult bin bviolent bbehaviorbthanbarebother
kindsbofbmentalbillnessb(FriedmanbandbMichels,b2013).
8 Therapistsbarebrequiredbbyblawbtobtakebappropriatebactionbwhenbabclient bisbpoten
tiallyb homicidal borbsuicidal.
9 InbthebcasebofbLoughner,bsomebbelievedbhebwasbdangerous,bbutbthebcircumstancesb
wereb suchbthat bneitherblawbenforcement bnorbmental bhealthbprofessionalsbwerebdi
rectlyb involvedbpriorbtobthebshooting
, CulturalbConsiderationsbinbAbnormalbBehavior:
Psychologistsbnowbrecognizebthatballbbehaviors,bwhetherbnormalborbabnormal,boriginate
b from babcultural bcontext.
Culture: bisbtheblearned bbehaviorbthatbmembersbofba bgroupbtransmitbto bthebnextb g
eneration
0 Include: bsharedbvalues,bbeliefs,battitudes,bandbthebgroups’bviewsbabout bthebworldbCult
ural b Relativism: bthebbeliefbthatblifestyles,bcultural bvalues,bandbworldviewsbaffect
thebexpressionband bdeterminationbofbabnormalbbehaviorb(Beckerband bKleiman,
b 2013).
1 Forbexample,babbodybofbresearch bsupportsbthebconclusionbthatbacting-
outb behaviorsbassociated bwith bmentalbdisordersbare bmuch bhigherbin bthebU.S
.bthan bin b Asia.
2 Focusbonbthebculturalbcontextbwithinbwhichbsymptomsbarebmanifested
CulturalbUniversality:bthebperspectivebthatbsymptomsbofbmentalbdisordersbarebthe
b samebin ball bculturesband bsocieties b(Eshunband bGurung,b2009).
3 Accordingbto bthosebwho bseebmentalbillnessbasbabuniversalbphenomenon,bspec
ificb mentalbdisordersbwouldbhavebthebsamebcausesband bsymptomsbthrougho
utbtheb world.
4 Focusbonbspecificbdisordersbandbminimizebculturalbfactors
Somebscholarsbbelievebthatbwebalsobneedbtobconsiderbbehaviorbfrombabsociopoliticalb
perspective—thebsocialbandbpoliticalbcontextbwithinbwhichbabbehaviorboccurs.
Thisbisbwellbarticulated bbybThomasbSzaszb(1987)b…
0 Asserted bthatbmentalbillnessbisba bmyth,babfictionalbcreationbthatbsociety buse
sbto b controlband bchangebpeople.
1 Accordingbto bSzasz,bpeoplebmaybhaveb“problemsbin bliving”,bbutb
nob “mentalbillness”.
2 Argumentbstemsbfrombthreebbeliefsb:
0 Thatbabnormalbbehaviorbis bso blabeled bby bsociety bbecausebitbisbdifferent,
bnotb necessarily bbecausebit breflectsbillness;
1 Thatbunusualbbeliefbsystemsbarebnotbnecessarilybwrong;band
2 Thatbabnormalbbehaviorbisbfrequentlybabreflectionbofbsomethingbwro
ngb withbsocietybratherbthan bwithbthebindividual
**Therapistsband botherbpractitionersbmustbbebsensitivebto bthebfactbthatbpersonalbbias,b s
ociopoliticalbfactors,borbsocietalbnormsbandbvaluesbmay binfluencebdecisionsbaboutb dia
gnosisband btreatment**
PsychiatricbEpidemiology:bthebstudybofbthebprevalencebofbabmentalbillness
bin b absociety.
Prevalence:bthebpercentagebofbpeoplebin babpopulationbwhobhavebthebdisorderb
duringbabgiven bintervalbofbtime.
0 b Forbexample,bthebresultsbfrombthreeblargebstudiesbfrom bthebDepartmentbofb
HealthbandbHumanbServicesbrevealed bthatb24.8%bofbadultsbhavebexperience
dbab mentalbdisorderbduringbtheblastb12 bmonths…
AbnormalbPsychology:bfocusesbonbpsychopathologybthebstudybofbthebsymptomsbandbcausesbofbmenta
lb distressbandbthebvariousbtreatmentsbforbbehavioralbandbmentalbdisorders.
Thosebwhobstudybpsychopathologybattemptbtobdescribe,bexplain,bpredict,bandbmodifybthe
behaviors,b emotionsb orb thoughtsb associatedb withb variousb mentalb conditions.
