Chapter 14: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Testing your knowledge of idioms and other vocabulary

How familiar are you with American idioms? Match each item in column A with the appropriate meaning given in column B. If you are unsure, look at the sentence context given below. Answers are given on pages 105-106.

COLUMN A / COLUMN B
a. cold-blooded / 1. to be the cause of
b. plot / 2. to cause; to allow to begin
c. to play a role in / 3. decreased; made dull or flat
d. to give rise to / 4. highly desirous of; eager to
e. culture-bound / 5. to take part in a conversation which other people monopolize
f. catchall / 6. to contribute to; to be a part of
g. to get in tune with / 7. dishonest
h. to set the stage / 8. to understand, be in agreement with
i. mixed feelings / 9. cruel, showing a complete lack of feeling
j. to get a word in edgewise / 10. customs, beliefs, and ideas limited to a specific group or culture
k. intent on / 11. conspiracy
l. crooked / 12. opinions that are not decisive, both good and bad together
m. blunted / 13. general category that takes a variety of things into consideration

Sentence context

a.  What caused Mary's unstable relationships and suicidal thoughts, Jim's paranoia, and Ken's cold-blooded murders? Was there something in their early backgrounds that could explain their later behaviors? (p.484)

b.  In delusions of persecution, individuals believe they are the target of a plot to harm them. (p. 507)

c.  In most theories of schizophrenia, stress plays an essential role in triggering schizophrenic episodes. (p. 511)

d.  Pinel's medical model eventually gave rise to the modern specialty of psychiatry, in which disorders are diagnosed as physical illnesses and treatments are prescribed. (p. 489)

e.  Although it (DSM-IV) does provide a culture-specific section and a glossary of culture-bound syndromes, the classification of most disorders still reflects a Western European and American perspective. (p. 494)

f.  The undifferentiated type is a catchall for difficult diagnostic cases. (p. 508)

g.  If it is just one person speaking, that's not so bad, but if others join in then I can't pick it up at all. I just can't get in tune with the conversation. (p. 506)

h.  In these families, the child might withdraw into a private world and thereby set the stage for later schizophrenia. (p. 511)

i.  Although her husband had verbally and physically abused her for years, she had had mixed feelings about staying in the marriage. (p. 500)

j.  Speech is also rapid ("pressured speech"), and it is difficult to get a word in edgewise. (p. 501)

k.  Suicidal people are fully intent on dying. (p. 503)

l.  Many sociopaths avoid problems with the law and harm people in less dramatic ways, as con artists, ruthless business people, and crooked politicians. (p. 516)

m. The senses of people with schizophrenia may be either enhanced or blunted. (p. 506)

Reviewing your knowledge of English grammar

In the last chapter, we began to take a look at certain verbs that, when followed by complements, are always followed by a gerund form. There are also certain classes of these verbs that are always followed by the infinitive form. These verbs can be also classified into several categories, such as:

· CHOICE OR INTENTION (propose, decide, expect, intend, mean, wish, prefer, etc.)

While it is tempting to want to place people in tidy, discrete categories, abnormal behavior exists along a continuum.

Now, not only could you be possessed, you could also choose to consort with the devil.

Just as physicians need to differentiate between cancer and heart disease, psychiatrists must make a distinction between anxiety attacks and feelings of paranoia.

· REQUEST AND RESPONSE (offer, promise, threaten, vow, etc.)

Does a compulsively neat student who types all of his lecture notes and refuses to write in any textbook qualify for a psychiatric examination?

When asked to think about their lives, respondents in need of mental health services all named one or more of the same 12 symptoms.

The subjective discomfort standard allows people to define for themselves what they accept as normal or abnormal.

· MENTAL ACTIVITY (learn, know how, forget, remember, etc.)

People learn to express their problems in ways acceptable to others in the same culture.

All neurotic conditions were believed to reflect underlying problems with repressed anxiety.

Read the paragraph below and decide if the verbs in parentheses should appear in the infinitive or in the gerund form. Insert the appropriate form of the verb in the space given. When you are finished, you may check your answers in the answer key.

