5.3 Explaining and Classifying Psychological Disorders

Describe the approaches used to define behaviors and mental processes as psychological disorders.

• Level of dysfunction, perception of distress, and deviation from the social norm are all factors used to identify psychological disorders.
• Diagnosing or classifying psychological disorders has positive and negative consequences depending on the nature of the disorder, the individual being diagnosed, and the presence of cultural/societal norms, stigma, racism, sexism, ageism, and discrimination.
• Diagnosing psychological disorders requires specialized training and the use of evidencebased diagnostic tools. The American Psychiatric Association developed the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders to classify mental disorders. The World Health Organization developed the International Classification of Mental Disorders (ICD) to classify mental disorders. These classification systems are updated regularly to be responsive to new research and practice advances.

Explain how psychological perspectives define psychological disorders.

• Most psychologists employ an eclectic approach (using more than one psychological perspective) when diagnosing and treating clients.
• The behavioral perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive learned associations between or among responses to stimuli.
• The psychodynamic perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on unconscious thoughts and experiences, often developed during childhood.
• The humanistic perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on a lack of social support and being unable to fulfill one’s potential.
• The cognitive perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or emotions.
• The evolutionary perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on behaviors and mental processes that reduce the likelihood of survival.
• The sociocultural perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive social and cultural relationships and dynamics.
• The biological perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on physiological or genetic issues.

Explain how interaction models define psychological disorders.

• The biopsychosocial model assumes that any psychological problem potentially involves a combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
• The diathesis-stress model assumes that psychological disorders develop due to a genetic vulnerability (diathesis) in combination with stressful life experiences (stress).