Abnormal Psych Ch.

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Mental disorder group of emotional (feelings), cognitive (thinking), or behavioral symptoms that cause distress or significant problems o 1 out of 4 Americans has a mental disorder o the most common is depression Abnormal psychology scientific study of troublesome feelings, thoughts and behaviors associated with mental disorders 3 criteria used to determine abnormal behavior: 1. deviance from the norm 2. difficulties adapting to lifes demands or difficulties functioning effectively (including dangerous behavior) 3. experience of personal distress Deviance from the norm mental health professionals rely on deviance from the norm to define abnormal behavior but they often do so statistically o by measuring how frequently a behavior occurs among people o a statistical method of defining abnormality involves determining the probability of a behavior for a population using a bell curve - extremely high or low score is considered abnormal deviance approach to defining abnormality is easy to apply but may fall short for determining abnormality (ex: high intelligence would represent as abnormal on a bell curve but we praise high intelligence) another disadvantage is that cultures differ in how they define what is normal so do symptoms of mental disorders o important for mental health professionals to be aware of so that they do not put their culture biases on others of a different culture when evaluating mental health deviance w/in a culture also changes - what was deviant 50 years ago may not be today

another issue w/ deviation from the norm criteria is that deciding the statistical point when a behavior is abnormal can be arbitrary and subject to criticism

Difficulties adapting to Life Demands whether a persons behavior effects their ability to function effectively dangerous behavior towards oneself or others interferes with ability to function effectively maladaptive behavior o one that interferes with a persons life, including ability to care for oneself, have good relationships with others, and function well at school or at work o feelings of sadness can turn into maladaptive behaviors difference btwn good functioning and maladaptive behavior is not always easy to measure diff btwn good functioning and maladaptive behavior differs from person to person diff people may view bevhaior differently some people may engage in odd behaviors but have experience little interference in daily functioning

Experience of Personal Distress personal distress can be a main factor of many mental disorders and prompts people to seek treatment most people can accurately assess whether they have emotional and behavioral problems and can share this info when asked but a disadvantage is that some people do not report personal distress even when they exhibit abnormal behavior b/c they do not find it abnormal even if a person is distressed there is not clear guidelines for establishing a cutoff point that indicates an abnormal behavior

Defining Abnormality these 3 approaches have both advantages and disadvantages which is why a successful approach is to combine all 3

therefore we refer to emotions, thoughts, or behaviors as abnormal when they: o violate social norms or are statistically deviant o interfere with functioning o cause great personal distress psychopathologists - study mental problems to see how disorders develop and continue and how they can be prevented or alleviated so it is important to agree on a definition of a mental disorder

Dimensions Underlying Mental Disorders Are Relevant to Everyone emotions, thoughts, and behaviors associated with mental disorders are present, to some degree, in all of us deciding whether a behavior is different/deviant from the norm or if it is maladaptive is all a matter of degree emotions, thoughts and behaviors can be best described along a dimension or continuum from extremely low - extremely high features of mental disorder, personal distress and impairment are all dimensional or continuous in nature

History of Abnormal Psychology historically, not much emphasis was placed on research and the scientific method to understand mental health or well-being ideas about mental health and disorder were often shaped by social, political and economic forces Early Perspectives early writings of Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks and Hebrews identify patterns and concerns about treating abnormal behavior o abnormal behavior was frequently thought to be caused by supernatural causes such as possession by demons or evil spirits o primary form of treatment was exorcism - various techniques such as magic, prayer, starvation, noisemaking etc were used another ancient technique called trephination involved cutting a hole in a person's skull to help release a harmful spirit

Early Greek and Roman Thought development of medicine and medical concepts began to replace supernatural theories w/ natural ones Hippocrates (Greek physician known as father or modern medicine) rejected demons and evil spirits as causes of abnormal behavior o he believed the brain was the central organ of the body and that abnormal behavior resulted from brain disorders or dysfunctions o he recommended treatments he believed would restore brain functioning o experimentation on humans and cadavers was illegal so they could not go more in depth with human anatomy o treatment of abnormal behavior focused primarily on creating therapeutic environments that included healthy dieting, regular exercise, massage and education Middle Ages demon possession again became a thought of abnormal behavior due to the fall of the Roman Empire mass madness in Europe appeared during last half of the Middle Ages, groups of people at a time would be affected with the same mental disorder o ex: tarantism - dancing mania in Italy in which people became victims of a trarantulas spirit after being bitten o lycanthropy - belief that person has been transformed into a demonic animal such as a werewolf o St. Vitus's dance - spread to Germany and other parts of Europe unclear what led to these mass madnesss but a possibility is that people in highly emotional states tend to be suggestible and believe that they have been "taken over" another possibility is that people ate bad substances such as fungi on food and it led to odd beliefs and visions

Renaissance

rebirth of natural and scientific approaches to health and human behavior physicians focused on bodily functioning and medical treatments Paracelus (Swedish physician) introduced notion of psychic or mental causes for abnormal behavior and proposed a treatment like hypnosis asylums - another new approach to treating mental disorder, special institutions o originally created to remove people with mental disorders from society o so early asylums did not provide much treatment and the living conditions were poor

Reform Movement Philippe Pinel - in charge of a Paris mental hospital was shocked by the living conditions and introduced a revolutionary, experimental and more human treatment o unchained patients, put them in sunny rooms, allowed them to exercise and be treated with kindness o these patients mental states generally improved o he did this again at a different facility and it soon began to catch on William Tuke - created the York retreat in England Benjamin Rush - encouraged human treatment of people with mental disorders in the US Dorothea Dix - US, raised awareness, funds, and political support and made more than 30 hospitals, she made the most significant changes in treating those with mental disorders and changing public attitudes in America Modern Era accepting those with mental disorders as people who need professional attention scientific, biomedical, and psychological methods are used to understand and treat mental disorders

mental hygiene movement - emerged from Cliffor Beer's Book "A Mind That Found Itself" - he describes own experiences w/ mental disorder and his treatment in an institution o his description of neglect and abuse sparked a mental health reform movement in the US and across the world o he founded the Connecticut Society for Mental Hygiene and the National Committee for Mental Hygiene - these groups were designed to improve quality of care for those with mental disorder, help prevent mental disorder and disseminate info to the public about mental disorder during late 19th and 20th century many theoretical perspectives were developed to work on understanding and treating mental disorder: biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, and sociocultural o perspectives are somatogenic (emphasizing physical, bodily causes of behavior), and psychogenic (emphasizing psychological or mind related causes of behavior)

Abnormal Psychology and Life: Themes Dimensional Perspective continuum of emotions, thoughts and behavior that characterize mental disorder research on emotions, thoughts and behavior is relevant to all of us dimensional perspective involves the notion that people differ only in their degree of symptoms Prevention Perspective prevention stems from concept of mental hygiene - the science of promoting mental health and thwarting mental disorder through education, early treatment and public health measures public health model o focuses on promoting good health and good health practices to avert disease

o public health practitioners are motivated to address psychological health and functioning to improve overall quality of life abnormal psych field has advanced enough to allow the identification of risk factors that produce many mental disorders o info about risk factors can help us decide what makes someone vulnerable to psychological problems o what can be done to prevent symptoms of mental disorder o and what methods can be used to get rid of the symptoms if they do develop Types of Prevention o Primary Prevention involves targeting large groups of people, sometimes the entire public who have not yet develped a mental disorder ex: anti-drug commercials to reduce general substance abuse, programs to reduce job discrimination, teach parenting skills, enhance school curriculum etc. o Secondary Prevention involves addressing emerging problems while they are still manageable and before they become resistant to intervention ex: early detection and treatment of college students with potentially damaging drinking problems o Tertiary Prevention reducing the severity, duration and negative effects of a mental disorder after it has occurred aim is to lessen the effects of an already diagnosed disorder ex: various medical and psychological treatments for mental disorders

Consumer Perspective this book helps you become a more informed consumer of scientific info on mental health that is often presented in the popular press

gives strategies for improving self-esteem, communication skills, emotional regulation, intimate relationships and effective coping strategies

Stigma a characterization of others of disgrace or reproach based on an individual characteristic people w/ mental or medical disorders are often shunned or rejected by others even though their disorder is no fault of their own often associated w/ discrimination and social avoidance a major reason why some people do not seek help for a mental disorder stigmas arise from a stereotype that people with mental disorders are unpredictable, dangerous, violent, incompetent or responsible for their own fate structural stigma - when govt. or institutional policies negatively affect opportunities for people who may be seen as threatening, dangerous or less deserving of support o ex: state laws that limit health insurance coverage for mental health problems o in newspapers stories about people with mental disorders are usually associated w/ a violent crime Effects of Stigma o public stigma - refers to the general disgrace the public confers on people with mental disorders that can result in prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination public stigma is a type of social injustice o self-stigma - disgrace people assign themselves because of public stigma some people adopt the public notion that a mental disorder is something to be ashamed of which can affect self-esteem or cause an individual to deny a problem exists Fighting Stigma