0bIncludesbbehaviorbthatbrangesbfrombhighlybunusualbtobfairlybcommon—
frombthebviolentb homicides,bsuicides,bandbmentalbbreakdownsbtobunsensationalbconcernsbsu
chbasbdepression,b anxiety,beatingbdisturbances,bandbsubstancebabuse.
Peoplebwhobworkbin bthebfield bofbpsychopathologybstrivebto balleviatebthebdistressband blife
b disruption bexperiencedbby bthosebwith bmental bdisorders band bthebconcernsbofbtheir bfriends
band b familybmembers.
DescribingbBehavior:
0 Ifba bpatient bwerebexperiencingbemotional bdistress,bthey bmightbdecidebto bseekbhelpbfro
mbab mentalbhealth bprofessional.
1 Abmentalbhealth bprofessionalbwillbthen btry btobformulatebabpsychodiagnosis,ban battempt
bto b describe,bassess,bandbunderstandbabpatients’bparticular bsituationband bthebpossibilitybt
hatbthey b mightbbebexperiencingbabmentalbdisorder.
2 Afterb gainingb ab betterb understandingb ofb theb patients’bsituation,b theyb wouldb workb alongside
b theb professional btobdevelopbabtreatmentbplan-bbeginningbwithbfocusbonbthebpatients’bmost
destressingbsymptoms
ExplainingbBehavior:
Etiology:bpossiblybcauses,bforbabnormalbbehaviorb(highbprioritybforbmentalbhealthb profess
ionals)
LoughnerbExample:bexaminedbandbdiagnosedbwithbsignsbofbSchizophrenia
Neverbworkedbwithbabmentalbhealthbprofessionalbbeforebthebshooting,bbutbreceivedbseveralb ps
ychiatricbevaluationsbwhilebimprisoned—bdiagnosedbwithbSchizophrenia
Manybcauses/explanationsbforbLoughner’sbactionsb:
5888 Hebwasbabright-
wingbpoliticalbextremistbwhobheldbpositionsbdiametricallybopposedbtob thosebofbReprese
ntativebGiffords.
5889
HisbinternetbpostingsbandbYouTubebvideosbsuggestedbthatbhebwasbconvincedbt
hatb thebU.S.bgovernmentbwasbbrainwashingbpeople
5890
AnbinteractionbbetweenbhimselfbandbGiffordsbreportedlybfueledbLoughner’sbrageba
ndb obsessionbwithbGiffords
5891
Friendsb notedb thatb heb seemedb tobundergob ab personalityb transformationb around
b theb timebhebdroppedboutbofbhighbschool.bHebexperienced bacademicbandbmilitarybfail
ures
5892 Hebwentbthroughbabroughbbreakupbwithbhisbhighbschoolbgirlfriend
substancebabuse
5893
Byballbaccounts,bLoughner bwasbfascinatedbwithblucidbdreaming,babstatebofbconscious
nessb wherebthebdreamerbisbhalfbawakebbutbawarebheborbshebisbdreaming.
LucidbDreaming:bthebabilitybto bcontrolbdreamsband bto bdiscern bmeaningbisbamongbthebg
oalsb ofbthosebwho bengagebin blucid bdreaming.bLoughnerbbecamebobsessed bwithbthisba
ndbkeptbab dream bjournal.
,NormalbandbAbnormalbbehaviorsbresultbfrom binteractionsbamongbvariousbbiological,b psychol
ogical,bsocial,band bsocioculturalbfactors.
Predictingb Behavior:
Itbisbvery bdifficultbto bpredictbifbsomeonebwillbbehavebviolently.bHowever,brisk bfactorsbs
uchb asbyouth,bmalebgender,baccessbto bweapons,band babhistorybofbfire-
setting,bviolence,b substancebabuse,bimpulsivity,bcruelty bto banimals,borblack bofbcompass
ionbareball bassociated b with bincreased bpotentialbforbviolence.
Questions:
WhybwasbitbthatbLoughnerbneverbreceived banybtypebofbpsychologicalbh
elpb orbtreatment?
Howbcouldbhebpurchasebfirearmsbduringbabperiodbofbobviousbmentalb deterior
ation?
Ifbcollegebofficialsbwerebconcernedbthatbhebwasbdangerous,bwhybdidbmentalbhealth
professionalsborbpolicebofficialsbnotbintervene?
