What is hoarding?
The excessive collection of items, with the inability to discard them.
Hoarding is considered a psychological disorder in the DSM-5 as "hoarding disorder".
What overarching criteria is used to determine if an individual has a psychological disorder?
- Deviance, Distress, Dysfunction, Danger
- Deviance: different from most people. Standards for deviant behavior vary by context, culture( ex: poligamy), and even over time.
- Distress: The deviant behavior leads the person to experience distress (an uncomfortable feeling, or specifically feelings of anxiety and/or depression)
- Dysfunction: The deviant and distressful behavior leads to problems at work and one's ability to enjoy leisure time.
- Danger: is the deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional behavior harmful to other peopl or the individual.
What is the DSM?
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM) is the current authoritative scheme for classifying psychological disorders. It categorizes particular disorers by symptoms, prevalence, course of disorder, insurance purposes (for economic reasons)
- This is the bible of psychologists
What is a clinical interview?
A face-to-face encounter between patient and clinician. The purpose is to collect information about the person to put a label on them.
- Unstructured (go with the flow, why are you here?) vs. Structured (strict set of questions they ask)
Is there evidence to suggest that psychologists/psychiatrists agree about a particular diagnosis?
- Yes: as indicated by Riskind. Generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder.
- No: as indicated by Black. Not much agreement about some psychological disorders. For example: distinguishing one anxiety disorder from another.
Who was Thomas Szasz and what did he say?
- Thomas Szasz: Academic Psychiatrist
The Rosenhan Experiment
David Rosenhan: American Psychologist
The Rosenhan Experiment:
- Most psychologists believe that psychological disorders are real and that the labels are helpful (people with schizophrenia have smaller brains).
-Most clinical psychologists and psychiatrists adhere to the medical model conception of mental disorders (psychological disorders are diseases that have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and in many cases cured).
- Medical Students Disease: A phenomenon where students think they have the diseases they are studying.
What are Mood Disorders?
Psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes: