ABNORMAL

PSYCHOLOG
Y
UNIT ONE
This chapter will discuss Treatments of Mental
Disorders. Treatment has two possible goals: (1) to
reduce or eliminate specific symptoms, and/or (2) to
improve the general quality of life. With regard to
the first goal, successful treatment may reduce or
eliminate some symptoms, but not necessarily all of
them. A given treatment focuses on diminishing
particular symptoms, referred to as the target
symptoms.

4.1 Objectives

After completing this part you should be able to:

1. Explain the different treatments of abnormal

2. Describe treatments that targets
biological factors.

3. Explain the psychological treatments of abnormal

4. Analyze the treatments that targets
socio-cultural factors contributing to abnormal
behavior; and
5. Be able to understand how to create a
treatment plan.
 4.2 Self-Assessment #4
This is the checkup from your neck up. Mental health plays a crucial part in your
overall health. This simple, short and confidential quiz is the quickest way to determine if
you or someone you care about should connect with a mental health professional.

How Are You Feeling Today?

Simply answer with a yes or no. Don’t over think this, just go with your initial reaction.

1. Do you feel like you need help with parenting a challenging, explosive or inflexible child?

2. Do you frequently (for more than two weeks) feel particularly sad, lethargic or hopeless?

3. Do you notice that you are irritable, impatient or grumpy most of the time?

4. Do you struggle to manage angry feelings in a calm manner or do you frequently have angry outbursts
or temper tantrums?

5. Do you complain about or hide excessive stress, fears and worries from your friends, colleagues and
family?

6. Do you have difficulty coping with changes in the family such as divorce, step family issues or loss?

7. Do you experience excessive or prolonged feelings of grief?

8. Do you have difficulty making or keeping friends?

9. Do you have trouble communicating with or getting along with family members?

10. Do you struggle with body image, eating or self-esteem problems?

11. Do you struggle with paying attention, resisting distractions and or concentrating?

12. Do you appear or feel overly active or impulsive?

13. Do you struggle to a significant degree with aspects of reading, writing, math or learning in general?

14. Do you have difficulty with aspects of memory, like keeping things “in mind” or remembering to do
things in the future?

15. Do you experience difficulty getting started on your work?

16. Do you find it very challenging to get things done within a reasonable amount of time or to work at a
fast enough speed?

If you or someone you love answers yes to one or more of these questions, exploring
your options regarding therapy or coaching might be a good option.
4.3 LESSON 4: Treatments of Mental Disorders

Treatment for psychological disorders is the use of a procedure or substance to

reduce or eliminate psychological problems or symptoms and/or improve quality of life.
Notice the abnormality is not specifically stated in the description of treatment. Indeed,
many people seeking treatment do not have symptoms which warrant a diagnosis of
DSM-V. They have issues with their relationships or jobs, or they are dealing with a
personal issue; they just want to talk it out, and get advice and support.

“Psychotherapy" is an umbrella term which describes the use of psychological

methods to help a person change and resolve problems in desired ways,
especially when focused on daily personal interaction. Certain terms that
can be used with the word "psychotherapy" more or less interchangeably
include "counseling" and "therapy." Psychotherapy is defined by the
interaction or treatment between a trained professional and a client, patient,
family, couple, or group. The concerns discussed are of a psychological
nature, and can differ in causes, effects, triggers, and resolutions.

Therapy is a treatment based on the theory of a disorder. It addresses

the factors the theory says cause the disorder.

1. Drug Therapy. Biological treatments for abnormality are

mostly drug treatments. These are the major types of drugs used to
treat several kinds of mental disorders:

Type of Drug Purpose Examples

Antipsychotic drugs Reduce symptoms of psychosis Thorazine (a phenothiazine)

(loss of reality testing, Haldol (a butyrophenone)
hallucinations, delusions) Clozaril (an atypical
antipsychotic)

Antidepressant drugs Reduce symptoms of depression Parnate (a MAO inhibitor)

(sadness, loss of appetite, sleep Elavil (a tricyclic)
disturbances) Prozac (a selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitor)

Lithium Reduce symptoms of mania Lithobid

(agitation, excitement, grandiosity) Cibalith-S

Antianxiety drugs Reduce symptoms of anxiety Nembutal (a barbiturate)

(fearfulness, worry, tension) Valium (a benzodiazepine)
2. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)--consists of a
series of treatments in which a brain seizure is induced by
passing electrical current in the brain.

