What constitutes a mental disorder?

When talking about thoughts feelings and behavior, what is considered abnormal or dysfunctional? Let's talk about it here as we explore a learning module by R. M. Spielman.)!

Psychological disorders present themselves as atypical, or abnormal, thoughts feelings and behaviors. Understand that just because something is atypical, it doesn't necessarily make it disordered. Think of a small number of people who have dark skin and blue eyes. It's not normal, or atypical, but it's not disordered either. To be considered a disorder in terms of psychology, there are other factors at play.

Let's talk about culture and how it defines psychological disorders. Think of a scenario of a person who hears the voices of elder prophets and speak of tales of the future. In some cultures, this may be considered normal and viewed as a gift, while other cultures may see this as a mental disorder. In other words, how we think, feel, and behave is often governed by what is acceptable in our culture and society.

Back in the 1950's and 60's, psychologist Wakefield thought mental illnesses were criticized and seen as a myth that needed psychiatric intervention when behavior is disapproved by society. Thomas Szasz agreed with this and said, you know what guys, mental illness is a made up thing so that society can criticize and control people who aren't socially accepted. Szasz felt it wasn't an illness, but a problem with living. The reason he felt it mental illnesses weren't illnesses at all is the fact that there were no detectable physical dysfunctions that created them. Things like infections and organ damage. Check out his book, The Myth of Mental Illness when you get the chance.

Although Szasz didn't believe in mental illness, he created a new way of looking at it. Instead of calling it an illness, he called it a mental health problem. He also brought light to homosexuality and the fact that it is not a mental illness, but just not socially acceptable. This was one of the first ideas to challenge civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community. His way of thinking also granted more legal rights for those considered to have mental health problems. I'll talk about the history of mental health and the treatment of in another forum, but it was a gruesome start.

Continuing on, mental disorders as we know them today must have harmful dysfunction on a person's life. Wakefield, back in the 90's, felt that basic evolutionary functions, like cognition, perception, and learning, help us collectively experience the world in the same way. When someone is not able to share this "normal" experience, it is said that the basic evolutionary functions fail to perform as they should. An example of this is fear and I'll use myself as an example. Fear helps us protect ourselves from potential danger. That's normal, right? Well, my fear of clowns is a bit irrational. If I see one, my body is tense, my breathing becomes rapid, and my heart rate increases. I may run like a mad person. I may hit them right in their clown face. But, what is the real danger here? Is my fear of clowns dysfunctional? Yes! There is no need for my internal reflexes to ramp up over something that has not been proven to be a real threat. Unless Pennywise comes to life, but that's a different story. Back to mental dysfunctions!

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) updated the term Psychological Dysfunction to Psychological disorders. According to the APA, there is a significant disturbance in how we think, feel, and behave and these disturbances are due to biological, psychological, or developmental problems. On top of that, these thoughts feelings and behaviors will go against what is culturally accepted.

With all the information and background we covered here today, there is still no one single way to discern a psychological disorder. Many factors must be considered and accounted for before someone is considered dysfunctional. So, the next time you feel a bit down or experience anxiety, don't look at yourself as mentally disordered, but look at other factors and reach out to talk to someone about it if it's becoming problematic in your life. If you feel you are experiencing a mental crises, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text MHA to 741741, a 24-hour crises hotline.

Reference:

Spielman, R. M. (2018b). Psychology Unit 16, Module 2: What are psychological disorders? Retrieved from https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/module/15380/overview

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