Psychological Disorders: Crash Course Psychology #28

CrashCourse
25 Aug 201410:09
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThe script traces the history of society's perspective on mental health, from inhumane asylum conditions exposed by Nellie Bly to questionable practices revealed by David Rosenhan's pseudopatient study. It explores how we define and diagnose psychological disorders, noting the shift from a narrow medical model to a more holistic biopsychosocial approach. The summary discusses the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), its role as an evolving guidebook that shapes mental health care, and controversies around misdiagnosis and labeling. Ultimately, it conveys that while our understanding of mental illness has progressed, defining and classifying disorders remains complex.

Takeaways
  • 😟 The 19th century exposed awful conditions and mistreatment prevalent in psychiatric institutions at the time.
  • 😲 Rosenhan's 1970s pseudopatient experiment revealed how difficult it was to get out of a mental institution once admitted.
  • 🤔 The experiment raised questions about defining, diagnosing and classifying mental disorders.
  • 😕 Misconceptions and stigma still surround psychological disorders today.
  • 🧐 The medical model views disorders as having physiological causes that can be diagnosed and treated.
  • 🌟 The biopsychosocial model takes a more holistic view accounting for biological, psychological and social factors.
  • 📚 The DSM manual standardizes disorder classification, diagnosis and treatment.
  • 👍🏻 The DSM evolves over time to reflect changing attitudes, like removing homosexuality as a disorder.
  • ⚠️ Critics worry about overdiagnosis and the effects of labeling people with disorders.
  • 🔍 Definitions of mental illness continue to develop, requiring an open and thoughtful approach.
Q & A
  • What was the name of the journalist who exposed awful conditions in psychiatric hospitals in the late 1800s?

    -The journalist was Elizabeth Cochran, who used the alias Nellie Bly.

  • What experiment did psychologist David Rosenhan conduct regarding psychiatric institutions?

    -Rosenhan sent pseudopatients (mentally healthy people) to psychiatric institutions to see if staff could detect that they were not actually mentally ill. Even after pseudopatients stopped exhibiting fake symptoms, staff failed to identify them as healthy.

  • How does the biopsychological approach differ from the medical model of psychological disorders?

    -The biopsychological approach considers biological, psychological, and social-cultural influences on mental illness, while the medical model focuses narrowly on physiological causes.

  • What reference guide do mental health professionals use to diagnose psychological disorders?

    -The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), currently in its fifth edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association.

  • How has homosexuality been classified in the DSM over time?

    -Earlier DSM editions classified homosexuality as a mental illness, but it was removed as a disorder in the third edition, reflecting changing social attitudes.

  • What are some risks associated with classifying behaviors as psychological disorders?

    -Potential risks include overdiagnosis or misdiagnosis of behaviors as disorders when they do not fit clinical criteria. Labeling patients can also lead to stigma and negative perceptions from others.

  • What was the average length of stay for pseudopatients in Rosenhan's study?

    -The average length of stay was 19 days, with one pseudopatient held for 52 days.

  • What are some new conditions being explored for inclusion as disorders in the DSM-5?

    -New conditions include gambling addiction and internet gaming disorder.

  • How many people worldwide suffer from mental or behavioral disorders according to 2010 WHO data?

    -The World Health Organization estimated about 450 million people suffered from mental or behavioral disorders.

  • What happened to patients in early asylums before mental illness was linked to physiological causes?

    -Patients were simply locked up without medical treatment when they exhibited behavior not considered normal at the time.

Outlines
00:00
🏥 The inhumane treatment of mental health patients in asylums

Paragraph 1 discusses the expose by journalist Nellie Bly in 1887 on the poor conditions and abuse in mental health institutions at the time. Her work led to much needed reform in mental healthcare.

05:03
🧠 Challenging diagnoses through pseudopatient experiments

Paragraph 2 covers psychologist David Rosenhan's 1970s experiments sending pseudopatients to mental institutions and evaluating their difficulty getting discharged. This revealed issues in psychiatric diagnosis and labeling.

🤔 Defining, classifying and diagnosing mental disorders

Paragraph 3 explores how psychology defines and categorizes mental disorders through models like the medical model and the DSM. It also discusses risks like overdiagnosis and stigma.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡asylums
Asylums refer to psychiatric hospitals that existed in the past. As illustrated in the experiences of Nellie Bly and Rosenhan's pseudopatients, asylums often had poor conditions and limited understanding of mental health. They frequently misdiagnosed patients and made it very difficult to be discharged.
💡stigma
Stigma refers to the negative perceptions, stereotypes and discrimination directed towards people with mental illness. As stated in the video, stigma remains a major problem, emerging from misconceptions about psychological disorders.
💡Medical Model
The Medical Model views psychological disorders as having clear physiological causes that can be diagnosed based on symptoms and treated medically. While an improvement over old asylums, it was still limited in only recognizing biological factors.
💡Biopsychological Approach
The Biopsychological Approach provides a more comprehensive framework for understanding mental illness by incorporating biological, psychological, and socio-cultural influences. This reflects the perspective that both nature and nurture shape disorders.
💡DSM-5
The DSM-5, published by American Psychiatric Association, serves as standard manual for diagnosis of mental disorders. As illustrated through changing perspectives on homosexuality, it evolves over time to reflect new research and attitudes.
💡diagnosis
Diagnosis refers to the identification of a particular mental disorder based on clusters of symptoms. However, as Rosenhan's study showed, diagnosis can be subjective and vulnerable to cultural assumptions about normal behavior.
💡depression
Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders, marked by persistent sadness. The video hints at challenges in determining when normal sadness becomes a depressive disorder requiring intervention.
💡anxiety
Anxiety refers to excessive fear or worry that impairs functioning. The video questions at what point does normal anxiety become an anxiety disorder like OCD that may require treatment.
💡trauma
Psychological trauma from extremely distressing events can lead to disorders like PTSD. The updated DSM-5 provides more clarity on recognizing trauma-related symptoms.
💡addiction
Addictive behaviors like gambling and internet gaming are increasingly recognized as genuine disorders to be diagnosed and treated, as seen in the DSM-5's exploration of new categories.
Highlights

The speaker discusses the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance and its threat to public health.

New approaches are needed to develop novel antibiotics and alternative treatments to combat resistant bacteria.

The speaker explains how bacteria can exchange resistance genes through horizontal gene transfer.

Understanding the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance can inform strategies to slow its spread.

Prudent antibiotic prescribing and infection control are important to curb resistance.

Vaccine development is a key tool in reducing antibiotic overuse and resistance.

New technologies like CRISPR gene editing show promise for overcoming resistance.

The speaker emphasizes the need for global collaboration and policies to address this worldwide issue.

Public education and behavior change are critical to ensure appropriate antibiotic use.

More research funding is required to spur innovation in new treatments and diagnostic tools.

The development of new antibiotics should be incentivized to reinvigorate the pipeline.

Regulations and stewardship programs are important to optimize antibiotic prescribing.

Surveillance systems must track resistance patterns to guide treatment options.

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the urgent need for multifaceted global action.

Controlling antibiotic resistance requires sustained efforts across many sectors over time.

Transcripts
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