date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Proliferation of Mental Disorders author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/03/11/proliferation-of-mental-disorders/ dsq_thread_id: 512062995 fsb_social_facebook: 2 categories: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders In December 1999, David Satcher, MD, then Surgeon General of the United States, reported that almost one fifth of the American population will experience a mental disorder in any given year, and that fully half of the population will have such a disorder at some time in their lives. [Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General.] Most Americans have understandably become somewhat skeptical with regards to government press releases and statistics, and it is unlikely that the report received total acceptance by the general population. On the other hand, the report received no major challenge. Indeed, it was endorsed wholeheartedly by several leading healthcare organizations and lobbying groups. The American Academy of Family Physicians, for instance, described mental illness as “one of the most pressing concerns we are facing” and made it their annual clinical focus for the year 2000. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 22% of American adults have a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year, and that four of the ten leading causes of disability in the US are mental disorders. ...
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Psychiatrists and the Pharmaceutical Companies author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/03/14/psychiatrists-and-the-pharmaceutical-companies/ dsq_thread_id: 512062994 categories: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders Psychiatrists are medical doctors who after graduation from medical school specialize in the treatment of mental disorders. In 1950 there were about 7000 psychiatrists in the United States. Most of these worked either in the state mental hospitals or in private practice, and in both settings treatment was conceptualized primarily on the lines of talking to the patients, gaining an understanding of their problems, and encouraging them in positive directions. ...
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Grand Rounds At APC Internist author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/03/16/grand-rounds-at-apc-internist/ dsq_thread_id: 523799940 categories: Carnivals and Fesitvals Ryan DuBosar at the APC Internist has hosted a great grand rounds this week, with the best that the medical blogosphere has to offer. He followed a newspaper format, and there’s even a funnies section. Head over and check it out.
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors in the Mental Health Field author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/03/19/psychologists-social-workers-and-counselors-in-the-mental-health-field/ dsq_thread_id: 516429319 categories: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders Although psychiatrists are the primary and most influential players in the mental health business, they are not the only professionals involved. Most agencies also employ psychologists, social workers, and counselors, and it is important to recognize how the developments of recent decades have impacted their roles also. ...
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: How Can They Just Invent Illnesses? author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/03/25/how-can-they-just-invent-illnesses/ dsq_thread_id: 515193972 fsb_social_facebook: 3 categories: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders tags: DSM parenting trichotillomania The notion of a professional group such as the APA sitting in their councils and committees inventing illnesses for themselves to treat seems so preposterous that a measure of disbelief on the part of the reader is understandable. In its historical context, however, the development is not so surprising. The original 1952 DSM was very simple and unpretentious, and whilst part of the APA’s motivation in drafting the document was undoubtedly to draw some credibility and respectability to their profession, there is at the same time nothing to suggest any great drive at that time towards aggrandizement or service expansion. However, having agreed in 1952 that neurosis was a form of mental disorder, it was inevitable that subsequent revisions of the manual would attempt to define this feature further and look for subdivisions of the general category. This, of course, is exactly what has happened, and the current version of DSM lists literally dozens of disorders of this sort, although the general term neurosis is no longer used. (For an interesting discussion of this matter, see Karen Franklin’s post at In The News.) ...
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Grand Rounds at Codeblog author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/03/26/grand-rounds-at-codeblog/ dsq_thread_id: 533328313 categories: Carnivals and Fesitvals Grand Rounds is up at codeblog. Plenty of good reading, including an interesting take on fund raising by Duncan Cross at Don’t Walk.
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/03/31/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder/ dsq_thread_id: 512063008 fsb_social_facebook: 7 fsb_social_pinterest: 1 categories: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders tags: ADHD Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is defined as “a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperimpulsivity that is more frequent and severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development.” There is a requirement that the problem existed before age seven and that some of the problems are present in at least two settings. There also must be clear evidence that the inappropriate activity interferes with the individual’s social, academic, or occupational functioning. With regards to the actual diagnostic procedure, the APA lists eighteen behavioral indicators, nine under the heading “inattention,” six under “hyperactivity,” and three under “impulsivity.” For the diagnosis to be considered positive, the child must exhibit at least six problems from either the inattention list or the hyperimpulsivity lists. **** ...
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/04/17/conduct-disorder-and-oppositional-defiant-disorder/ dsq_thread_id: 515871912 categories: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders tags: ADHD DSM parenting **CONDUCT DISORDER ** The essential feature of Conduct Disorder, according to the APA, is a “repetitive and persistent pattern” of rule breaking or activity which violates other people’s basic rights. The manual identifies four broad categories of behavior under this heading: aggression; destruction of property; theft or deceitfulness; and serious violation of rules. ...
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Anxiety Disorders author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/05/07/anxiety-disorders/ dsq_thread_id: 512047775 fsb_social_pinterest: 1 categories: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders tags: anxiety Fear is the normal human response to imminent danger. It is an adaptive response, in that it is helpful to survival, and it occurs in almost all animal species. When our cave-dwelling ancestors were attacked by mountain lions, they probably experienced acute fear. This fear gave them an extra burst of energy to flee the danger, or, if flight were impossible, to turn and fight. ...
date: 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z title: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder author: Phil Hickey type: post url: /2009/06/23/posttraumatic-stress-disorder/ dsq_thread_id: 522110452 categories: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders tags: bipolar depression posttraumatic stress disorder This post was edited and updated on July 7, 2013 in the light of comments from readers. I am grateful for their input. ***** One of the anxiety disorders listed in DSM-IV is posttraumatic stress disorder. The criteria for this condition are listed below: ...