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Are you Abnormal?
© Martyn Carruthers

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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, 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 techniques 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, personal or theological 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 is abnormal to enjoy financial success or happy partnership.

Depression . Anxiety . Schizophrenia . Bipolar Disorder

Diagnosis of Abnormal Behavior

Most mental health professionals assess the normality or abnormality of individuals during interviews. People may be 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. However, unless there is something to gain by honesty, normal people often 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 that cannot be confirmed by any laboratory ... an assessment that may haunt a person for years.

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, drug abuse and lack of sleep can produce symptoms very 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, emotional incest and chronic stupidity. The consequences and prognosis of some normal behaviors can be as bad as, or worse than, those of 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).

Treatments depend on the perceived type and severity of the disorder. Schizophrenia is primarily treated with drugs, while phobias are generally treated with psychotherapy. For symptoms such as depression, an accepted 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 many short-term solutions have long-term unpleasant consequences. While many people use distractions and drugs to help manage difficult emotions, distractions and drugs are not likely to solve the underlying relationship issues.
 

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

We help motivated adults resolve emotional blocks and relationship issues.
 

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Plagiarism is theft. Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 1996-2010 All rights reserved.

Plagiarism is theft. Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 1996-2010 All rights reserved. Soulwork Systemic Coaching was primarily developed by Martyn Carruthers. We help people define and achieve goals, resolve emotional blocks and improve relationships. This information is for general knowledge only. Consult a physician about medical conditions and before changing any medical treatment. Don't steal ... ask Martyn for permission to post or publish his work.