Answers:
CivilbCommitmentborbinvoluntarybconfinement,brepresentsban bextremebdecisio
nb thatbhasbmajorbimplicationsbforban bindividual’sbcivilbliberties
5888
Ourblegalbsystemboperatesbunderbthebassumptionbthatbpeoplebarebinnoc
entb untilbprovenbguilty
5889
Lockingbsomeonebup bbeforebheborbshebcommitsbabdangerousb
actb potentiallybviolatesbthatbperson’sbcivilbrights
SincebLoughnerbapparentlybneverbsoughtbmentalbhealthbtreatment,bhebwasbnotbinb
contactbwithbabmentalbhealthbprofessionalbwhobwouldbhavebrecognizedbthebpotenti
alb dangerbfrombhisbdeterioratingbmentalbconditionbhowever,bifbhebdidbseekbhelp,bh
isb therapybwouldbremainbconfidentialbunlessbthebtherapistbbecamebawarebofbabclear
bandb presentbdangerbtobothers.
Regardingbthebpurchasebofbfirearms,bLoughnerbmetbno bcriteriabin bArizonabthatb p
reventedbhimbfrombpurchasingbweapons.bitbisbpossiblebforbsomeonebwith bab d
eterioratingbmentalbconditionbto bappearbrelativelybnormal.
Psychotherapy:ba bprogram bofbsystematicbinterventionbdesigned bto bimproveba bperso
n’sb behavioral,bemotional,borbcognitivebstate.
Justbasbtherebarebmanybwaysbtobexplainbmentalbdisorders, btherebarebmany btherapies
andbmany bprofessionalbhelpersbofferin
gb theirbservices
ManybbelievebthatbLoughner’sbviolentbrampag
eb couldbhavebbeen bpreventedbifbhebhad brecei
vedb psychotherapy…
Treatmentbmightbhavebincluded:
0 Appropriatebmeds
1 Angerbmanagement
2 Socialbskillsbtraining—
b educatingbLoughnerband b
hisb family baboutbSchizoph
renia
3 Perhapsbeven btemporary
hospitalizationbto bstabilizebhisbmentalbcondition
,ViewsbofbAbnormality:
MainbobjectivebofbAbnormalbPsychology:bunderstandingband btreating bdistressingbbehavior
b caused bby bmentalbillness
ThebDiagnosticbandbStatisticalbManualbofbMentalbDisordersb(5thbed.;bDSM-
5;b American bPsychiatricbAssociationb[APA],b2013)bindicatesbthatbabmentalbdisorde
rbhasb thebfollowingbcomponents:
Involvesba bsignificantbdisturbancebin bthinking,bemotionalbregulation,borbbehav
iorb caused bby babdysfunctionbin bthebbasicbpsychological,bbiological,borb devel
opmentalbprocessbinvolvedbin bnormalbdevelopment;
Causesbsignificantbdistressborbdifficulty bwith bday-to-daybfunctioning;band
Isbnotbmerelybabculturallybexpectedbresponsebtobcommonbstressorsborblossesborba
reflectionbofbpoliticalborbreligiousbbeliefsbthatbconflict bwith bsocietalbnorms
ThebFourbMajorbFactorsbInvolvedbinbJudgingbPsychopathologybare:
b Distress:
0 Affectsbsocialb(maybbecomebwithdrawn,borbatbthebotherbextreme, bmaybengagebi
nb inappropriate/dangerousbsocialbinteractions),bemotionalb(involvebextremebor
b prolongedbreactionsbsuchbasbanxietybandbdepression),borbphysicalb(suchbasbast
hma,b hypertensionborbwithbsymptomsbofbfatigue, bpain,borbphysicalbupsbandbdo
wns)b functioning
Deviance:
1 Somebexamplesbincludebfalsebperceptionsbofbrealityb(suchbasbhallucinations),
banb intensebpreoccupationbwithbrepetitivelybwashingbone’sbhands, borbdemon
stratingb extremebpanicbinbabsocialbsetting
2 Certainbbehaviorsbarebconsideredbabnormalbinbmost bsituations…thesebbehaviorsbincl
udeb refusal btobleavebyourbhouse; bdepressionbsobseverebthatbyoubsleepbmostbofbthebda
y;bstarvingb yourself bbecausebyoubare bsobfearful bofbgainingbweight; bexperiencingbfreq
uentbnightmaresb involvingbabtraumabyoubexperiencedbetc.
Dysfunction:
3 Oftenbconsideredbwhenbdeterminingbifbsomeonebhasbabmental bdisorder.
4 Onebwaybtobassessbdysfunctionbisbtobcomparebsomeone’sbperformancebwith
btheb requirementsbofbabrole
Ex:banbemployeebwhobsuddenlybcannot bfulfill bjobbdemandsbmaybbebexperiencing
b emotional bdifficulties
5 Dysfunctionbcanbalsobbebassessedbbybcomparingbanbindividual’sbperformancebwithbh
isborb herbpotential
Forbexample, babsuddenbdropbinbacademicbperformance bmay bsignalbthatba bcollege
studentbisbexperiencingbeffectsbfrombsubstancebabuseborbfrombanxiety,bdepress
ion,b orbotherbcommonbmentalbdisorders.
Dangerousness:
6 Onlybabsmallbminoritybofbactsbofbviolencebinvolvebsomeonebwithbabseverebm
entalb illnessb(Frazel bandbGrann,b2006).
7 Drugbandbalcohol babusebisbmuch bmoreblikelybtobresult bin bviolent bbehaviorbthanbarebother
kindsbofbmentalbillnessb(FriedmanbandbMichels,b2013).
8 Therapistsbarebrequiredbbyblawbtobtakebappropriatebactionbwhenbabclient bisbpoten
tiallyb homicidal borbsuicidal.
9 InbthebcasebofbLoughner,bsomebbelievedbhebwasbdangerous,bbutbthebcircumstancesb
wereb suchbthat bneitherblawbenforcement bnorbmental bhealthbprofessionalsbwerebdi
rectlyb involvedbpriorbtobthebshooting
, CulturalbConsiderationsbinbAbnormalbBehavior:
Psychologistsbnowbrecognizebthatballbbehaviors,bwhetherbnormalborbabnormal,boriginate
b from babcultural bcontext.
Culture: bisbtheblearned bbehaviorbthatbmembersbofba bgroupbtransmitbto bthebnextb g
eneration
0 Include: bsharedbvalues,bbeliefs,battitudes,bandbthebgroups’bviewsbabout bthebworldbCult
ural b Relativism: bthebbeliefbthatblifestyles,bcultural bvalues,bandbworldviewsbaffect
thebexpressionband bdeterminationbofbabnormalbbehaviorb(Beckerband bKleiman,
b 2013).
1 Forbexample,babbodybofbresearch bsupportsbthebconclusionbthatbacting-
outb behaviorsbassociated bwith bmentalbdisordersbare bmuch bhigherbin bthebU.S
.bthan bin b Asia.
2 Focusbonbthebculturalbcontextbwithinbwhichbsymptomsbarebmanifested
CulturalbUniversality:bthebperspectivebthatbsymptomsbofbmentalbdisordersbarebthe
b samebin ball bculturesband bsocieties b(Eshunband bGurung,b2009).
3 Accordingbto bthosebwho bseebmentalbillnessbasbabuniversalbphenomenon,bspec
ificb mentalbdisordersbwouldbhavebthebsamebcausesband bsymptomsbthrougho
utbtheb world.
4 Focusbonbspecificbdisordersbandbminimizebculturalbfactors
Somebscholarsbbelievebthatbwebalsobneedbtobconsiderbbehaviorbfrombabsociopoliticalb
perspective—thebsocialbandbpoliticalbcontextbwithinbwhichbabbehaviorboccurs.
Thisbisbwellbarticulated bbybThomasbSzaszb(1987)b…
0 Asserted bthatbmentalbillnessbisba bmyth,babfictionalbcreationbthatbsociety buse
sbto b controlband bchangebpeople.
1 Accordingbto bSzasz,bpeoplebmaybhaveb“problemsbin bliving”,bbutb
nob “mentalbillness”.
2 Argumentbstemsbfrombthreebbeliefsb:
0 Thatbabnormalbbehaviorbis bso blabeled bby bsociety bbecausebitbisbdifferent,
bnotb necessarily bbecausebit breflectsbillness;
1 Thatbunusualbbeliefbsystemsbarebnotbnecessarilybwrong;band
2 Thatbabnormalbbehaviorbisbfrequentlybabreflectionbofbsomethingbwro
ngb withbsocietybratherbthan bwithbthebindividual
**Therapistsband botherbpractitionersbmustbbebsensitivebto bthebfactbthatbpersonalbbias,b s
ociopoliticalbfactors,borbsocietalbnormsbandbvaluesbmay binfluencebdecisionsbaboutb dia
gnosisband btreatment**
PsychiatricbEpidemiology:bthebstudybofbthebprevalencebofbabmentalbillness
bin b absociety.
Prevalence:bthebpercentagebofbpeoplebin babpopulationbwhobhavebthebdisorderb
duringbabgiven bintervalbofbtime.
0 b Forbexample,bthebresultsbfrombthreeblargebstudiesbfrom bthebDepartmentbofb
HealthbandbHumanbServicesbrevealed bthatb24.8%bofbadultsbhavebexperience
dbab mentalbdisorderbduringbtheblastb12 bmonths…
