Question

QUESTIONS: 500 words for the question

In defining abnormality, the criteria of “deviance”, “distress” and “dysfunction” are used. Based on your understanding of various mental disorders, do you think these criteria are necessary and sufficient? Discuss your stance by referring to the diagnostic symptoms of an eating disorder OR a psychotic disorder. Illustrate the symptoms with examples.

Answer 1

The word 'abnormal' literally means ''away from the normal'', it implies deviation from some clearly defined norms or standards. Although many definitions of abnormality have been used over the years, none has won universal acceptance. Still, most definitions have certain common features, often called the 'four Ds' : deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. That is, psychological disorders are deviant (different, extreme, unusual, even bizarre), distressing (unpleasant and upsetting to the person and to others), dysfunctional (interfering with the person's ability to carry out daily activities in a constructive way), and possibly dangerous (to the person or to others).

In psychology, we have no 'ideal model' or even 'normal model' of human behavior to use as a base for comparison. Various approaches have been used in distinguishing between normal and abnormal behaviors. From these approaches, there emerge two basic and conflicting views : The first approach views abnormal behavior as a deviation from social norms. Many psychologists have stated that 'abnormal' is simply a label that is given to a behavior which is deviant from social expectations. The second approach views abnormal behavior as maladaptive. Many psychologists believe that the best criterion for determining the normality of behavior is whether it fosters the well-being of the individual and eventually of the group to which s/he belongs.  

Schizophrenia : Schizophrenia is the descriptive term for a group of psychotic disorders in which personal, social, and occupational functioning deteriorate as a result of disturbed thought processes, strange perceptions, unusual emotional states, and motor abnormalities. It is a debilitating disorder. The social and psychological costs of schizophrenia are tremendous, both to patients as well as to their families and society.

Symptoms of schizophrenia :

Symptoms of schizophrenia can be grouped into three categories, viz. positive symptoms (i.e. excesses of thought, emotion, and behavior), negative symptoms ( i.e. deficits of thought, emotion, and behavior), and psycho-motor symptoms.

Positive symptoms : These symptoms are 'pathological excessive' or 'bizarre additions' to a person's behavior. Delusions, disorganized thinking and speech, heightened perception and hallucinations, and inappropriate affect are the ones most often found in schizophrenia. Many people with schizophrenia develop delusions.

A delusion is a false belief that is firmly held on inadequate grounds. It is not affected by rational arguments, and has no basis in reality . Delusions of persecution are the most common in schizophrenia. People with this delusion believe that they are being plotted against, spied on, slandered, threatened, attacked or deliberately victimised. Except this delusion people with schizophrenia may have delusions of reference, delusions of grandeur, and delusions of control.

People with schizophrenia may not be able to think logically and may speak in peculiar ways. These formal thought disorders can make communication extremely difficult. These include rapidly shifting from one topic to another so that the normal structure of thinking is muddled and becomes illogical.

Schizophrenia may have hallucinations, i.e. perception that occur in the absence of external stimuli. Auditory hallucinations are most common in schizophrenia. Patients hear sounds or voices that speak words, phrases, and sententences directly to the patient ( second person hallucination).Hallucinations can also involve the other senses, these include tactile hallucinations (i.e. forms of tingling, burning), somatic hallucination (i.e. something happening inside the body such as snake crawling inside one's stomach), visual hallucinations, gustatory hallucinations, and olfactory hallucinations ( i.e. smell of poison or smoke).

People with schizophrenia also show inappropriate affect, i.e. emotions that are unsuited to the situation.

Negative symptoms : Negative symptoms are 'pathological deficits' and include poverty of speech, blunted and flat affect, loss of volition, and social withdrawal. They show alogia or poverty of speech, i.e. a reduction in speech and speech content. Many people with schizophrenia show less anger, sadness, joy, and other feelings than most people do. Thus they have blunted affect. Some show no emotions at all, a condition known as flat affect. People with schizophrenia may withdraw socially and become totally focused on their own ideas and fantasies.

Psycho-motor Symptoms : People with schizophrenia also show psycho-motor symptoms. They move less spontaneously or make odd grimaces and gestures. These symptoms may take extreme forms known as catatonia. People in a catatonic stupor remain motionless and silent for long stretches of time. Some show catatonic rigidity, i.e. maintaining a rigid, upright postures for hours.

According to DSM-IV-TR, the sub-types of schizophrenia are :

• Paranoid type
• Disorganized type
• Catatonic type
• Undifferentiated type
• Residual type