Abnormal psychology and therapy.
By
Angelic Wilson-Ingram
Britny Holt’s
Chastity Farrar’s
Charles Gilliams
Psychology/300 General psychology
April 9, 2015
Jennifer Murphy, Facilitator
University of phoenix
Abstract:
In this paper, we identify the types of Abnormal psychologies and therapy.
Abnormal psychology is the study of disorders that effect people mentally and physically causing obsessive and disruption patterns and habits to a persons well being and life style. The difference between normal psychology and abnormal psychology is that abnormal psychology deals with the treatment and understanding of extreme mental dysfunctions in a person’s psychosis while normal psychology deals with the normal understanding and treatment of normal human behaviors. (Cherry 2012) One example of abnormal psychology is eating disorder and Eating disorders are classified as a mental disorder in which a person becomes obsessive about their weight causing the to take a particularly negative healthy eating habit or pattern. The person with the eating disorder depending on what there eating disorder is may eat either eat to much or not enough and even in extreme cases begin to starve them self in order to be at a certain weight or size.
The eating disorders in the mental health field are listed as anorexia nervosa bulimia nervosa and rumination disorder (About.com health topics A-z) In addition, all can lead to a very disruptive life and in some cases even fatalities. Anorexia is a mental eating disorder in which a person might starve himself or herself in order to maintain a certain weight in order to feel attractive or because mentally they feel and believe that, they are overweight. Anorexia nervosa can increase the risk for serious health problems such as:
Hormonal changes, including reproductive, thyroid, stress, and growth hormones
Heart problems such as abnormal heart rhythm
Electrolyte imbalance
Fertility problems
Bone density loss
Anemia
Neurological problems (About.com health topics A-z)
When it comes to Bulimia a person will eat excessively then make themselves regurgitate the food Many medical problems are directly associated with bulimic behavior, including:
Tooth erosion, cavities, and gum problems
Water retention, swelling, and abdominal bloating
Acute stomach distress
Low potassium levels
Irregular menstrual periods
Swallowing problems and esophagus damage. (About.com health topics A-z)
The last eating mental disorder when it comes to eating disorders is rumination and that is the process in which a person swallows their food the regurgitates it then swallows it again.
Health problems of rumination include malnutrition, lowered resistance to disease, and failure to thrive. (About.com health topics A-z)
The Treatments for eating disorders are
Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is treated with a combination of psychotherapy and medication.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, which is given along with nutritional counseling, is the preferred psychotherapeutic approach.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac), are the first choice for drug therapy. (About.com health topics A-z)
Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa
Unlike bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa does not respond as well to drug treatment, although SSRIs are sometimes used as an adjunct to psychotherapy.
Nutritional rehabilitation therapy, which may include the entire family, is an important part of the treatment process.
Patients who are severely underweight and who have other physical risks may need to be hospitalized while weight is restored.
Treatment:
Rumination disorder is treated with behavioral techniques, such as mild aversive training. This involves associating bad consequences with rumination and good consequences with more appropriate behavior.
Other techniques include improvement in the child's psychosocial environment (if there is abuse or neglect) and psychotherapy for the parents.
