Question

psychology
questions for pbs discovering psychology: psychopathology

1. what is the definition of a mental disorder?
2. about how many americans have been shown to suffer from a recently - diagnosed mental disorder?
3. list some factors that help professionals determine whether or not someone has a mental disorder.
4. list at least two ways in which a diagnosis of mental illness has been used to harm people.
5. what was the lesson of david rosenhan’s experiment?
6. what are the 3 common features of anxiety disorders?
7. what is different about a phobia versus anxiety?
8. what is an affective disorder?
9. why is the term neurosis no longer used by psychologists?
10. what are 3 biological factors that may contribute to mental illness?
11. why doesn’t everyone who has a biological predisposition develop a mental illness?
12. how might cultural factors contribute to psychopathology?

Explanation:

These questions are about psychopathology, which falls under the subfield of Psychology (in Social Science). To answer them, one would draw from psychological research, definitions, and studies on mental disorders. For example, question 1: A mental disorder is a clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning. Question 2: Approximately 1 in 5 Americans (or 20%) have a recently - diagnosed mental disorder (based on prevalence studies). Question 3: Factors include deviance from cultural norms, distress, dysfunction (impairment in daily life), and danger (to self or others). Question 4: Examples include institutionalization of minorities unjustly, and using diagnoses to discredit political dissidents. Question 5: Rosenhan's experiment showed that it's hard to distinguish the sane from the insane in psychiatric settings, and that labels can be sticky. Question 6: Excessive fear/anxiety, avoidance of feared stimuli, and physiological arousal. Question 7: Phobia is excessive fear of a specific object/situation, anxiety is more generalized and less tied to a specific trigger. Question 8: Affective disorders (mood disorders) involve persistent disturbances in mood (e.g., depression, mania). Question 9: The term "neurosis" lacked clear diagnostic criteria and was too vague, replaced by more specific diagnostic categories. Question 10: Genetic factors, brain chemistry (e.g., neurotransmitter imbalances), and brain structure abnormalities. Question 11: Because of the diathesis - stress model; a biological predisposition (diathesis) needs a stressor (environmental trigger) to develop into a disorder. Question 12: Cultural factors can influence what is considered a disorder (cultural relativism), how symptoms are expressed (culture - bound syndromes), and access to treatment.

Answer:

The questions pertain to the subfield of Psychology (Social Science). Answers to individual questions are as follows:

1. A mental disorder is a clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior reflecting a dysfunction in psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.
2. Approximately 1 in 5 (20%) Americans.
3. Deviance, distress, dysfunction, danger.
4. Institutionalizing minorities unjustly, discrediting political dissidents.
5. Hard to distinguish sane from insane in psych settings; labels are sticky.
6. Excessive fear/anxiety, avoidance, physiological arousal.
7. Phobia: specific trigger; Anxiety: generalized, less specific.
8. Persistent mood disturbance (e.g., depression, mania).
9. Lacked clear criteria, too vague; replaced by specific categories.
10. Genetics, brain chemistry, brain structure.
11. Diathesis - stress model: needs stressor with predisposition.
12. Influences disorder definition, symptom expression, treatment access.