Characteristics of

Abnormal Behavior

Myths and Misconceptions

about Abnormal Behavior

Myths and Misconceptions

Myth: Abnormal behavior is always
bizarre:
Fact: The behavior of many people
who are diagnosed as having a
mental disorder often cannot be
distinguished from that of normal
people.

Myths and Misconceptions

Myth: Normal and abnormal behavior
are different in kind
Fact: Few types of abnormal behavior
displayed by people with a mental
disorder are unique to them

Myths and
Misconceptions
Myth: Once people have a mental
disorder, they will always have it.
Fact: Most people can be successfully
treated for a mental disorder

Defining abnormal
behavior

Definition
Insanity

a legal term, not a

psychological term as the inability
to appreciate the nature and quality
or wrongfulness of ones acts
According to APA, abnormal behavior
is a mental illness that affects or is
manifested in a persons brain

Definition
Abnormal

behavior is behavior that

is:
Deviant different from what is

considered to be normal or morally

correct
Maladaptive- inadequate or faulty
adaptation
Personal Distress- the low moods or
discomfort that results when empathetic
people become too deeply involved in
others' pain

Theoretical approaches to
psychological disorders

Biological Approach
This

attributes psychological
disorders to organic, internal causes.
It is evident in the medical model,
which describes psychological
disorders as medical diseases with a
biological origin

Biological Approach
Biological

views on psychological

disorders:
Structural views- abnormalities in the

brain structure cause mental disorders

Biochemical views- imbalances in
neurotransmitters or hormones cause
mental disorders
Genetic views- disordered genes cause
mental disorders

Psychological Approach
Psychodynamic

perspectivePsychological disorders arise from

unconscious conflicts that produce
anxiety and results in maladaptive
behavior
Behavioral and social cognitive
perspective- The focus is on the
rewards and punishments in the
environment that determine
abnormal behavior

Psychological Approach
Humanistic

perspective- This
emphasizes a capacity for growth,
freedom to choose ones own
destiny, and positive personal
qualities

Sociocultural Approach
The

sociocultural approach places

more emphasis on the larger social
contexts in which a person lives
Any number of psychological
problems can develop because of
power struggles in a family
Individuals from low-income,
minority neighborhoods have the
highest rates of mental disorders

Sociocultural Approach
Women

are likelier than men to

suffer from anxiety disorders and
depression
Men are socialized to direct their
energy toward the external world,
and they more often have
externalized disorders that involve
aggression and substance abuse
Some disorders are culture related

Sociocultural Approach
Disorder

Culture

Description/Charact
eristics

Amok

Malaysia, Philippines,
Africa

This disorder involves

sudden uncontrolled
outbursts of anger in
which the person may
injure or kill someone

Anorexia Nervosa

Western cultures
(esp. United States)

This eating disorder

involves a relentless
pursuit of thinness
through starvation
and can eventually
lead to death

Classifying abnormal
behavior

DSM-V Classification
System
TheDiagnostic

and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders,
Fifth Edition(DSM-5) is the 2013
update to the American Psychiatric
Associations (APA) classification and
diagnostic tool.

DSM-V Classification
System
Section

I: describes DSM-5 chapter

organization, its change from the
multiaxial system, and Section III's
dimensional assessments
Section II: diagnostic criteria and
codes
Section III: emerging measures and
models

DSM-5: Section II
1. Neurodevelopmental disorders
- are impairments of the growth and
development of the brain orcentral
nervous system. A narrower use of
the term refers to a disorder ofbrain
function that
affectsemotion,learning ability,selfcontrolandmemoryand that unfolds
as the individualgrows

DSM-5: Section II
Includes:
Intellectual disability (ID)
Communication disorders
Autism spectrum disorders
Motor disorders

DSM-5: Section II
2. Schizophrenia spectrum and
other psychotic disorders - are
defined by abnormalities in one or
more of the following five domains:
delusions, hallucinations,
disorganized thinking (speech),
grossly disorganized or abnormal
motor behavior (including catatonia),
and negative symptoms

DSM-5: Section II
Includes:

Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective disorder
Delusional disorder
Catatonia

DSM-5: Section II
3. Bipolar and related disorders
includes:
Bipolar I disorder
Bipolar II disorder
Cyclothymic disorder
Other specified bipolar and related
disorder

DSM-5: Section II
4. Depressive disorders- are
characterized by sadness severe
enough or persistent enough to
interfere with function and often by
decreased interest or pleasure in
activities.

