Diagnosis and Definition of Abnormality

“Molly felt like there were bugs crawling below her skin. She tried to get others to take her medical symptoms seriously, but no one would. Her MD said there was no medical reason for her symptoms. She would scratch at the “bugs.” She tried to collect little black threads that she said came from under her skin and take them to a governmental lab to have them evaluated. She even tried to cure her skin condition by spraying her broken skin with Raid and other bug sprays. Then, she had a toxic reaction to the bug spray. Therefore, her psychiatrist admitted her in a mental hospital because she was delusional. Her husband even had her committed several times, petitioned the courts to take away her children, divorced her, and managed to take virtually all the community property away from this mentally disordered woman.”

First, please respond to the following, based on the scenario above:

• What do you think about this woman’s condition and disorder?
• Who should define abnormality?
• What motivations, if any, might encourage various groups to seek to influence this definition?

Next, please take the time to read the following article

• Clinical, Epidemiologic, Histopathologic and Molecular Features of an Unexplained Dermopathy

Then, please respond to the following:

• Now, what do you think about Molly, the client?
• What issues in diagnosis does this raise? What other psychological diagnoses does this information bring into question for you?

Below are additional sources for Morgellon’s Disease that can be found in the library. Simply type the word Morgellons in the search box and check the box labeled peer reviewed, then click search.

Harth, W., Hermes, B., & Freudenmann, R. (2010). Morgellons in dermatology. Journal of the German Society of Dermatology, 8(4), 234-242.

Robles, D.T., Olson, J.M., Combs, H., Romm, S., & Kirby, P. (2011) Morgellons Disease and Delusions of Parasitosis. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 12(1), 1-6.

Reading and Resources

Please read the following chapters in your text:

• Chapter 7: “Diagnostic and Classification Issues”
• Chapter 8: “Clinical Interviewing”

Chapter 7 is about diagnosis and classification issues. What is normal and what is abnormal? Who defines normality? Early psychologists agonized over these issues. Even today, you continually refine the definitions and even question the value of diagnosing at all. Early in the 1900’s psychoanalytic psychiatrists developed some consensus regarding a few diagnostic categories, and eventually the Diagnostic Statistical Manual came into being. You will learn about this manual and the process by which diagnostic categories are reevaluated and refined over time. You will also read about an alternative way of categorizing, the dimensional model of psychopathology.

Chapter 8 introduced you to the skills and approaches needed for clinical Interviewing. You will read about components of the interview, cultural issues, pragmatic issues such as whether to take notes and confidentiality. You will also learn about the various types of clinical interviews. The information in this chapter will be essential as you prepare to complete the assignment in the next unit.

Practice the concepts covered in this unit by completing the Unit 5 Key Terms Activity.

Web Resources

Please watch the TED video by Julian Treasure: 5 ways to listen better.

Journal Articles

Please review the Library Guide for a list of articles to read for this unit. These have been selected from various academic journals, all of which can be found in the Purdue Global Library. Though they are not required to complete the coursework for this unit, they will be helpful for anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of clinical psychology.

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