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Abnormality

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Can you please help me answer the following question?
How do psychologists define abnormality?
What are the benefits and risks of labeling people?
Consider the recent DSM updates and include.

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Solution Summary

This solutions discusses the meaning of abnormality, the risk and the benefits of labeling a person with a mental health disability, and discusses the recent DSM V updates.

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Abnormality can be defined in a number of ways, some of which include: having unusual behavior that is different from what is considered the norm; unable to function adequately; deviation from ideal mental health; behavior that does not conform to social expectations; the presence of pronounced psychological suffering or distress; or statistical rarity. The most commonly used criteria for distinguishing between normal and abnormal behaviors are statistical rarity, interference with normal functioning, personal distress, and deviance from social norms (1).

Diagnosis can help to advance the knowledge and understanding about the causes of mental disorders and assist in making treatment decisions, ...

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  • MA Education (Family and Community Services), Ashford University
  • B.A., Ashford University
  • A.S., Oklahoma State University
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