DSM-5: Section II
Includes:
Major depressive disorder (often called major

depression)
Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)
Other specified or unspecified depressive
disorder
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Depressive disorder due to another medical
condition
Substance/medication-induced depressive
disorder

DSM-5: Section II
5. Anxiety disorders - characterized
by feelings
ofanxietyandfear,where anxiety is
a worry about future events and fear
is a reaction to current events

DSM-5: Section II
Includes:
Generalized anxiety disorder
Phobias
Panic disorder
Separation anxiety
Social anxiety
Selective mutism

DSM-5: Section II
6. Obsessive-compulsive and
related disorders- includes:
obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD)
body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
hoarding disorder
trichotillomania (hair-pulling
disorder)
excoriation (skin-picking) disorder

DSM-5: Section II
7. Trauma- and stressor-related
disorders- disorders in which
exposure to a traumatic or stressful
event is listed explicitly as a
diagnostic criterion

DSM-5: Section II
includes:

attachment disorder
disinhibited social engagement
disorder
posttraumatic stress
disorder(PTSD)
acute stress disorder
adjustment disorder

DSM-5: Section II
8. Dissociative disorders- involve a
sudden loss of memory or change of
identity.
Includes:
Dissociative amnesia
Dissociative identity disorder
Depersonalization/derealization disorder

DSM-5: Section II
9. Somatic symptom and related
disorders- They occur when
psychological symptoms take a physical
form even though no physical causes can
be found
Includes:
somatic symptom disorder
illness anxiety disorder
conversion disorder (functional neurological
symptom disorder)
factitious disorder

DSM-5: Section II
10. Feeding and eating disorderscharacterized by a persistent
disturbance of eating or eatingrelated behavior that results in the
altered consumption or absorption of
food and that significantly impairs
physical health or psychosocial
functioning

DSM-5: Section II
Includes:
pica
rumination disorder
avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
anorexia nervosa
bulimia nervosa
binge-eating disorder

DSM-5: Section II
11. Sleep-wake disordersIndividuals with these disorders
typically present with sleep-wake
complaints of dissatisfaction
regarding the quality, timing, and
amount of sleep. Resulting daytime
distress and impairment are core
features shared by all of these sleepwake disorders.

DSM-5: Section II
Includes:
insomnia disorder
hypersomnolence disorder
Narcolepsy
circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders
nightmare disorder

DSM-5: Section II
12. Sexual dysfunction- difficulty
experienced by an individual or a
couple during any stage of a
normalsexual activity, including
physical
pleasure,desire,preference,arousal
ororgasm

DSM-5: Section II
13. Gender dysphoria- describes
people who experience
significantdysphoria (distress) with
thesexandgenderthey
wereassigned at birth

DSM-5: Section II
14. Disruptive, impulse-control,
and conduct disorders- include
conditions involving problems in the
self-control of emotions and behaviors.
Includes:
Conduct disorder
Impulse-control disorder
Pyromania
Kleptomania
Intermittent explosive disorder

DSM-5: Section II
15. Substance-related and
addictive disorders- encompass
10 separate classes of drugs:
alcohol;
caffeine;
cannabis;
hallucinogens (with separate categories

for phencyclidine [or similarly acting

arylcyclohexylamines] and other
hallucinogens);
inhalants;

DSM-5: Section II
opioids;
sedatives, hypnotics, and anxiolytics;
stimulants (amphetamine-type

substances, cocaine, and other

stimulants);
tobacco;
and other (or unknown) substances

DSM-5: Section II
16. Neurocognitive disordersthose in which impaired cognition
has not been present since birth or
very early life, and thus represents a
decline from a previously attained
level of functioning
Includes:
Major or mild NCD

DSM-5: Section II
17. Paraphilic disorders- requires
both the presence of a paraphilic
urges and the existence of distress,
dysfunction, and/or acting on the
urges (as described in more detail
later in this introduction).

DSM-5: Section II
Includes:
voyeuristic,
exhibitionistic,
frotteuristic,
sexual masochism,
sexual sadism,
pedophilic,
fetishistic, and
transvestic disorders

DSM-5: Section II
18. Personality disorders-are a
class ofmental
disorderscharacterized by enduring
maladaptive patterns of behavior,
cognition, and inner experience,
exhibited across many contexts and
deviating markedly from those
accepted by the individual's culture

DSM-5: Section II
Includes:
Paranoid personality disorder
Schizoid personality disorder
Schizotypal personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder
Histrionic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder
Avoidant personality disorder
Dependent personality disorder
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder