Theories of Psychological Health and Disorders

A Comparison and Contrast of the Theories of Psychological Health and Disorders



A Comparison and Contrast of the Theories of Psychological Health and Disorders

Introduction

Psychological disorders are estimated to affect 20 percent of the adult population in America in any given year. Although less well developed for children, epidemiological studies estimate an annual prevalence rate of 20 percent for this population also. With more than 40 million persons affected annually by mental illness in the United States, it is likely that very few individuals have not had contact with a person with a psychiatric disorder. Psychiatric disorders exist along a spectrum from the very mild, with little or no evidence of disability, to the very severe, with profound disruptions in all areas of functioning, leading to severe, disabling consequences.

Discussion

Based on functional impairment, it is estimated that 9 percent of the adult population has severe mental disorders. Prevalence rates in childhood are not predictive of adult prevalence rates (Schweitzer, 2000). Many children with psychiatric disorders will recover from their disorders. Many adults with psychiatric disorders have their initial onset as young adults without a prior pre-morbid psychiatric disorder in childhood. Although prevalence rates in adult and child populations approximate each other, the numbers are not in and of themselves predictive of how psychiatric disorders impair or disable over the life course of an individual within a population as the correlation between symptoms and disability, while positive, remains weak. Some individuals can function well with severe symptoms, and others are genuinely disabled with few symptoms (Schweitzer, 2000).

It is estimated that approximately 20 million adults in the United States have psychiatric impairment. Of this number, 4.5 million adults have persistent mental disorders that, by virtue of the severity of their symptoms, significantly disrupt or impair their ability to carry out activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs include maintenance of personal care and hygiene, maintenance of school or job tasks, maintenance of household duties and responsibilities, and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. When these functions are disrupted by a psychiatric disorder, an individual is said to have a psychiatric disability. By understanding and measuring disruptions in ADLs, the extent of the disability can be measured quantitatively and qualitatively (Aday, 1994).

It is well documented that individuals with psychiatric disabilities manifest limitations in everyday functioning. In interpersonal situations, social cues are misinterpreted, yielding inappropriate responses to social situations. Minor stressors can lead to catastrophic emotional responses. Individuals can experience poor concentration, poor memory, lack of initiative, lack of affective expression, and indifference to socially appropriate expectations (Aday, 1994). These symptoms place the individual with a mental illness at a disadvantage in a society where cognitive and interpersonal skills are highly valued. In developing and agricultural societies, the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that individuals can enjoy higher functioning in the presence of more severe psychiatric illness.

The World Health Organization's International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps has stated that psychiatric disability is a predictable consequence of having chronic severe mental ...