3. Psychosurgery--attempt to lesion, or destroy,

minute areas of the brain thought to be involved in a patient's
s symptoms.

Many of the types of treatments

that might be most appropriate for
mental disorders are psychosocial
therapies or treatments—treatments that
target psychological factors or social
factors. Treatments that target
psychological factors specifically focus
on mental processes, mental contents,
behaviors. affect, and behaviors.

1. Behavioral Therapies--focus
on changing specific behaviors by
reinforcements and punishments
contributing to a person's maladaptive

Behavior Change Techniques

Label Description
Removal of reinforcements Removes the individual from the reinforcing situation or
environment

Aversion therapy Makes the situation or stimulus that was once reinforcing no longer
reinforcing

Relaxation exercises Helps the individual voluntarily control physiological manifestations

of anxiety

Distraction techniques Helps the individual temporarily distract from anxiety-producing

situations; diverts attention from physiological manifestations of
anxiety

Flooding, or implosive therapy Exposes the individual to the dreaded or feared stimulus while
preventing avoidant behavior

Systematic desensitization Pairs the implementation of relaxation techniques with hierarchical

exposure to the aversive stimulus

Response shaping through Pairs rewards with desired behaviors

operant conditioning
Behavioral contracting Provides rewards for reaching proximal goals

Modeling and observational Models desired behaviors, so that the client can learn through
learning observation
2. Cognitive Therapies--help clients identify and challenge negative thoughts and
dysfunctional belief systems. The goals are to:

A. Assist clients in identifying their irrational and

maladaptive thoughts.

B. Teach clients to challenge their irrational or

maladaptive thoughts and to consider alternative ways of
thinking.

C. Encourage clients to face their worst

fears about a situation and recognize ways
they could cope.

3. Psychodynamic Therapies--help clients recognize their

maladaptive coping strategies and the sources of their unconscious
conflicts. The person's ego uses certain strategies to disguise or
transform unconscious wishes:

Defense Mechanisms

Defense Mechanisms Definition

Regression Retreating to a behavior of an earlier developmental period to
prevent anxiety and satisfy current needs

Denial Refusing to perceive or accept reality

Displacement Discharging unacceptable feelings against someone or something

other than the true target of these feelings

Rationalization Inventing an acceptable motive to explain unacceptably motivated

behavior

Intellectualization Adopting a cold, distanced perspective on a matter that actually

creates strong, unpleasant feelings

Projection Attributing one's own unacceptable motives or desires to someone

else

Reaction formation Adopting a set of attitudes and behaviors that are the opposite of
one's true dispositions

Identification Adopting the ideas, values, and tendencies of someone in a superior

position in order to elevate self-worth

Sublimation Translating wishes and needs into socially acceptable behavior

The objective of the therapy is to free clients from the grip of the past and give them a
sense of agency in making changes in the present through:

A. The client's free association--in which a client talks about whatever comes to
mind.

B. The client's resistance to certain material is an important clue.

C. The client's transference to the
therapist.

D. The client's catharsis, or the

expression of emotions connected
to memories and conflicts.

Psychoanalytic Therapy i s
different from Psychodynamic Therapy.
The former involves the rational analysis of
early childhood experiences which can
give rise to potential behaviors, personality
traits and various actions of an individual.
While the latter, focuses on the dynamic
relationship between concepts of
conscious and unconscious motivation
which relies on the fact that various
processes of the mind have a definitive
flow of psychological energy in the human
brain.

4. Humanistic Therapies--help client discover their greatest potential through

self- exploration.

Client-centered therapy is where the therapist communicates an

emphatic understanding of the underlying feeling and the client's
search for self by way of reflection. Reflection is a method of
responding in which the therapist expresses an attempt to
understand what the client is experiencing and trying to
communicate.

5. Family System Therapies--help the

individual by treating the entire family system that
created and is maintaining the individual's problems.

