Psychopathology

[Sunny]

If anyone's interested, here's a paper from Dx & Tx of Adult Psychopathology...took this course a few terms ago -- just thought I'd share if anyone would like to discuss psychopathology. This is where my sun really shines...

Critical Thinking ? Models of Abnormal Behavior
Diagnosis and Treatment of Adult Psychopathology

     Although a medical model has many scientific foundations, as our text illustrates, the problem I see is that this is a one-dimensional, narrow, and linear point of view as it does not consider abnormal behaviors that are the result of behavioral, emotional, social, or developmental influences. As I illustrated in the weekly discussion, I believe an integrative approach to understanding the etiology,    assessment, and treatment of psychological problems to be more relevant than solely using a medical model, which attempts to trace the origins of psychopathology to a single cause.  Again to quote the text, I agree with ??the realization that no one influence ? biological, behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or social ? ever occurs in isolation.? (p25).  The reason why I maintain this opinion is because I have personally and professionally witnessed the influences that the multiple domains have on a person?s psychopathology.
     In my personal life, I became interested in researching a rudimentary understanding of psychopathology during my adolescent years.  Having a mother with bipolar disorder was oftentimes challenging and concurrently experiential.  I believe she comes from the mindset that her diagnosis is primarily medically based because she has never addressed other possibilities nor has she ever explored opportunities provided by other models (such as the psychoanalytic model).  In my opinion, she has simply attempted to ?medicate? the illness and not address the behaviors or personality defects that she is also afflicted by.
If I were to only consider a medical model when contemplating the causes of bipolar disorder, I could become perplexed with the recognition that I have a genetic predisposition or vulnerability to also acquire the illness.  However, I strongly believe that as the text states, ?genetic contributions cannot be studied in absence of interactions with events in the environment that trigger genetic vulnerability?.  Therefore, I strive to keep a healthy balance in all components of my environment.  I maintain self-awareness of behavioral, biological, emotional, social, and developmental influences on my psychological well being.
    I have many queries regarding the origination of psychopathology and this is why I do not believe in limiting causality to one influence, but rather the interactions in a systemic context.  Personally, I can identify from an integrative mindset many interactive influences that my mother experienced to trigger her psychopathology.  I believe she may have inherited bipolar illness from her grandmother who also reportedly demonstrated psychosis and abnormal behavior.  The illness may have been triggered by the trauma she incurred from the disease of spinal meningitis in her young adulthood.  Her parents may have fostered a level of learned helplessness or she may have experienced the onset due to anxiety when she left the safety of her home ill-prepared for college? Or maybe she inadvertently triggered the onset of the illness that may have otherwise laid dormant, when she experimented with recreational hallucinogens in the ?60s??
     I also adhere to a multi-dimensional model or approach to understanding the treatment of psychopathology because of my professional case management experience.  I was trained to support chronic, mentally ill individuals, to assess all domains of their lives (e.g. medical, social, mental/behavioral, and developmental), and to identify individualized goals to assist in obtaining a quality of life.  I experienced that all pieces are equally important in contribution to the overall puzzle.  In retrospect, I have seen many differences in the mindsets of individuals with a diagnosed psychopathology.  I attribute the diverse functioning levels to the systemic intervention or environmental influences that they have incurred rather than relying on one individual component of etiology, assessment, and treatment.     

[Cookie Parker]

So, let me stumble here, if I may, Sunny.

You see nurture as the cause and not nature?  Psychological and physiological? 

Or do you maintain the physiological is there but that it only surfaces when the right (or "wrong") set of circumstances exaccerbates it?

Reason I ask, is the issue of alcoholism is seen as a dichotomy of causations, as well.  Some adhere to the physiological cause and other to a psychological cause (like dependent personality or the perverbial "weak-willed" person)

[Sunny]

I think it's tryly a multi-dimensional issue, not necessarily nature OR nurture -- but, rather a combination of both...genetic predispositions and envrionmental influences -- much like many other illnesses we encompass...cancer and diabetes to name two off the cuff. 

I really appreciate the way you summarized it, "...the physiological is there but that it only surfaces when the right (or "wrong") set of circumstances exaccerbates it?"; I agree that there are many dichotomous psychopathologies. Alcoholism is a good example, Bipolar, even Schizophrenia to an extent.

I've heard so many disclosures and testimonies, from diagnosed individuals, parents, family members, and their children -- when questioned about the onset of the illness...they almost always have a similar habitus, traumatic experience, childhood idisyncrasy - that sets them aside from the others.

What are your thoughts -- Alcoholism? Nature or Nurture? 

[Cookie Parker]

Hey, Sunny...decided to "sneek" in LOL!!!

For me, alcoholism is a physiological occurrence.  The genetic make up is different.  The body has a make-up that makes it "allergic" to alcohol.  For me, it's explained on how a family of 5 can have 3 alocholics and 2 social drinkers. 

Also, there appears to be connections in the alcoholics in families.  Many have relatives past who are alcoholic and children future who become one.

And you?  See you Friday!!!!  Let Ms Mojo know I appreciate the "go with the flow" advice...you two are the best!!!

[Sunny]

Hey, Sunny...decided to "sneek" in LOL!!!

For me, alcoholism is a physiological occurrence.  The genetic make up is different.  The body has a make-up that makes it "allergic" to alcohol.  For me, it's explained on how a family of 5 can have 3 alocholics and 2 social drinkers. 

Also, there appears to be connections in the alcoholics in families.  Many have relatives past who are alcoholic and children future who become one.

And you?  See you Friday!!!!  Let Ms Mojo know I appreciate the "go with the flow" advice...you two are the best!!!

YEAH! So glad you snuck in before departure. Again, I'm not sure I could put all of my eggs into the physiological basket re: alchoholism, either -- I definitely agree there's a genetic component, as you said, and the 2 children who became social drinkers may possibly have developed an aversion or "allergy" as you phrased it to the alcohol gene, dna, or what have you.

HOWEVER, I also see and purport a environmental influence on those 5 children. For example, chances are significantly prevalent that those 5 children watched one, if not both, of their parents and/or grandparents drink on a daisly basis. Therefore, those socialization patterns became ingrained at a young, young age. The dependency pattern that you mentioned earlier & all of the other dynamics of the alchoholic family come into play. And that's where I believe the "resilence factor" takes it's toll and creates at risk children in those who don't establish it & successful (social drinker) children that do have it.

An interesting compilation on the genetic research for alcoholism, for your perusal when you return: http://www.peele.net/lib/genetics.html

[Sunny]

BUMP for Cookie...when will be arriving home?

[Sunny]

BUMP for Cookie...

[followsthewolf]

Read your thoughts with great interest (as usual) Sunny.

[Sunny]

Read your thoughts with great interest (as usual) Sunny.

Thank you, FTW...that means a lot! (and for overlooking my typos)