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Are you Abnormal?
© Martyn Carruthers

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Dissolving these blocks and issues can impact nearly all parts of life.

Are you Abnormal?

Abnormal means statistically rare. If you have unusual skills, physical features or a high IQ - compared to a certain population - you are abnormal. If you are sane in a lunatic asylum - you are abnormal.

Unfortunately. modern society tends to see abnormal people as deviant (Harpending & Cochran 2002).

• Social - your society has many unwritten 'norms’ or guidelines or cultural expectations for acceptable behavior. If you reject social norms - you are abnormal.
• Psychological - normal behavior includes accepting stress and discomfort. If you speak about your distress or discomfort when most do not - you are abnormal.
• Domestic -  normal behavior includes your ability to cope with your everyday life. If you cannot cope with the everyday details of your life - you are abnormal.
• Medical - normal behavior is a lack of disease symptoms. If you have an unusual physical disorder - or if you heal very quickly - you are abnormal.

Mental abnormality cannot be diagnosed by blood analysis, imaging technique or other laboratory tests. Mental abnormality is always an opinion by an observer; a statistical comparison to a population. A judgment of mentally abnormal may be based on behavior, or it may follow some legal, political or other agenda.

A definition of abnormality depends on both the individual and the community to which the individual is compared. Each definition applies to a limited range of abnormal behavior. In some families and communities, it may be abnormal to have financial success or happy relationships.

Depression . Anxiety . Schizophrenia . Bipolar Disorder

Diagnosis of Abnormal Behavior

Most mental health professionals assess the normality or abnormality of individuals during interviews. A person is asked broad questions such as: “Have you ever felt depressed about life?”; “Have you ever experienced a major change in your appetite?” or “Were you ever easily distracted?”

Such questions can be answered positively by almost everybody. Unless there is something to gain by honesty, however, many normal people will lie, to avoid being judged as abnormal.

Eventually, a clinician will decide that he or she has enough information to determine whether a person is abnormal or suffering from a mental illness and, if so, to make a diagnosis.

Some people are reluctant to talk about their fantasies, sex life, or use of drugs. Some people may suffer from more than one set of symptoms. Few symptoms are specific to mental illnesses. For example, overwork, infections, family stress and lack of sleep can produce symptoms similar to those called psychosis.

Personality Disorders . Developmental Disorders . Attachment Disorders

Treatment of Abnormal Behavior

Normal mental health diseases are unhealthy behaviors that are shared by the majority of a community. Common examples include ethnocentricity, racism, immaturity and chronic stupidity. The symptoms and prognosis of some normal behavior can be as bad as, or worse than, many abnormal mental health disorders.

Mental health problems refer to identifiable sets of symptoms that interfere with normal day-to-day life. Mental health issues may be existential (e.g. non-stop or all-of-life), contextual (e.g. specific situations with well-defined triggers) or systemic (only apparent within certain relationships).

Treatment depends on the perceived type and severity of the disorder. Schizophrenia is primarily treated with drugs, while phobias are generally treated with psychotherapy. For severe symptoms such as depression, an effective treatment may be a combination of drugs and psychotherapy.

Less than half of people with mental disorders seek professional help. Not only does mental abnormality often carry a social stigma, but in some communities and cultures mental disorders are considered normal and psychotherapy may be perceived as both expensive and futile.

Coaching Solutions

Do you really want to be normal? If so - which normal do you want? Who are your role models?

Many people who want to be normal feel emotions that they do not understand or do things they would prefer to avoid. Some have been diagnosed with a scary label. We find that most people with such emotional and behavioral issues are merely acting out the consequences of relationship disappointments or emotional trauma.

Many people attempt to control their disappointments or emotions with distractions, with nicotine or alcohol, or with other drugs. Yet these short-term solutions may have lasting unpleasant consequences. While distractions and drugs may help manage difficult emotions, drugs are not likely to solve relationship issues.

Consult a physician about any opinions or recommendations about medical conditions.

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Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 1996 -2010 All rights reserved.

Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 1996-2010 All rights reserved. Soulwork Systemic Coaching was primarily developed by Martyn Carruthers. We coach and train people to define and achieve goals, to resolve emotional blocks and to improve relationships. This information is for your general knowledge only. Please consult a physician about medical conditions and before changing any medical treatment. You must get Martyn's written permission to post or publish his work.