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Are you Abnormal?

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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. 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 comparison to a population. A judgment of mentally abnormal may be based on behavior, or may follow some legal or political 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 symptoms that may be 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, identity conflict, racism, nicotine addiction and chronic stupidity. The symptoms and prognosis of some normal behavior can be as bad, 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, in some cultures mental disorders are considered normal and psychotherapy may be perceived as both expensive and futile.

Many people attempt to control their emotions with nicotine or alcohol, or with other drugs. Short-term solutions may have unpleasant long-term consequences. Drugs can rarely solve relationship problems.

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

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Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 1996 -2009 All rights reserved.

Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 1996-2009 All rights reserved. Soulwork Systemic Solutions were primarily developed by Martyn Carruthers. We train people to resolve emotional blocks and improve relationships. This information is for your general knowledge only. Please consult a physician about medical conditions and before changing any medical treatment. Link to our pages, but get Martyn's written permission to post or publish his work.