Abnormal Psychology and Therapy

A collaboration between Crystal Swarmer, Stephanie Sexton, Elizabeth Lopez, and Daniel Scroggs.

Abnormal Psychology and Therapy

      Psychologists define abnormal behavior as behavior that causes people to experience distress and prevents them from functioning in their daily lives (Renner, Morrissey, Mae, Feldman, & Majors, 2011). There are more than two hundred disorders divided into seventeen categories listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision also known as the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Bi – polar disorder and depression are two of the disorders listed in the DSM-IV-TR. In psychology, there are many different schools of thought to explain where psychological disorders begin. Therefore, there are different therapies that psychologists use to treat these disorders based upon these schools: psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive and humanistic. Within this paper, we will compare and contrast normal and abnormal psychology, discuss bipolar disorder and depression and explain the similarities and differences in therapies.

Normal and Abnormal Psychology

      "Abnormal psychology is a division of psychology that studies people who are 'abnormal' or 'atypical' compared to the member of a given society" (McLeod, 2008, Para. 1). The term normal is different in very society. In fact, normal is determined by societal rules and cultural rules. What may be normal in America may be considered abnormal in another culture. According to McLeod, "A person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life" (2008, Para. 12). A person may be considered abnormal if they are unable to properly care for themselves. For instance, if a person is unable to take a shower and change their clothing every day, they are considered abnormal. If a person is unable to get a job and keep that job, they are considered abnormal. In addition, if a person is unable to maintain a relationship or explain themselves to the point that other people understand them, then they are also considered abnormal. "Rosenhan & Seligman (1989) suggest ... characteristics that define failure to function adequately" (McLeod, 2008, Para. 12). These characteristics include personal suffering, danger to the self, and loss of control, unpredictably, irrationality, causing other people discomfort, and violating moral or social standards (McLeod, 2008). "Under this definition, rather than defining what is abnormal, we define what is normal/ideal and anything that deviates from this is regarded as abnormal" (McLeod, 2008, Para. 14). Normal is having a positive self view, along with being able to grow and develop. It also includes having independence and the perceiving reality properly. A normal person is able to maintain positive relationships, along with positive friendships. In addition, a normal person is able to carry out daily tasks and has no problem with changes each day brings. Normal is defined by a set of rules society has set up for people, and normal differs in each culture as does the term abnormal. Abnormal and normal are basically the opposite of one another. If you are able to meet certain requirements, you are considered normal; if you are not able to meet certain requirements then you a considered abnormal.

Bipolar Disorder and Depression

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder in which people switch back and forth between periods of a very happy or irritable mood and depression. The "mood swings" between mania and depression can be very quick, they can even happen in seconds. Bipolar disorder affects both males and females equally and normally begins to show up between the ages of 15-25. This mental disorder has been found to be hereditary.

            There are three types of bipolar disorder: Bipolar I, Bipolar II and Cyclothymic Disorder. People with Bipolar I have had at least one manic episode along with periods of major depression, this has been known as manic depression (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). People with Bipolar II have never experienced an occurrence of full mania. On the other hand, these patients struggle with periods with levels of high energy and impulsiveness that do not reach the magnitude of mania. This mellower version is called hypomania and they are interchanging with episodes of depression. There is another form of bipolar disorder called Cyclothymia. This is the mildest form of bipolar disorder and consists of less severe mood swings. People with this type of the disorder go back and forth between hypomania and mild depression.

            Many people with bipolar disorder have no clear reason or cause for the manic or depressive episodes. There are a number of instances that may trigger the manic episode such as: extreme life changes such as giving birth to a child, taking medications such as antidepressants or steroids, lack of sleep or sufficient rest, or the use of recreational drugs.

Approximately fifteen million people in the United States suffer from major depression (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010).  Depression is a mental disorder that is due to many things. Some of these reasons are: unexpressed rage and a deficiency in the processing of aggression in a person, a disturbance of self-esteem because of failed relationships, the loss of someone close to you which is called the attachment theory, and the failure to be able to self sooth in an overwhelming situation. Depression is also apparent in those individuals that feel they have no control over their bad experiences, this is called learned helplessness. The list goes on and on. There is a vast list of the different types of depression. Those that are willing to admit to their depression can seek help in the form of medication or therapy. Many people however, never seek or never find the help that they need.

Similarities among Therapies

The variety of psychotherapies is astounding, at least four hundred different types, and the treatments people receive generally depends less on the nature of the disorder, than on the theoretical perspective of the therapist. The main contemporary forms of psychodynamic treatment are psychoanalysis, which is intensive and long term and psychodynamic psychotherapy, which relies on the same principles but is more conversational (Kowalski & Westin, 2011). Researchers have found that all psychotherapies are relatively effective, although some treatments are superior for some disorders. Most therapies recommend individual sessions, and some group sessions to help clients work towards their goals. The biggest similarity of treatments for psychological disorders is the relationship between the therapist, and the client, and the client’s acceptance that there is something that needs to be fixed.

Differences among Therapies

Just as the schools of thought in psychology have differences in their ideology; the therapies associated with each school do also. According to Renner, Morrissey, Mae, Feldman and Majors (2011), there are four major approaches to therapy for psychological disorders. Psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive and humanistic approaches each have their own characteristics in relation to therapy. Psychodynamic therapists share the belief that a patient’s psychological disorder is the result of the person’s unconscious. Therefore, psychodynamic therapists assist the patient in exploring and understanding his or her unconscious. Behavioral therapists have a different take on psychological disorders. These therapists do not include a patient’s past or psyche in regards to treatment. The goal in behavioral therapy is to change the patient’s behavior. Several different methods are used in behavioral therapy. These include aversive conditioning, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, systematic desensitization and exposure. Cognitive therapists believe that illogical thoughts and beliefs are the reason for psychological disorders (Renner, Morrissey, Mae, Feldman, & Majors, 2011). Cognitive therapy involves helping the patient change his or her illogical thoughts about the self or the world. Humanistic therapists believe that the patient has control of his or her behavior. Humanistic therapy involves helping the patient understand themselves and assist them in making decisions based on his or her ideal for them. Person – centered therapy is important in humanistic therapy in order to aid the patient in achieve self – actualization. While each type of therapy exists to help the patient, at the same time, each type has a different belief as to the cause and the treatment.

Conclusion

Abnormal psychology attempts to study, explain, predict and control the strange and unusual behaviors in people (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). The DSM-IV-TR defines abnormal behavior as a syndrome where the person has distress, such as pain or disability, such as loss of normal functioning. There are hundreds of psychological disorders that can afflict a person. However, the difference between normal and abnormal differs from person to person. One person may handle situations such as death of a loved one with ease. However, another person may become deeply depressed when a loved one dies. Depression and bipolar are two such disorders that can afflict a person. Depression is more common with various degrees from low to major. When a person suffers from a disorder, they may elect to see a professional and seek treatment. There are numerous types of therapies available based on the schools of thought in psychology. However, they all have one similarity: each type of therapy’s purpose is to help the patient.

References

American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Arlington, VA: Author.

Kowalski, R., & Westin, D. (2011). Psychology (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

McLeod, S. A. (2008). Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/abnormal-psychology.html

Renner, T., Morrissey, J., Mae, L., Feldman, R., & Majors, M. (2011). Psychsmart. New York, NY: The McGraw - Hill Companies, Inc..

Sue, D., Sue, D. W., & Sue, S. (2010). Understanding Abnormal Behavior (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

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