Introduction Psychopathology
M.D Sara Dawod

Definitions
• Abnormal behavior: deviation from what is
considered normal.
• Abnormal psychology: scientific study whose
objectives are to describe, explain, predict,
and control behaviors that are considered
unusual or strange.

Mental Disorders
• It is any organic, mental, or emotional impairment,
including those induced by alcoholism or drug
abuse. It has substantial adverse effects on
cognitive, behavior, or emotional functioning
(Murray, 1987 P:632).
• The diagnosis of mental illness should help the
mental health professionals in understanding the
illness and symptoms and in planning care for
individual clients. The problem of defining a person
as mentally ill lies in the issue of labeling. Labeling
stigmatizes the person in the society, which has
negative implication.

Meaning of mental health and illness
• Although the term “mental health” and
“mental illness” are widely used in literature,
they have not been clearly defined.
• In general, mental health is used to mean an
optimum level of psychosocial functioning;
“mental illness” refers to some level of
deviation from such state.

Mental Health
• Peplau (1952) has defined mental health as: A term
which implies forward movement personality and
other ongoing processes in the direction of creative,
constructive, productive personal and community
living.
• Murray (1987) defines mental health as, “ a growth
toward maturity in which the individual is able to
achieve the capacity to love rather than remains in a
state of helplessness with the need for love” (P:240).
• WHO definition of Mental Health: it is the full and
harmonious functioning of the whole personality.

Mental Health
• American psychiatric association defines mental
health as:
• Simultaneous success at working, loving and creating
with the capacity for mature and flexible resolution
of conflicts between instincts, conscience, other
people& reality.
• Comprehensive definition:
• Mental health is defined as “A state of psychological
well-being and satisfactory adjustment to society and
daily life demands”. This doesn't mean a complete
freedom from stress, frustration, and conflicts.

Mental Illness
• American psychiatric association define
mental illness as:
• An illness with psychological, behavioral
manifestation and impairment in functioning.
It is due to a social, psychological, genetic,
physical, chemical or biological disturbances.

Mental Illness
• Mental illness may be defined as:
• Psychosocial response to stress that interfere
with or inhibit a persons ability to comfortably
or affectively meet human needs and function
within a culture according to Kolb (1974).

The problem of defining mental health
and mental illness
• There is variety of disordered areas in the
patient. The disorder may be present in the
behavior, affect, thinking or all of these.
• Health is not a scientific term and it is difficult
to measure it “Health” an “Illness” relate to
very general, nonspecific characteristics of an
individual or a group or class of a population.

The problem of defining mental health
and mental illness
• It is difficult to apply concepts of health and
illness to human behavior and to the complex
way of human feeling and thinking.
• There are cultural differences between people
which makes it very complicated to judge
others mental state, by using our values or
standards.

Psychopathology
• As a term, it is a word which denotes behaviors or
experiences that indicate the presence of mental
illness, even if it doesn’t constitute a formal
diagnosis.
• For instant, if a person has depressed mood or
hallucination, it is considered as a
psychopathological sign even if other symptoms are
weak or not present to fulfill the criteria for one of
he disorders in the DSM. The boundaries between
mental and physical disorders are equally
problematic.

History of psychopathology
• Prehistoric and ancient beliefs: early
demonology: evil or spirit dwell within
persons and control their body and mind
(demonology) behaviors outside individual
control, supernatural causes.
• Treatment: exorcism: elaborate prayers,
noisemaking, starvation to cast the evil spirit
out.

Early biological explanation
• Naturalistic explanation: in 5th century,
Hippocrates (father of modern medicine)
separated medicine from religion, magic and
superstition.
• Abnormal thinking or behaviors are indication
of brain pathology and physical problems
disturbs thought and actions.
• Heredity and environment play important
role.

Early biological explanation
• Physician is the healer of mental illnesses.
• Classified mental illnesses: mania,
melancholia, and phrenitis (brain fever).
• Treatment: melancholia: care in choosing diet,
exercise, abstinence from sex.

Dark ages and demonology
• Churches gained in influences and Christian
monasteries replaced physician as healer of
mental illnesses.
• Illness is perceived as punishment for sin.
• Monks cared for sick by praying over them or
touching them with relics (things from past).
• Patients were roamed the countryside and
return to belief in supernatural causes.

• Witchcraft (15-17th centuries): the church was
challenged by the social and religious reforms so it
claimed that Satan fostered these attack and should
killed each person has red spot, club foot, cleft
palate. Mentally ill patients were seen as witches.
• The rise of humanism (renaissance): which
emphasizes human welfare, worth and uniqueness
of the person. Few mental hospital were
established.
• Medical treatment (18-19th century) Pinels reform:
French physician, primary of humanitarian
treatment of mentally ill, light and airy rooms,
discharge pt from hospital, but humanitarian
treatment was offered for upper class.

• Hospitals established in Europe and Britain
small, private:
• York Retreat (1796, UK): provide pts with
religious and quiet atmosphere to live and
work.
• Moral treatment is provided: pt engaged in
purposeful activity, live close to normal, took
responsibilities for themselves.
• Drugs were the most common and the
outcomes were not favorable (less than 1/3
discharged).

Who needs to study psychopathology?
• Psychiatrists who are particularly interested in descriptive
psychopathology, which aims at describing the symptoms of
mental disorder. This is done either for diagnosis or treatment
purposes.
• Psychologists.
• Psychiatric nurses.
• Psychiatric social worker.
• Mental health practitioner and experts.
• Counselors and therapists.
• Neurologists.
• Occupational therapists.
• Neurologists.
• Researchers who might conduct research to determine
epidemiology, prevalence, and evaluate treatment protocols.