Psychopathology is indeed a fascinating topic within the field of psychology. Researchers and scientists alike attempt to understand how the human mind works, in both efficient and deficient ways. It is, however, the deficiencies that most scientists want or strive to understand because most deficiencies lead to mental illness. In order to pinpoint those various deficiencies that lead to mental illness, scientists and researchers must use and follow through different research methodologies. In the field of psychopathology, a systematic fashion of exploring questions and observations about disorders, syndromes, and/or diseases is imperative. We, as scientists and researchers, cannot just pick, choose, and share whatever information off our …show more content…
There are variations of basic research designs that are used for psychopathological research, but sometimes it may be unethical and difficult to use some of the methods, and at other times some methods may limit the interpretations that can be made about a psychological phenomenon or mental disorder. For example, true experimental conditions would be highly unethical to conduct to understand mental disorders. No one would like the idea of making someone pathological just to study the causes of a disorder. True experiments would be the most informative way to get a casual explanation about a mental disease, but that would jeopardize the well-being of the people, and the welfare of people is of priority. Quasi-experimental designs I feel are appropriate and acceptable. One would not need to assign pathogenic features to anyone, instead the researcher would already have a hold of pathogenic individuals to compare to a control group. A quasi-experiment may not be very informative of the casual explanation of the etiology of a mental disease, but it is a step forward in the quest to find some relevant information about a disease, disorder, or …show more content…
So if the field of psychopathology is limited in the ethical research that can be done to have a definitive casual explanation for a mental disorder, why bother? I guess you do have to start somewhere, and yes, I know that the field of psychopathology is advancing, but are the interpretations of most psychopathology studies really accurate? It could be. Throughout my own experience with research on personality and interpersonal relationships, I have conducted mostly correlational work. (However, I am moving toward more experimental research). Correlation research does not infer causation. Therefore, I did not conduct any research with any definitive cause and effect answers. It seems like the same for psychopathology research. Everything we mostly know in a definitive manner about psychopathology is either environmentally or physiologically relational, not casual. However, the correlational examinations of psychopathy seems to be helping in understanding, especially, the external attributes that contribute to the outcome of most mental diseases, disorders, and
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry is a book by Jon Ronson, where he investigates the idea of psychopathy and the many individuals involved. Psychopathy is defined as “a person who is mentally ill, who does not care about other people, and who is usually dangerous or violent.” Ronson visited mental health professionals and psychopaths in order to determine the right way to control the diagnosis of mental health disorders. Throughout the novel, Ronson focuses on three main themes, which are the definition of madness, unnecessary mental diagnoses and the problem with confirmation bias.
The Book, The Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson is about Jon Ronson trying to learn and discover the inside and out of a psychopath. Jon is a journalist who is drawn into the world of psychopathy through a mysterious book that was delivered by an anonymous person to many different types of people. This prompts Jon to look deeper and he comes out thinking that the person who wrote this book is a psychopath. As his story matures he comes across a man named David Shayler. David has been categorized as a psychopath, but not a dangerous one. This allows him to live in the sane world. David shows an enormous amount of passion towards what he is pursuing or trying to get people to believe, but what he is trying so hard for people to believe is not often taken as truth. He is first thought to be a completely normal, great man but later found to actually be a psychopath. He is also certain that this woman was a government worker trying to cover up a government mandated bombing. Finally he is certain that he is the next Messiah and
Kaplan, H. I., Sadock, B. J., & Grebb, J. A. (1994). Synopsis of psychiatry: behavioral sciences,
Ogloff, J. R. (2006). Psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder conundrum. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, (40), 519-528.
About 1.6% or so of the US population can be described as potentially psychopathic. Some people cut to the conclusion and determine that misunderstood kids are potentially psychopaths. Identifying a child as a psychopath is not developmentally appropriate. The label “psychopath” cannot be placed on a child who is developing emotionally, mentally, or physically. Children who have mental disorders are often interpreted as psychopaths and awful people but they are not, they’re just misconceived.
