Psychological Abnormality: Evaluating Methods & Classifications

This essay evaluates two primary methods for defining psychological abnormality: failure to function adequately and deviation from social norms. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, noting the subjective nature of 'adequate functioning' and the potential for 'method in the madness' when deviating from social norms. The essay then shifts to evaluating methods for classifying mental illness, specifically the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and the ICD (International Classification of Diseases). It highlights the DSM's comprehensive coverage of mental disorders and the ICD's greater emphasis on cultural influences and detailed sub-classifications, emphasizing the importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Evaluation of two methods defining psychological abnormality
1. Failure To function Adequately
Prior to judge, a person for "psychological abnormality" with the help of the scale of "failure
to function adequately" an expert should understand the definition of adequate functions for
that particular area. After fixing the adequate behavior he should try to figure out the areas
where that individual is lacking in the department of defining the social and work-related
roles. Here the subject may show this tendency to lose control of behavior and actions. He
may start behaving in an irrational fashion as well (McLeod, 2018).
On a symptomatic level, this method is apt to figure out an extraordinary person in the group.
However, the observations made by an expert may deceive him in the absence of the root
causes behind such type of abnormal behavior or disability to function normally. This
method is apt for the places where roles of the individuals are predefined and they are bound
to follow a code of conduct. For instance, the bodyguard of a political leader is duty bound to
function in a certain fashion, if he fails in behaving in a certain way then an observer has to
first figure out the triggers causing that abnormal behavior. Criminal tendencies or the
presence of negative or positive emotions is not a psychological abnormality. However, an
inconsistent pattern of the behavior showing episodes of the "failure to function adequately"
can be considered as a symptom of mental abnormality (Caldas, 2011).
2. Deviation from the social norms
Literature of the world is full of stories where they ridiculed the individuals that were
deviating for the social norms. However, later on, societies of the world accepted them along
with their thought processes. Deviation from the social norms can be a case of "method in the
madness." Sometimes observers perceive radical point of the views and out of the box
behavior of an individual as a deviation from the social norms. The deviation from the social

norms is a weak parameter to judge psychological abnormality (McDonald, 2015). Just
imagine about a subject who is denying certain social norms on a regular basis and explaining
his behavior with the help of strong reasoning faculty then this person can be considered as a
normal person. This method demands long counseling sessions and in-depth interviews to
understand the mental state of a person. The observations based on this criterion can support
certain other parameters or the methods of judging the psychological abnormalities in a
subject (Hoffman, 2011).
Evaluation of the methods for the classification of the mental illness
1. DSM
Approved by the American Psychiatric Association DSM classification method identifies
more than 250 mental disorders and establishes the guidelines of the diagnostic for these
disorders. DSM IV laid down the foundation of DSM 5 system which is very popular in the
USA. Many experts consider DSM as their bible for the diagnostic and classification of the
mental illness because it allows them to examine a maximum number of symptoms in the
maximum number of mental illness. For instance, Anxiety as a symptom has relevance in
Sexual and Gender Identity disorders along with psychotic disorders like Schizophrenia as
well, although both types of the disorder are different in nature. The same system can also
help an expert to identify the role of anxiety in a disorder specified for the anxiety itself
(Regier, 2013). This method is catching up fast among the psychologists because of the wide
range of the mental illnesses that it covers.
ICD

Also known as the International Classification of the diseases, this system identifies 10 main
groups of mental disorders. When we compare it with DSM it has a clear distinction of
accommodating cultural influences and other influences more liberally in the process of the
diagnostic and classification of the mental illness. It is an internationally approved system of
the classification because many countries of the world are actively sharing notes with a
unified agency developed by the World Health Organization (Tyrer, 2014). These experts
residing in different parts of the world are updating the framework on a regular basis. It is a
versatile system that allows an expert to respond to certain symptoms on the merits of various
cultures and other external factors.
This system presents an elaborated demarcation of the mental illness and its sub stages. It has
been observed that sometimes a single mental illness can ignite multiple other problems in an
individual. ICD system presents a detailed list of the symptoms that correspond to the
acuteness of certain symptoms. This system also presents a detailed account of certain sub-
conditions of mental illnesses. This exact identification of the stages of a mental allows an
expert to diagnose the problem more effectively and facilitate medication for it.

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