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Test bank for Essentials of Abnormal Psychology Exam 1 2024-2025.
What makes defining abnormality difficult? - ANSWER - There is no one behavior that makes someone abnormal. No single indicator is sufficient in and of itself to define or determine abnormality.
What are the elements or criteria to determine abnormality? - ANSWER - (1) Distress (2) Maladaptiveness, (3) Statistical deviancy, (4) Violation of societal norms, (5) Social discomfort, (6) Irrationality and unpredictability (7) Dangerousness.
Brett persistently injects himself with pain killers. This has greatly increased his chance of overdosing and dying. His behavior harms no one else. According to the DSM-5, is Brett's behavior consistent with the definition of a mental disorder? - ANSWER - Yes (?) • Within DSM-5, a mental disorder is defined as a syndrome that is present in an individual and that involves clinically significant disturbance in behavior, emotion regulation, or cognitive functioning. These disturbances are thought to reflect a dysfunction in biological, psychological, or developmental processes that are necessary for mental functioning.
According to the DSM, when is deviant behavior viewed as indicative of a mental disorder? - ANSWER - Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress or disability in key areas of functioning such as social, occupational, or other activities. Predictable or culturally approved responses to common stressors or losses (such as death of a loved one) are excluded. It is also important that this dysfunctional pattern of behavior not stem from social deviance or conflicts that the person has with society as a whole. 1 / 2
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What is the utility of the DSM-5? - ANSWER - • The DSM employs a category type of classification similar to that used in medicine. Disorders are regarded as discrete clinical entities, though not all clinical disorders may be best considered in this way.• Even though it is not without problems, the DSM provides us with working criteria that help clinicians and researchers identify and study specific difficulties that affect the lives of many people.
Which concept provides psychologists with a consistent naming system that can be used to organize and identify information in a helpful manner? - ANSWER - Classification system.Classifying disorders provides a common language as well as a communication shorthand. It also allows us to structure information in an efficient manner and provides us with an organizational framework.This facilitates research and treatment. In addition, classification defines the domain of what is considered to be pathological. From a practical perspective, it delineates the types of psychological difficulties that warrant insurance reimbursement and identifies the disorders that mental health professionals treat.
What is a disadvantage of having a classification system for mental disorders? - ANSWER - • Classification leads to a loss of information. In other words, as we simplify through classification, we inevitably lose an array of personal details about the actual person who has the disorder.• Stigma (disgrace), stereotyping, and labeling are all associated with having a psychiatric diagnosis.
Maria believes that her dead grandmother occasionally speaks to her. In deciding if Maria has a mental illness or not, which of the following should first be evaluated? - ANSWER - Culture shapes the presentation of clinical disorders in some cases. Certain disorders appear to be highly culture specific.• "When we note that someone has an illness, we should take care not to define him or her by that illness. Abnormal behavior is behavior that deviates from the norms of the society in which the person lives. Experiences such as hearing the voice of a dead relative might be regarded as normative in one culture (e.g., in many Native American tribes) yet abnormal in another cultural. Nonetheless, certain unconventional actions and behaviors are almost universally considered to be the product of mental disorder."
What is epidemiology? - ANSWER - Epidemiology is the study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in a given population. Mental health epidemiology is the study of the distribution of mental disorders. Epidemiology involves the study of the distribution and frequency of disorders.
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