Providing an all inclusive, concrete definition of what a mental disorder is a complicated task. Many factors are responsible for the development and presence of a disorder; therefore, pinpointing and providing a universal definition can be quite difficult. In order to provide a basic set of universal parameters in what constitutes and defines a mental disorder, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) was developed in order to help clinicians and providers navigate the many disorders. While the DSM provides a definition of mental disorder, different perspectives of psychology offer various views of mental disorder.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Rector, N. A. (2011). Abnormal psychology. (2 ed., p. 297, 321, 322,
There are so many types of mental illnesses that affect people every day. When some people think of mental illnesses they think of the ones that would cause people to have physical symptoms as well, but that’s untrue, there are many more that you would never know anyone has if you were to see them on the street. As defined by the 2008 encyclopedia “a mental illness is any disease of the mind or brain that seriously affects a person’s ability or behavior. Symptoms of a mental illness may include extreme moods, such as excessive sadness or anxiety, or a decreased ability to think clearly or remember well.” A mentally ill person has severe symptoms that damage the person’s ability to function in everyday activities and situations. Every nation and every economic level can be affected by a mental illness. In the United States alone about 3% of the population has severe mental illness and to add to that number about 40% of people will experience a type of mental illness at least once in their lives. Some cases of mental illnesses can go away on their own, but some cases are so severe that they require professional treatment. There is so much more available to help people recover from their symptoms than in the past.
Psychiatry is a medical field that deals with the diagnoses, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. The FDA is constantly approving drugs for psychiatrists to use that are supposed to help with in their practice. For example, Michael Levin-Epstein, who wrote the article “A New Way to Deliver Psychiatric Meds: Drugs for ADHD and Major Depression Now Can Be Delivered with Skin Patches,” shows how pharmacotherapy is continually being advanced by new ideas and approaches. However, Psychiatric drugs are not always the answer. Prescriptions are not a good remedy when it comes to the overcoming of a mental illnesses, because there is not enough information regarding the effects of the drugs, pharmaceutical companies are driven by profits,
In the world of cinema, there’s almost always a discussion regarding what scenes would be suitable for the grasping imagination of any audience, young or old. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, Psycho, sparked a plug for the movie industry as it was the first movie of its kind to display such graphic scenes of sex and violence to a worldwide audience.
Psychodynamic therapy, focuses on unconscious mind and how past experiences, inner thoughts, fears, and emotions The main goal of psychodynamic therapy is for clients to be self-aware of the past and how it effects who they are in the present. This type of therapy focuses on the underlying problems and emotions that influenced the client’s behavior. (Psych Central, 2016)
Since the 1800s, treatment methods for mental illness have developed significantly worldwide. From electrotherapy to modern practices like psychotherapy, treatment for mental disorders has greatly progressed as scientists and psychologists learn more information on the causes of mental illness and the best therapy for each particular disease. The past 200 years mark the most defined era since the beginning of humans for the progression of treatment for mental illness. Not only has treatment improved for the mentally ill, but also the perception of mental illness has greatly changed and will continue to do so as more is learned about the human mind.
There are many types of diverse people classified under various categories. Some people have different types of personalities. They could be classified as extremely manipulative, others as impulsive, and some may not show anything on the outside and have wonderful social skills. These categories help in the understanding of humans. This study is called Psychology and there are many different subfields in this diverse study of the people around us. One subfield that is particularly interesting is personality psychology. Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and its variation between individuals.
The general practices of a Clinical Psychologist is to asses patients, diagnose disorders and recommend possible treatments. They integrate scientific theories, understand, and focus on intellectual, emotional, biological, social and behavioral adjustments. They allow people to vent and cope with their feelings while determining what exact type of treatment would best suit them and their emotional well-being. To become a Clinical Psychologist it can become a very difficult and distressing job and it may or can become overwhelming. However with the right patience and comfortable adjustments one can assess and help another cope with their mental instability.
Mental health refers to the state of individuals psychologically, emotionally and socially. Mental health affects a person’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and sections when exposed to different situations. Furthermore, mental health is responsible for a person’s reaction to stress and other social conditions. Generally, mental health affects how a person relates to others and their ability to understand and interact with them. Therefore, problems that affect a person’s mental health affect the abilities to socialize, their feelings, moods, reaction to situations. The person experiencing mental health problem may portray different behaviors when confronted with different issues. Mental health issues have several