Abnormal Psychology

Examine the concepts of normality and abnormality.

Defining normality (Jahoda, 1058) Mental Health Model of Normality
A normal person would fulfill some or all of the criteria below:
- absence of mental illness
- realistic self-perception and contact with reality
- strong sense of identity and positive self-esteem
- autonomy and independence
- ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships
- ability to cope with stressful situations
- capacity for personal growth and self-actualization
Any individual that showed deviations from the criteria would be defined as 'abnormal'.

Defining abnormality
- the mental illness criterion (the medical model) · The mental illness criterion sees psychological disorders (abnormality) as psychopathology. Pathology means “illness” so it is literally “illness in the psyche”.
- this criterion is linked to psychiatry, which is a branch of medicine. Patients with psychological problems are seen as “ill” in the same way as those who suffer from physiological illnesses.
- diagnosis of mental illness is based on the clinician’s observations, the patient’s self-reports, a clinical interview and diagnostic manuals (classification systems) that classify symptoms of specific disorders to help doctors find a correct diagnosis.

Describe symptoms and prevalence of one disorder from two of the following groups: anxiety disorders, affective disorders eating disorders.

Prevalence is a statistical concept in medicine (or psychiatry). It refers to the percentage of individuals within a population who are affected by a specific disorder either currently or during their lifetime. Prevalence rates change cross-culturally and between genders.

Affective disorder: major depression
Symptoms
Physiological: Fatigue or loss of energy, significant weight loss or gain, loss of appetite, headaches, and pain.
Cognitive: Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt; difficulties concentrating; negative attitudes towards the self, the world and the future. (Feelings of guilt and worthlessness seem to be symptoms that are primarily experienced in Western cultures).
Emotional: Distress and sadness, loss of interest in the world.
Behavioral: Disturbed sleep patterns, self-destructive behavior (suicidal thoughts), and avoidance of social company.

Eating disorder: bulima nervosa
Symptoms
Physiological: Nutritional deficiencies and hormonal changes could lead to disturbances in the menstrual cycle, fatigue, digestive problems, muscle cramping.
Cognitive: Distorted body image, low self-esteem, sense of lack of control during binge-eating episodes
Emotional: Fear of becoming fat (fat phobia), body dissatisfaction, and depressed mood.
Behavioral: Self-starvation in combination with recurrent binge eating episodes and compensatory behavior such as vomiting and misuse of laxatives to avoid weight gain.