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We offer private sessions and interactive
workshops on systemic coaching, psychosomatic
symptoms, and relationship bonds. Do you want telephone coaching or
systemic coach training?
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.
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People who cannot differentiate between
real and unreal experiences, logical and illogical thoughts, or
appropriate and inappropriate behavior may be diagnosed as psychotic. This
label can devastate lives. Some people
suicide following a diagnosis of schizophrenia. |
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.
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All of us are mad. If
it weren't for the fact every one of us is abnormal, there
wouldn't be any point in giving each person a separate name.
Ugo Betti |
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.
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Here in California, if you don't get
psychotherapy, you may be accused of being in denial. San Francisco |
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.
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Psychosis is a name for exaggerated normality. |
Consult a physician
about any opinions or recommendations about medical conditions.
We welcome friendly
people who are emotionally stable. Do you want to coach people to gain
clarity, dissolve success and relationship issues, and understand what
makes sense in life? Do you want to help people build success and quality
relationships?
Do you want Telephone Coaching?
Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 1996 -2009
All rights reserved.
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