o can be fought in two ways: education and promoting personal contact o educational - range from distributing flyers and brochures that present factual information about mental disorder to semester-long courses regarding truth about mental disorders have short term effects on participants attitudes education facilitates helping behaviors such as donating to organizations o personal contact - involves increased contact with someone with a mental disorder to dispel myths and stereotypes ex: encouraging volunteer activities in mental health settings and presenting stories of people whose lives have been touched by someone with a mental disorder these encounters have significant and long lasting effects on attitudes about mental disorder

Abnormal Psych Ch.2

Models

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scientists and mental health professionals develop these ways of looking at thing to piece together why someone is having problems systematic ways of viewing and explaining things we see in the world 5 main models for mental health professionals: o The Biological Model - focuses on genetics, neurotransmitters, brain changes, and other physical factors o The Psychodynamic Model - focuses on internal personality characteristics o The Humanistic Model - focuses on personal growth, choice and responsibility o The Cognitive-Behavioral Model - focuses on specific thoughts and learning experiences o The Sociocultural Model - focuses on external environmental events and includes the family systems perspective these models dominate the mental health profession today and influence the way we think about, assess, and treat mental disorders

The Biological Model rests on assumption that mental states, emotions, and behaviors arise from brain function and other physical processes biological model of mental disorder, including use of medications, is supported by scientific research that links genetics, neurochemistry and brain changes to various psychological problems pioneered by Emil Kraepelin - noticed various syndromes (clusters of symptoms) in some people o ex: depression is a syndrome - associated w/ many symptoms o believed syndromes to be separate from one another and that each syndrome has unique causes, symptoms, and outcomes o also believe each syndrome has its own biological cause Genetics o genetic material = genetic codes in nucleus of every human cell

o some mental disorders are thought to be genetic o genotype - genetical composition of a person, fixed at birth o phenotype - observable characteristic of ones genes that can change over time b/c they result from genetic and environmental influences o behavior genetics - research specialty discovering which genetic and environmental influences impact the development of emotions, cognitions, and behavior heritability - refers to amount of variation in phenotype attributed to genetic factors many major mental disorders have high heritability (depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, some personality disorders, schizophrenia) o molecular genetics - analyze DNA to identify associations btwn. specific genes and mental disorders extremely hard to do b/c certain genes in people react differently, there are so many genes that finding one that codes for a disorder is extremely hard etc. Nervous System and Neurons o neurons communicate w/ each other with NTS that are released within synapses o unused NTS is reabsorbed through reuptake o medications may block synapses to decrease NTS levels or block reuptake to increase NTS levels serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, GABA, acetylcholine, and glutamate Brain o 2 cerebral hemispheres that are mirror images of each other o right hemisphere controls left side of the body, influences spatial relations and patterns and impacts emotion and intuition o left hemisphere controls movement for the right side of the body, influences analytical thinking, and impacts grammar and vocab

o cerebral cortex - covers both hemispheres and is responsible for consciousness, memory, attention and other higher-order areas of human functioning o divided into 4 main lobes: frontal lobe - movement, planning, organization, inhibiting behavior or responses and decision making central focus of many health researchers parietal lobe - behind the frontal lobe and is associated with touch temporal lobe - base of the brain, associated with hearing and memory occipital lobe - behind the parietal and temporal lobes, associated with vision o can be organized also into: forebrain - contains the limbic system which regulates emotions and impulses and controls sex, and aggression - important for several mental disorders and is composed of the hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, septum and amygdala basal ganglia - helps control posture and motor activity thalamus and hypothalamus - at crossroads of forebrain and lower brain areas and relay info btwn forebrain and midbrain o Biological Assessment and Treatment diagnostic interview to understand a persons problems possible images of brain functioning (MRI) medications decreasing dopamine - antipsychotic effects to help with schizophrenia medications that increase norepinephrine or serotonin often have antidepressant effects genetic contributions

The Psychodynamic Model focuses on mental internal structures Freudian theory - assumes mental states, emotions and behaviors arise from motives and conflicts within a person

