Hippocrates Classification Of Abnormal Behavior

Abnormal behavior is a type of behavior can be described as unstable or unusual mental behavior by people in society. The diagnosis of mental problems uses classifying patterns of abnormal behavior that represents signs or symptoms. Back in the ancient times, Hippocrates classification on some types of mental problems are still being used today by psychologists. One example would the description of melancholia in which is also similar to depression. Classification is important when giving treatment to mentally ill patients. Without any classifying patterns of abnormal behavior researchers and doctors will not be able to explain their finding to one another. This may blocked the progress towards on finding a solutions to this mental illness.

Psychologists and other mental health professional uses classification to help them make decision and identify people with patterns that are showing signs of abnormal behavior. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM is a classification system of abnormal behaviors, which helps psychologists and other mental health professionals to identify and treat patient with mental problems. It’s considered to be reliable and accurate as the evidence supports it in many helping treat cases of anxiety and bipolar disorders of many patients. Its one major advantage is designation of specific diagnostic criteria. The DSM allows psychologists to match patient’s behavioral pattern with specific standards to see which diagnosis work well in his case. But critics has also criticized the use of DSM because it only focused on categorizing mental disorders instead of describing people behavioral strengths and weakness. They are suggesting that it should be replace with open minded approach in which abnormal behavior including anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder represent commonly occurring behavioral traits. There’s currently the DSM-IV-TR that is highly recognized for having improvements from the previous editions, however diagnosis on certain cases are still questionable and unclear.
The first major steps toward understanding abnormal psychology was developed by Sigmund Freud. For over fifty years of monitoring, treatment, and writing on mentally ill patients. He developed an explanation on the cause of mental illness known psychoanalysis, in which drew attention to the inner patterns of unconscious reasons for doing things. Today, psychologists have changed Freud's explanation of why something works or happens the way it does, that includes new point of view on the theory. Several studies have shown mental factors and human behavior had made progress in the later part of the 19th century.