By publishing the DSM-I in 1952, the American Psychiatric Association hoped ______(categorize) abnormal behavior. Designed as a tool to help practitioners ______(diagnose) mental disorders, the APA expected ______(alleviate) many problems that had in the past caused individuals ______(be) misdiagnosed and imprisoned in mental institutions. The APA considered ______(explain) the causes of the disorders, but then proposed ______(limit) the entries to descriptions only. The APA has offered ______(revise) the manual four times. Each revision intends ______(reflect) changes in the way abnormal behaviors are viewed within our social context. The third edition was published in 1987, and the APA plans ______(release) the fourth edition in 1994.

Finding key information

Writing in English is characterized by linear thought patterns; that is, generally there is a statement in the introduction directly stating what will be discussed and then the following paragraphs fulfill that promise. Also, in extended writing, authors sometimes insert linking sentences or paragraphs, to remind the reader of what has been discussed and what is yet to come. These linking sentences or paragraphs are very useful, as they allow readers to set up their notes and outlines clearly, and confirm that indeed they have been able to pull out the key information from the text. It is a good idea to map out the information set up in these linking, or transition sentences or paragraphs, in order to follow the authors' argument more smoothly. Look at the example below, based on the material under the heading "Why do cultures develop such unique problems" beginning on page .

abnormal behavior exemplified by windigo psychosis: cultural relativity

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LINK: Some researchers question the famine explanation for windigo psychosis and even the idea of culture-bound disorders. However, there is little doubt that some mental disorders are at least somewhat culture-bound.

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Nishimoto: several culture-general and culture specific symptoms useful in diagnosing mental health difficulties

Practice making a linking map of your own, using the information presented in the final two paragraphs on page . Be sure to locate the complete linking sentences. When you have finished, compare your responses with the answers provided in the answer key.

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LINK:

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Examining structural clues

Often, writers want to remind the reader of important information they have presented at an earlier point in the text. They use specific referent cues or triggers to spark the reader's memory. Sometimes, the authors are very specific and repeat the information fully; other times, they make just passing reference to the information. To see how these triggers are used, study the sentences below:

As the introductory cases show, abnormal behavior varies from person to person and in its severity.

As mentioned earlier, students who begin studying abnormal behavior sometimes have unnecessary worries about their own mental health.

The learning perspective on anxiety disorders suggests that phobias and other reactions are the result of classical and operant conditioning (see chapter 5).

At the beginning of this chapter, we discussed how some researchers believe that certain mental disorders may be culturally universal, and schizophrenia is a prime example.

Recall that some cases of severe depression are linked to biochemical imbalances. Some researchers suggest that covariance between hormones and serotonin may explain gender difference in depression.

As we discussed, some theories suggest that stress may trigger the onset of schizophrenia.

Find five more referent cues from this chapter and write them in the spaces below. Study these sentences. What information are the authors reminding you of? Are they specific or is it just a passing reference?

1. ______

______

2. ______

______

3. ______

______

4. ______

______

5. ______

______

Answer key

Testing your knowledge of idioms and other vocabulary

a. 9; / b. 11; / c. 6; / d. 1; / e. 10; / f. 13; / g. 8; / h. 2; / i. 12; / j. 5; / k. 4; / l. 7;
m. 3

Reviewing your knowledge of English grammar

By publishing the DSM-I in 1952, the American Psychiatric Association hoped to categorize abnormal behavior. Designed as a tool to help practitioners diagnose mental disorders, the APA expected to alleviate many problems that had in the past caused individuals to be misdiagnosed and imprisoned in mental institutions. The APA considered explaining the causes of the disorders, but then proposed to limit the entries to descriptions only. The APA has offered to revise the manual four times. Each revision intends to reflect changes in the way abnormal behaviors are viewed within our social context. The third edition was published in 1987, and the APA plans to release the fourth edition in 1994.

Finding key information

simple phobias: a specific stimulus elicits a strong fear response. e.g. fear of spiders, blood, enclosed places.

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LINK: In addition to Maria's agoraphobia and specific phobias, such as fears of knives, rats, or spiders, there is another category of phobias known as social phobias.

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social phobias: fear of being evaluated by others or being publicly embarrassed, so pervasive that normal life becomes impossible

Examining structural clues

Answers will vary.

Handbook for Non-Native Speakers -100-