Determining An Abnormal Behavior

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Psych Exam 3 The most recent chapter we read, chapter 15, was the one I was waiting to read all semester long. I find psychological disorders incredibly interesting and think that everybody should educate themselves about them on a basic level to end the stigmas attached to these types of disorders. I learned something new in every single section of chapter 15. Section one taught me about the six areas of identifying abnormal behaviors, that one in four adults in America are diagnosed with a psychological disorder every year, and about the Multiaxial DSM System. Determining an abnormal behavior is based on unusualness, social deviance, emotional distress, maladaptive behaviors, dangerousness, and faulty perceptions or interpretations of reality. …show more content…
Discussing adults aged 65+, it discussed the growing average life expectancy, challenges that seniors face, and dying. The life expectancy is becoming longer and longer due to medical advances, but the effects of aging are inevitable. A decline in sensory and motor abilities, bone density, muscle mass, skin elasticity, senses become less acute. In short, as our bodies age they decay and lose abilities and properties they once had. Some of the challenges senior citizens face are the risk of Alzheimer (a disease that causes the death of brain tissue), losing their sense of meaning, sexual/arousal issues, and depression, just to name a few. By continuing to be optimistic, challenging themselves, and optimizing time/resources, aging can be easier and more enjoyable. At some point or another, the body will stop aging due to death. There are 5 stages of death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. To go through the 5 stages of death, the person has to be aware that they are dying of course, though following a death family members and loved ones may go through a mourning process with similar stages. While death is not something anybody likes to think about, it will happen to us all eventually and prior to that we will witness this natural process with our own loved ones. Since it is a topic we so rarely talk about, but all go through, it was interesting to read and learn

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