Key Principles of Psychodynamic Model: o belief that childhood experiences shape adulthood behavior o causes and purposes of human behavior are not always obvious but partly unconscious unconscious motivation - hidden realms of emotion, thought, and behavior may also affect motives that drive us to act in certain ways goal of psychodynamic therapy is to make the unconscious more conscious o people use defense mechanisms to control anxiety and stress o everything we do has meaning and purpose and is goaldirected psychic determinism Structure of the mind (freud) o id - portion of personality present at birth, purpose is to seek immediate gratification and discharge tension asap pleasure principle is the process of the id o ego - organized, rational system that uses higher-order thinking processes to obtain gratification; it is the executive of personality operates along the reality principle which uses secondary process which involves learning, perception, memory, planning, judgment, and other higher-order thinking processes to plan a workable strategy o superego - develops during childhood; develops societal ideals and values conveyed by parents through rewards and punishments sense of right and wrong

defense mechanisms: o repression - when a person banishes from consciousness threatening feelings, thoughts, or impulses like a strong sexual desire for a stranger o regression - returning to a stage that previously gave a person much gratification o reaction formation - occurs when an unconscious impulse is consciously expressed by its behavioral opposite

o projection - when unconscious feelings are attributed to another person ex: a spouse who feels guilty about cheating may accuse her husband of infidelity The Humanistic Model emphasizes human growth, choice and responsibility assumptions of humanistic model: people are naturally good and strive for personal growth and fulfillment believe that people seek to be creative and meaningful in our lives and when we don't reach this goal we become alienated from others and possibly develop a mental disorder adopt a phenomenological approach - assumption that ones behavior is determined by perceptions of herself and others o awareness of how we behave in the context of our environment and other people

Cognitive-Behavioral Model combination of cognitive and behavioral perspectives - deals with external acts (behavioral) and internal thoughts (cognitive) behavioral perspective - focuses on environmental stimuli and behavioral responses - variables that can be directly observed and measured o based on assumption that all behavior (abnormal or normal) is learned o classical conditioning - Pavlov - learning occurs when a conditioned stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus so future presentations of the conditioned stimulus result in a conditioned response o operant conditioning - behavior followed by positive or pleasurable consequences will likely be repeated but behavior followed by negative consequences such as punishment will not likely be repeated; learning perspectives: positive reinforcement - involves giving a pleasent event or consequence after a behavior (rewarding child for cleaning room - likely to clean again, giving a child

cookies when they play video games - likely to play video games) negative reinforcement - removing an aversive event following a behavior that increases future like-lihood of a behavior (wear deodorant so that people do not make faces when they smell you, someone afraid of spiders may avoid dark closets to avoid spiders) cognitive perspective - suggests that emotions and behavior are influenced by how we perceive and think about our present and past experiences; cognitive principles: o we actively processes and interprets our experiences this processing and interpretation is influenced by cognitive schemas - beliefs or expectations that represent a network of accumulated knowledge we go into situations with expectations of what might happen o cognitive distortions - refer to irrational, inaccurate thoughts people have about environmental events - reaching a conclusion based on little evidence (teacher thinks she is a bad teacher b/c 2 out of 50 students fell asleep in her lecture) we also blame ourselves for events cognitive distortions are common to many mental disorders such as anxiety, depressive, eating and sexual disorders cognitive-behavioral model - assumption that learning principles and cognitions interact to influence a persons behavior o ex: modeling o avoidance conditioning - combines classical and operant conditioning and accommodates internal states like fear or pain as a driving or motivating factor o cognitive-behavioral therapy - treatment techniques to change patterns of thinking and behaving that contribute to a persons problems

Sociocultural Model

differs in other perspectives because it has a greater emphasis on environmental factors o core assumption is that outside influences play a major role in creating a persons psychological problems o sociocultural influences, culture, ethnicity, race culture can influence way people cope with stressful situations

Gender mental disorders affect both men and women but are more common sometimes in one gender than the other Family systems perspectives - assumes each family has their own rules and organizational structure or hierarchy of authority and decision making

