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Abnormal Psychology

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Abnormal Psychology
Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Within psychology, there are many facets. Two of these are normal and abnormal psychology. Normal psychology is the study of normal human behaviors and processes, whereas abnormal psychology, or psychopathology, is the study of atypical behaviors and thought processes including behaviors and thoughts outside what is considered the societal norm. These include mood, anxiety, psychotic, cognitive, and personality disorders as well as a host of other mental illnesses and disorders. In fact, according to the “Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” there are more than 300 diagnosed mental disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Studies show that in America alone that approximately 26% of adults 18 older than 18, or about one out of every four adults every year suffers from a mental disorder (National Institute on Mental Health, 2013). Because mental disorders can vary so greatly, treatment of mental disorders must also very. In this paper, we will compare and contrast normal and abnormal psychology, discuss two different types of mental illnesses and disorders and treatments used for treating mental disorders.
Normal and Abnormal Psychology Abnormal and normal psychologies are complex sciences dealing with understanding people’s minds today. There is often a fine line when discussing what is normal as opposed to what is abnormal. Normal psychology involves the understanding of the mind and how it works. Abnormal psychology is dealing with abnormal behaviors, such as bipolar disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. These are not typical behaviors that a normal person experiences. Understanding where the line is drawn on what is abnormal and what is normal is often hard to distinguish. One who seeks help will go through various types of examinations and tests to see where they lie on the scale of the type of disorder discovered. There are certain behavioral aspects as well as medical and



References: American Psychology Association. (2013). APA.org. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/index.aspx Cherry, K. (2013). Psychology. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/ Mental Health Foundation. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help- information/mental-health-a-z/D/depression/ National alliance on mental illness (NAMI). (2013). Retrieved from http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Term=/TaggedPage/TaggedPa geDisp Sisters of resistance. (2013). Retrieved from http://sistersofresistance.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/happy-international-womens-day/

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