Models for Mental Disorder

The Medical Model

I have discussed this issue of blame on previous occasions, but last weekend an incident occurred in our own home that I thought was very illustrative of these dynamics and that warranted sharing. Our older daughter, her husband, and their two sons were visiting. The younger son, Paul, is just over two years old.

One of his favorite toys is a hedgehog named Charlie.

Diagnostic Criteria

At one point I was doing some work in the garage, and Paul came out to see me, and to show me his hedgehog. He took Charlie out of his case, and we all had a nice visit.

Then Paul decided to go back into the house. When he got to the connecting door, however, he had a problem. Charlie was in his right hand; the case in his left hand — leaving no hand to open the door. My immediate instinct was to go over and open the door for him. But instead, I paused.

A psychological model of mental disorder.

Paul studied the situation for a moment, then tucked Charlie under his chin, opened the door, and went inside. If I had acted on my first impulse and opened the door, Paul would have rewarded me with a smile and a thank you, making it more likely that I would continue to do things for him. Instead, he got to solve a problem for himself, and reinforced in me the behavior of waiting to see how he copes.

What we call a sense of competence or empowerment in adults is the result of thousands of small successes of this sort during childhood. And conversely, what we call a sense of powerlessness in adults results from a lack of such successes. There are many ways this can happen, but one of them, paradoxically, is through overly conscientious parents who do too much for their children.

Assumptions

ECT side effects include impaired language and memory as well as loss of self esteem due to not being able to remember important personal facts or perform routine tasks. Today I would like to focus on just one of these differences: However, it is sometimes used as a last resort for treating severe depression. Therefore, psychiatrists practising the beliefs of this model would be to prioritise changing the behaviour over identifying the cause of the dysfunctional behaviour. The biopsychosocial model is usually interpreted as implying that biological, psychological, and social factors are co-equal partners in the etiology of mental disorder.

Finding the right balance between helping our children versus letting them do things for themselves is one of the very difficult challenges of parenting. All conscientious parents struggle with this, and do what seems right in the circumstances. Less typical antipsychotics — eg pimozide, often used as a last resort when other drugs have failed. Anti psychotics have long been established as a relatively cheap, effective treatment, which rapidly reduce symptoms and enable many people to live relatively normal lives Van Putten, Anti psychotics produce a range of side effects including motor tremors and weight gain.

These lead a proportion of patients to discontinue treatment. Patients often welcome drug therapy, as it is quicker, easier and less threatening than talk therapy.

Models of abnormality - Wikipedia

The idea was extrapolated to humans as a treatment for schizophrenia on the theoretical basis that nobody can have schizophrenia and epilepsy together, so if epilepsy is induced by electric shock the schizophrenic symptoms will be forced into submission! ECT was used historically but was largely abandoned as a treatment for schizophrenia after the discovery of the antipsychotic drugs in the s but has recently been re-introduced in the USA.

However, it is sometimes used as a last resort for treating severe depression.

ECT can be either unilateral electrode on one temple or bilateral electrodes on both temples. The procedure for administering ECT involves the patient receiving a short acting anaesthetic and muscle relaxant before the shock is administered. Oxygen is also administered. Small amount of current about 0.

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The resulting seizure lasts for about a minute. ECT is usually given three times a week for up to 5 weeks. ECT should only be used when all else fails! Many argue that this is sufficient justification for its use, especially if it prevents suicide. ECT is generally used in severely depressed patients for whom psychotherapy and medication have proven to be ineffective.

Models of abnormality

It can also be used for those who suffer from schizophrenia and manic depression. However, Sackheim et al. There are many critics of this extreme form of treatment, especially of its uncontrolled and unwarranted use in many large, under staffed mental institutions where it may be used simply to make patients docile and manageable or as a punishment Breggin ECT side effects include impaired language and memory as well as loss of self esteem due to not being able to remember important personal facts or perform routine tasks.

ECT is a controversial treatment, not least because the people who use it are still unsure of how it works - a comparison has been drawn with kicking the side of the television set to make it work. As a last result when drugs and ECT have apparently failed psychosurgery is an option. This basically involves either cutting out brain nerve fibres or burning parts of the nerves that are thought to be involved in the disorder when the patient is conscious. As a consolation he received the Nobel prize for his contribution to science in Surgery is used only as a last resort, where the patient has failed to respond to other forms of treatment and their disorder is very severe.

This is because all surgery is risky and the effects of neurosurgery can be unpredictable. Also, there may be no benefit to the patient and the effects are irreversible.

This programme tells the story of three key figures in the strange history of lobotomy - and for the first time explores the popularity of lobotomy in the UK in detail. It has proved to be effective in controlling serious mental illness like schizophrenia allowing patients who would otherwise have to remain in hospital to live at home.

Models of Mental Disorders 022415

Drugs may not 'cure' the condition, but simply act as a chemical straitjacket. For this reason, many mental disorders are called 'functional'. The test case is schizophrenia but even here genetic or neurochemical explanations are inconclusive. The medical model is therefore focused on physical causes and largely ignores environmental or psychological causes. Labelling can lead to discrimination and loss of rights. Consequently, there are no biological tests such as blood tests or brain scans that can be used to provide independent objective data in support of any psychiatric diagnosis.

Click here for more info. Their validity and clinical utility is therefore highly questionable, yet their influence has contributed to an expansive medicalisation of human experience. The reliability of psychiatric diagnosis revisited: The clinician's guide to improve the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis. Psychiatry Edgmont , 3 1 , Electroshock, Its Brain-disabling Effects.