ANYONE, NO MATTER WHAT AGE, ECONOMIC STATUS OR RACE, CAN

DEVELOP AN EMOTIONAL PROBLEM

VIRTUALLY EVERY ONE IS AFFECTED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS EITHER DIRECTLY OR

INDIRECTLY About Americans develop a

diagnosable mental disorder at some time in their life.

At any given time nearly 1 in 5 Americans suffer from a clearly diagnosable mental disorder

As many as a 1 out of 5 Americans suffer at least one episode of major depression during their lifetime

20% of the ailments for which Americans seek a

doctor’s help are related to anxiety disorders that interfere with their ability to live normal lives

1 in 2 adult

• In any given year in the US, 30% of adults and• 20% of children display serious psychological• disturbances and are in need of treatment

• In addition, most people have difficulty coping at various times in their lives

2005

50% in lifetime

 The global burden of disease, 1990–2020Alan D. Lopez & Christopher C.J.L. MurrayNature Medicine 4, 1241 - 1243 (1998)

The leading causes of disability worldwide, 1990

Unipolar major depression

Lifetime Mental Illness Prevalence

FEMALE MALE

Major depressive episode

Alcohol dependence

LIFETIME PREVALENCE RATES OF SELECTED DIAGNOSES (%)

about 1 in 4 Americans -ages 18 and older -suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder - in a given year.

mental disorders are the leading cause of disabilityin the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44.

Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders,

with severity strongly related to comorbidity.

MUCH ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR IS SIMPLY NORMAL BEHAVIOR GREATLY EXAGGERATED OR

DISPLAYED IN INAPPROPRIATE SITUATIONS -

NORMAL AND ABNORMAL OFTEN DIFFER IN DEGREE

THERE IS A CONTINUUM FROM NORMAL TO

ABNORMAL

SO DON’T WORRY JUST BECAUSE YOU SEE SOME SIMILARITIES TO

YOUR OWN BEHAVIOR

CAN MENTAL ILLNESS BE PREVENTED ? CURED ?

• NO EFFECTIVE PREVENTION

NO CURES

BUT, TREATMENTS CAN SUBSTANTIALLY

IMPROVE THE FUNCTIONING OF PEOPLE WITH THESE DISORDERS

MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT THE SAME AS MENTAL RETARDATION

MENTALLY ILL USUALLY HAVE NORMAL INTELLIGENCE

ALTHOUGH THEY MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY PERFORMING AT A NORMAL LEVEL DUE TO THEIR ILLNESS

..

MYTH: A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN MENTALLY ILL CAN NEVER BE NORMAL

MENTAL ILLNESS IS OFTEN TEMPORARY IN NATURE.

A PREVIOUSLY WELL-ADJUSTED INDIVIDUAL MAY HAVE AN

EPISODE OF ILLNESS LASTING WEEKS OR MONTHS AND THEN MAY GO FOR YEARS - EVEN A

LIFETIME- WITHOUT FURTHER DIFFICULTY

MANY GO UNTREATED

ALTHOUGH MOST EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS CAN BE EFFECTIVLY TREATED OR CONTROLLED,

ONLY 1 IN 5 PEOPLE WHO HAVE THESE DISORDERS SEEK HELP

TRAGICALLY, ONLY 4 - 15 PERCENT OF CHILDREN SUFFERING SERIOUS

MENTAL ILLNESS RECEIVE APPROPRIATE TREATMENT

BOTTOM LINE

• PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS ARE–

1. EXTREMELY PREVALENT

2. HIGHLY DISABLING

GOOD NEWS – FOR MANY, THERE ARE EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS

What is this class all about?

ABNORMAL PSYCH = BRANCH OF SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY CONCERNED WITH:

PopulationsPopulations Prevalence and IncidencePrevalence and Incidence

DESCRIPTIVE APPROACH

Onset of DisordersOnset of Disorders Acute or InsidiousAcute or Insidious

Course of DisordersCourse of Disorders

Episodic, time-limited, or chronic course

• Multiple CausationMultiple Causation– biology, learning history, culture, and biology, learning history, culture, and

social factorssocial factors

EtiologyEtiology the study of a disorder beginsthe study of a disorder begins

CAUSES OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

whywhy

TREATMENT AND OUTCOME

Can assist

in understanding maintaining factors

in prevention efforts

in developing more powerful treatments

24

Clinical Psychologist (Ph.D./ Psy.D.) Psychiatrist (MD) Psychiatric Nurse Clinical Social Worker Masters Level Counselor Alcohol and Drug Counselor Marriage and Family Therapist Clinical Pastoral Counselor