Risk and Prevention of Mental Disorders10/2/2011 12:47:00 PM

Diathesis-Stress Model diathesis - biological or psychological predispositions to disorder; often genetic or biological but some are psychological (ex: some people use alcohol to make them more sociable and it ends up into a substance abuse disorder) psychological predispositions: impulsivity, acting too quickly without thinking of consequences - can lead to substance abuse or other disorders diathesis is a vulnerability - it is not a definite answer that someone will have a mental disorder, you might just be vulnerable to a disorder stress - the thing that triggers this diathesis - stress of college life etc. predispositions are along a continuum - ex: impulsivity can be strong or weak for each individual diathesis-stress model - includes the diathesis of an individual person as well as their level of predispositions (low-high) and the stress they may be experiencing at a specific time in their life - all adds up to their either lower or higher possibility of developing a mental disorder To apply the diathesis-stress model we must understand the etiology (cause) of mental disorders diathesis-stress model does this by including all theoretical models o possible diathesis considered: genetics, neurochemical and brain changes, unconscious processes, learning experiences, thought patterns, and cultural and family factors knowing diathesis is important for treating mental disorders when they occur or preventing mental disorders before they begin Epidemiology: study of patterns of disease or disorder in the general population (epidemiologists investigate extent of a public health problem such as a mental disorder by making observations, surveying people, and using other methods)

incidence - refers to new cases of a mental disorder w/in a specific time period prevalence - refers to all cases of a mental disorder including new and existing cases within a specific time period lifetime prevalence - estimates of mental disorders, refers to proportion of those who have had a certain mental disorder at any time in their life up to the point they were assessed

Comorbidity - refers to presence of two or more disorders in a person and is a big concern, recovery is much harder for these people Age of Onset - median age for onset of mental disorder is 14, anxiety disorders (age 11), mood and substance abuse occur later in life (around 20's) Cohort Effects - significant differences in disorder expression depending on demographic features such as age or gender - ex: younger americans may be more likely to develop substance use disorders than older americans Risk, Protective Factors and Resilience Risk Factors an individual or environmental characteristic that precedes a mental disorder and is correlated with that disorder can be biological, psychological or social o ex: sexual abuse as a child some risk factors are "fixed" meaning they cannot be changed such as genetic predispositions risk factors come before mental disorders - the mental disorder itself cannot cause risk factors

Gender risk factor: women are at greater risk for developing anxiety disorders and mood disorders such as depression, alzheimers, also more likely to have more than one disorder at a time

Age risk factor: highest prevalence of mental disorders - people ages 18-29 and 30-44 lowest prevalence - people over 65 years of age

Race and Ethnicity - risk factor Education, SES, and Marital status - risk factors Protective Factors: associated with lower risk of mental disorder o strong social support is a protective factor against developing a mental disorder o opposite of risk factors

Resilience ability to withstand and rise above extreme adversity - becoming more and more researched key resiliency factors: o (among children) good social and academic competence and effectiveness in work and play situations o (among minority populations) - supportive families and communities as well as spirituality and religion Prevention getting rid of the development of later problems and may be more efficient and effective than individual treatment after a mental disorder occurs those engaging in prevention usually use risk and protective factors to identify people who need more help before major problems develop - guiding principle of many public health models prevention programs - aid to reduce risk and increase protective factors regarding mental disorder Prevention on a continuum o people benefit from prevention along a continuum represented by:

Type o o o

prevention occurs before a disorder develops, treatment occurs after a disorder develops, and maintenance occurs long after a disorder has developed for people who symptoms require ongoing attention of Prevention: primary - interventions given to people with no signs of a disorder universal prevention - similar to primary except broadcasted to large groups of people with a disorder secondary - addressing problems while they are manageable

and before they get out of control selective prevention - people at risk for a particular problem are targeted o tertiary - refers to reducing the duration and further negative effects of a mental disorder after onset that has gotten bad before intervention could take place indicated prevention - targets individuals who are at a very high risk for developing extensive problems in the future

Diagnosis, Assessment, and Study of Mental Disorders Ch. 4

10/2/2011 12:47:00 PM Dimensional approach - defining mental disorders along a continuum or spectrum some behaviors deviate a little from the norm while others deviate a lot from the norm we show emotions, thoughts, and behaviors along a spectrum of intensity or oddity categorical approach - large class of frequently observed syndromes (mental disorders) composed of abnormal behaviors or features that occur in a person certain number of symptoms have to be present in a categorical approach to determine if the person has the mental disorder or not diagnosis from categorical approach - defined by rules that outline how many and what features of a mental disorder must be present yes or no - either someone has the disorder or they dont

