Not So Abnormal Psychology: A Pragmatic View of Mental Illness (1st Edition)

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Book Description

Tens of thousands of students from all over the United States sign up for abnormal psychology classes every single year. The majority of these students are taught that mental illnesses are the result of malfunctions in the brain that are determined genetically, that the DSM-5 published by the American Psychiatric Association is the primary method for diagnosis and assessment, and that psychotropic medications and cognitive-behavioral interventions are the only tools that are scientifically appropriate for the management of symptoms.

A fresh perspective is provided for students by author Ronald B. Miller in this heartfelt and deeply personal piece of writing. Miller leads the reader through a historical tour of alternative conceptualizations and treatments for psychological problems, beginning with his own professional and personal search for meaning as a young scholar. He examines the theoretical foundations, methods of diagnosis and assessment, and treatments that have long produced successful outcomes, but have too often been denigrated or ignored by proponents of the dominant approaches to mental health care. This examination covers a comprehensive range of mental illnesses, including developmental disorders, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and schizophrenia. Among the illnesses he examines are these: developmental disorders, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and schizophrenia.

This text provides a pragmatic and compassionate approach that has the potential to revolutionize readers' understanding of abnormal psychology. It performs a much-needed critical examination of reigning orthodoxies, such as our tendency to pathologize psychological difficulties and to minimize or ignore subjective experiences of human suffering.