Behavioral family systems therapy targets problem

solving and family communication, beliefs of
adolescents and parents, and systematic barriers to
problem solving.
6. Emotion-Focused Therapies--focus on
difficulties in managing negative emotions and controlling
impulsive behaviors. The dialectical behavior therapy
involves mindfulness exercises aimed at skills in managing
negative emotions and interpersonal skills.

Therapists must take a culturally sensitive approach to

their clients because of the following:

1. Many cultures focus on the group rather than on the

individual.

2. Many cultures value restraint of emotions and personal

concerns.

3. Some cultural norms require deference to people in

authority.

4. Class and cultural differences can create tensions between

clients and therapists.

Even within modern and

industrialized countries, cultural groups
have specific forms of therapy for distressed people:

The Native Americans

have traditional ceremonies
supplemented by a variety of
herbal medicines used for
hundred of years to treat
people with psychological
symptoms.

Hispanics in southwestern America consult

fo l k healers known as curanderos on
psychological problems. The rituals include
incantations, prayers, and applying healing oils
and herbal medicines.

In general, one way to categorize the therapies themselves is by the type of cause
that they are looking for: physiological, psychological or social. Yet in the end, both
therapies have the same specific objective— to that symptom and/or improve quality of
life. The target of treatment can be likened to an X on a map — the position the treatment
nudges the patient toward; each form of treatment offers a different route to that
destination.
 BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIAL
• Mental processes • Relationships (social
• Neuronal activity
• Mental contents support, pattern of
• Levels of transmitter
• Specific behaviors, including those family and work
substances
associated with caring for oneself interactions)
• Level of stress hormones
• The experience and regulation of • Social isolation
• Amount of substance used
emotions • Socioeconomic status
(for those with substance
abuse)
• Bodily symptoms of arousal (as
in anxiety disorders or sexual
disorders)
• Appetite
• Sleep

We’ve considered many different types of treatment. How does a client and his or
her mental health clinician decide on a particular course of treatment?

Choosing a Specific Treatment. How would a clinician decide

what type of treatment to offer? The answer depends, in part, on
the types of treatment the clinician has been trained to provide.
For instance, in general, psychologists may be more likely to
target psychological or social factors, whereas psychiatrists may
be more likely to target neurological factors. The specific
treatment or treatments provided to a client also depend on what
types of treatment he or she is willing to try.

Choosing One or More Treatments. Some clients receive only

one type of treatment, whereas other clients may receive more
than one type—why? A given client may receive more than one
form of treatment, depending on the nature of the problem, the clients’ preferences, and
whether a single treatment sufficiently alleviates symptoms or improves quality of life.
 4.4 LEARNING INSIGHTS
The goal of treatment is to reduce or eliminate problems or symptoms and/or to
improve quality of life. Various procedures and substances are used to treat
psychological disorders. Treatments that target neurological factors, sometimes referred
to as biomedical treatments, include medications, ECT, and in rare cases, neurosurgery.
Psychodynamic therapy is intended to help each patient more adaptively manage
unconscious conflicts. Client-centered therapy is designed to integrate the sense of self
by decreasing the incongruence between a patient’s real and ideal selves. Behavioral
treatments use both classical and operant conditioning techniques. Cognitive method is
designed to dispute beliefs that lead to maladaptive consequences. Family therapy can
be conducted using most theoretical approaches. Mental health services that are tailored
to the needs of a specific cultural or ethnic group are more likely to be used by members
of that group.

1) What are the biological treatments of abnormal behavior?

2) What are the major psychological treatments for abnormal behavior?

3) What is the basic idea underlying the socio-cultural treatment for

abnormal behavior?

4) How do we create a treatment plan?

Bennett , Paul 2005. Abnormal and Clinical Psychology: An Introductory Textbook,

2nd Edn. Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education: England.

Carson, R. C., Butcher, J. N., & Mineka, S. 2002. Abnormal Psychology and Modern
Life. Allyn & Bacon: New York.

Mangal, S.K. 2006. Abnormal Psychology. Sterling Publishers: New Delhi.

Sarason, I.G., Sarason, B.R.2005. Abnormal Psychology: The Problem of

Maladaptive Behaviour. Prentice-Hall of India: New Delhi