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) categorical approach commonly used to define mental disorders according to DSM features of a mental disorder include: o group of psychological or behavioral symptoms called a syndrome that occur with a person o these symptoms are associated w/ emotional distress, disability of increased risk of problems o the syndrome is not simply an expected or culturally sanctioned response to a specific event such as grief and sadness following death of a loved one o symptoms are considered to be caused by some psychological, behavioral or biological dysfunction in a person this definition is restrictive b/c it focuses on clusters of abnormal behaviors associated w/ distress, disability or increased risk for problems Advantages of diagnosis: o communication - wealth of info can be conveyed in a single term (schizophrenia for example)

o standard rules are provided for defining mental disorders and for seeking the causes of these disorders - we group people based on symptoms they share to study cause of mental disorder o everyone uses the same system so clinicians can find useful assessment strategies o diagnoses are most important b/c they may suggest which treatment is most effective DSM-IV-TR Axes - multiaxial system that help to organize mental disorders and help clinicians assign diagnosis, plan treatment and predict outcome Axis 1 o mental health professional lists clinical disorders that are present, these clinical disorders include all in DSM except personality disorders and mental retardation (ex: anxiety, mood, substance use, eating etc.) Axis 2 o mental health professional indicates whether personality disorders are present and whether mental retardation is Axis o present 3 mental health professional documents general medical conditions that are potentially relevant to the understanding or management of the clients mental disorder (ex: hypothyroidism can cause depression) 4 the mental health professional lists psychosocial and environmental problems that are present (ex: new marriage,

Axis o

newborn baby, social isolation etc.) These problems may influence the diagnosis, treatment, and future outcome of a clients condition Axis 5 o A global assessment of functioning (GAF) rating is provided, this score indicated how well or how poorly a client is functioning. This information can be used to plan treatment, monitor treatment progress, or predict future functioning

Assessing Abnormal Behavior and Mental Disorder clinical assessment - evaluating a persons strengths and weaknesses and understanding the problem at hang to develop a treatment - may include providing a diagnosis for the person reliability - refers to consistency of scores or responses, test reliability by: test-retest, interrater and internal consistency reliability test-retest reliability - extent to which person provides similar answers to the same test items across time interrater reliability - extent to which two raters or observers agree about their ratings or judgments of a persons behavior - often used to examine usefulness of a diagnostic interview internal consistency reliability - refers to whether items on a test appear to be measuring the same thing

validity - extent to which an assessment technique measures what it is supposed to measure content validity - degree to which test or interview items actually cover aspects of the variable or diagnosis under study predictive validity - refers to whether test or interview results accurately predict some future behavior or event concurrent validity - refers to whether current test or interview results relate to an important present feature or characteristic construct validity - refers to whether test or interview results relate to other measures or behaviors in a logical, theoretically expected fashion

Personality Assessment refers to instruments that measure different traits or aspects of our character objective personality measures - involve administering a standard set of questions or statements to which a person responds using set options (yes/no, true/false, dimensional scale 0-5 etc.)

projective tests - based on assumption that people faced with an ambiguous stimulus such as an inkblot will "project" their own needs, personality, conflicts (sentence completion tasks and drawing tests)

Behavioral Assessment measure of overt responses or behaviors shown by a person observation o involves functional analysis - which is understanding of antecedents (what precedes a behavior) and consequences (what follows a behavior) organismic variables - include a persons physiological or cognitive characteristics that may help therapist understand a problem and determine treatment (ex: worry about future panic attacks) Naturalistic observation o used by behavioral assessors; in which a client is directly observed in his or her natural environment Controlled observation o more practical, less expensive; controlled by therapist (ex: someone who has a phobia of public speaking may be asked to public speak to a bunch of therapists in their office setting) Self-monitoring o sometimes used by behavioral therapists, when a person observes their own thoughts, emotions and behaviors and writes them down

Biological Assessment done mostly by imaging o CT scan - assesses structural abnormalities o MRI - no radiation o Functional MRI (fMRI) - assesses how brain is working by taking rapid pictures Psychophysiological Assessment

involves evaluating bodily changes possibly associated with certain mental conditions (ex: increases heart rate or sweating due to stress)

Chapter 15

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Therapist-Client Relationship therapeutic alliance productive, free flowing and honest; should be a positive one built on trust, full disclosure from the client and hard work toward treatment goals therapeutic alignment - process variable in marital and family therapy therapist supports members of marriage or family to "balance out" differences in power - therapist might align herself more w/ a dependent spouse or an intimidated child to ease communication but has to be careful not to alienate anyone Prescriptive treatment - finding which treatments work best for specific mental disorders Ethics - general principles: beneficence and nonmaleficence -protecting the welfare of others fidelity and responsibility - acting professionally toward others integrity - employing high moral standards in ones work justice - exercising fairness and reasonable judgement respect for peoples rights and dignity - valuing others and minimizing conflicts