#Life is strange 2 ao3 manual#

Disorders, classifications and symptoms that are recognised by Western psychiatry become 'official' mental disorders and attract research which develops treatments 'unofficial' mental disorders are considered to be folk illnesses and are not taken seriously.This might be because Western healthcare is being introduced to non-Western countries (Asia, Africa, South America) or because ethnic minorities in Western countries need mental healthcare. Increasingly, psychiatrists have to diagnose mental disorders in patients from non-Western backgrounds.

#Life is strange 2 ao3 manual#

The DSM is an American diagnositic manual and its influence is huge. Psychology is a very Western discipline and psychiatry (the medical study of mental disorders) is very Western in outlook, based on the experiences of doctors and patients in Europe and North America. In fact, there might be some social groups where not taking drugs is dysfunctional behaviour.

For example, taking drugs might help people with stressful jobs or help artists unlock their creativity. For example, even if a person's sexuality is unusual or shocking to other people, if they can still lead a healthy life then they're not abnormal.Ī problem with this is that abnormal behavior may actually be helpful for the individual. Violate moral standards (similar to deviance)ĭysfunction gets across the idea of a behaviour getting in the way of living a healthy life (which the statistical definition of deviance ignores) but it's a bit more objective than appealing to social norms.Vividness & unconventionality (you stand out see deviance above).Maladaptiveness (you are a risk to yourself and others see danger below).Suffering (the same as distress, below).Cause discomfort to observers (you upset, frighten or annoy everyone with your behaviour).Irrationality/incomprehensibility (no one understands you, you don't even understand yourself).

Unpredictably & loss of control (no one knows what you'll do next, not even you).

Rosenhan & Seligman (1989) suggest the characteristics that define failure to function adequately: Under this definition, a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life - looking after yourself, holding down a job, maintaining relationships with friends and family, making yourself understood etc.

This is when the abnormal behaviour is significantly interfering with everyday tasks and living your life. (2011), every year 165 million Europeans - 38.2% of Europe's population - suffer some form of mental illness, with the top 3 being anxiety, insomnia and depression. Moreover, some mental disorders are actually quite common and getting more frequent. Other things are quite common but we still disapprove of them. Some things are very rare, but quite harmless and even rather precious. The problem is, it ignores how we feel about abnormality. This has the great advantage of defining abnormality (and therefore deviance) in objective, mathematical terms. Truly abnormal people are in the 2.1% at the top or bottom of the scale: geniuses or dimwits, billionaires or beggars, giants or dwarfs, party animals or super-nerds.

'Odd' people are further from the mean - 2SD means in the 13.6% on either side of the normal people, so unusually clever or stupid, rich or poor, big or small, outgoing or shy. Normal people are within 1SD of the mean, falling within the 34.1% on either side in terms of their IQ, income, height, weight, age, level of extraversion, etc. This uses the idea of statistical deviation (SD).