David N. Sattler (College of Charleston), Virginia Shabatay (Palomar College), and Geoffrey P. Kramer (Grand Valley State University) Houghton Mifflin Company 1998

Brief Contents

1    Anxiety Disorders
2    Dissociative Disorders
3    Somatoform Disorders and Factitious Disorders
4    Mood Disorders
5    Suicide
6    Psychological Factors and Medical Conditions
7    Schizophrenia
8    Personality Disorders and Impulse Control Disorders
9    Substance-Related Disorders
10  Sexual Dysfunctions and Disorders
11  Cognitive Disorders
12  Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence, Mental Retardation,
      and Eating Disorders
13  Individual and Group Therapy

FROM THE PREFACE

Abnormal Psychology in Context: Voices and Perspectives is a unique collection of first-person accounts and narratives written by individuals who live with a psychological disorder and by therapists, relatives, and others who have direct experience with someone suffering from a psychological disorder. These individuals describe in touching, informative, and poignant ways their experiences with the disorder and how it has affected their lives. The narratives illustrate psychological disorders and issues covered in most abnormal psychology textbooks. This book is appropriate for abnormal psychology courses, and undergraduate and graduate courses in counseling, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, and social work.

Our goals for the book are the following:

• To promote students' understanding and retention of the origins, symptoms, and treatment of psychological disorders by presenting first-person accounts written by individuals who have direct experience with a psychological disorder.
• To present individuals with a psychological disorder as persons to be respected and not simply as diagnostic examples.
• To broaden students' knowledge and understanding about the use of mental health services and the effects of psychological disorders on social relationships.
• To stimulate critical thinking about gender, multicultural, ethical, theoretical, and research issues.

The First-Person Approach to Teaching Abnormal Psychology

We believe that the issues in abnormal psychology are learned best when they are presented in conjunction with personal and interpersonal experiences. Many instructors who teach abnormal psychology became experts by working in applied settings, listening to clients describe--in ways that no textbook ever could--what it is like to have a disorder, and by trying to help clients overcome their symptoms and improve their lives. For these persons, clinical knowledge became vivid and understandable in large part because of the people they met. Symptoms became poignant and memorable, and questions about etiology and treatment became compelling. One of the challenges for instructors of abnormal psychology is to convey the richness of such personal experiences to students. This book can help instructors meet that challenge.

The authors whose narratives are included in this book have an intimate knowledge of psychological problems, and they represent a highly articulate and insightful group of people suffering from psychological disorders. Their stories provide insight and capture nuances of the disorder, and we gain new appreciation for their experiences and how the condition has affected their lives. With this information, we can empathize and develop a more complete understanding of psychological disorders. Many of these authors have been helped through months or years of treatment. Their discussion of treatments that worked or did not work for them can broaden our understanding of treatment approaches.

Of course, these authors face the same biases and limitations of self-knowledge that we all face. For example, they might advance more biological explanations and fewer psychological explanations for their disorder because biological explanations seem to invite less reproach. They might appear pessimistic because sufferers are usually acutely aware of their pain or the memory of it. Sometimes they may not understand fully the etiology of their problem or the reasons they received a particular type of treatment. Despite any limitations or biases, however, there is great value in first-person accounts.

Some authors preferred to change their name and/or the names of others in order to protect their privacy or the privacy of those whose stories they tell. All are courageous people who persevered in the face of confusion, pain, and anxiety. We are grateful to them for sharing their experiences.

Criteria for Selecting the Readings

We used several criteria for selecting the readings. First, the selections had to illustrate psychological disorders covered in most abnormal psychology textbooks. They had to provide clear descriptions of psychological symptoms and information about etiology or treatment. This information is important for understanding various theoretical perspectives and treatments, and for critical thinking. Second, because psychological disorders affect more than just the sufferer, we also sought narratives that convey something of the social and interpersonal consequences of having a disorder. Third, each narrative had to be provocative: it had to arouse us, hold our attention, and stir us with questions. Fourth, we favored selections that would broaden students' perspectives on gender, ethnic, and cultural influences related to psychopathology. Finally, the selections had to be long enough for readers to become absorbed in the writer's experiences but short enough for instructors to assign them as supplemental readings.

Chapter Organization

The chapters correspond to the categories of major psychological disorders presented in most abnormal psychology textbooks. Each chapter contains between two and four narratives, and each narrative covers a different disorder from the category or a different aspect of the disorder. An introduction precedes each chapter and selection. The introductions orient the reader, introduce the major issues encountered, and may provide brief biographical information about the author. Two types of pedagogical questions follow each chapter:

• Response and Analysis questions ask students: (a) to connect material in the readings with material presented in lecture or their primary textbook; and (b) to examine their reactions to the reading. Some questions may ask about etiology, symptomatology, differential diagnoses, treatment, or ethical issues. Other questions ask students about their reactions. Students have a wide range of reactions to the descriptions of psychological disorders. For example, sometimes their reactions are complex and informed. They may recognize that disorders can have multiple causes, that symptoms can be powerful and varied, and that effective treatment can have several obstacles. Other times, however, they may believe that certain behaviors are just "too strange," wonder why somebody doesn't "do something about it," or think that a person ought to "get a grip." These reactions vary from person to person and, even within the same person, from disorder to disorder. It is important that students recognize and think about their reactions to the various disorders. Doing so will help them better understand both the disorders and themselves.
• Research questions ask students to think about how research can advance our understanding of abnormal behavior. They present methodological issues appropriate for students who have not had a course in research methods. The questions ask students to try to solve problems or test alternative hypotheses. They cover basic methodological concepts, such as identifying and measuring variables, constructing simple research designs, controlling for extraneous variables, and applying ethical research principles. These questions highlight the importance of empirical research in understanding and treating psychological disorders.

Extending the Borders: A Final Note

In his remarkable book, An Anthropologist on Mars, Oliver Sacks reports that what he has found most effective in understanding both his patients and their illnesses is to get out of his office and into their lives, making "house calls at the far borders of human experience." In this way he comes to know them and their conditions from within, as persons, and not merely as patients who have been handed a diagnosis. It is our conviction that students, too, will better understand the issues in psychology whenever they extend the borders of the theoretical into the world of human experience. Such is the aim of this book.

BACK