Abnormal Psychology in Context: Voices and Perspectives

This engaging collection of more than 40 first-person accounts and narratives illustrates key issues associated with psychological disorders through the experiences of affected individuals, their families, and their therapists. Students gain a broader understanding of the effects of psychological disorders on social relationships.

Table of Contents:
1. Anxiety Disorders I Am Not Afraid Barbara Grizzutti Harrison Psychological Concept: panic disorder A noted writer suffering from panic disorder tells of the many fears that limit her daily activities. A Fear of Snakes Raeann Dumont Psychological Concept: specific phobia A man develops a fear of snakes and is driven to ensure that none are near him. The Accident That Didn't Happen Judith L. Rapoport Psychological Concept: obsessive-compulsive disorder Suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, Dr. S. tells of the anxiety and embarrassment that come from often doubting his actions and having to constantly recheck them. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Vietnam Veterans Jonathan Shay Psychological Concept: posttraumatic stress disorder A veteran tells of the unrelenting nightmares, anger, isolation, and mistrust he continues to suffer since returning from combat in the Vietnam War. 2. Dissociative Disorders The Divided Woman Sidney Katz Psychological Concept: dissociative amnesia Returning from a trip that she kept secret from her parents, a second-year pharmacy student suddenly forgets her entire life and begins psychotherapy, hypnosis, and drug treatment to recover from dissociative amnesia. The Myth of Repressed Memory Elizabeth Loftus and Katherine Ketcham Psychological Concept: repressed memory A psychologist and expert in memory presents the views of those who support evidence obtained from repressed memory and of those who question such evidence. I Have Multiple Personality Disorder Quiet Storm Psychological Concept: dissociative identity disorder Speaking of herself in first-person plural, a woman who was a victim of child abuse reflects on the anguish of dissociative identity disorder. 3. Somatoform Disorders and Factitious Disorders Phantom Illness Carla Cantor Psychological Concept: hypochondriasis Convinced that she has lupus, a life-threatening autoimmune disease, a young wife and mother tells how hypochondriasis puts her life on hold. The Broken Mirror Katharine A. Phillips Psychological Concept: body dysmorphic disorder An attractive, young woman obsessively worries that her normal, attractive skin is not normal, so much so that she avoids social contact and seeks surgery for the imagined defect. Patient or Pretender Marc Feldman and Charles V. Ford Psychological Concept: factitious disorder Stunned by the breakup of her engagement, a young woman is so bereft that to get attention she convinces others that she has cancer. 4. Mood Disorders Suffering From Depression Elizabeth Wurtzel Psychological Concept: depression A writer describes the tormenting effects of depression, the way in which the illness takes over her life, and the hope that antidepressants such as Prozac offer. An Unquiet Mind Kay Redfield Jamison Psychological Concept: bipolar disorder A clinical psychologist describes her experiences with bipolar disorder, an illness over which she has gained control and about which she is now a recognized expert. 5. Suicide A Time to Listen: Preventing Youth Suicide Patricia Hermes Psychological Concept: preventing youth suicide Concerned about the frequency of suicides among young people, a woman tells how listening and caring may prevent troubled youth from committing suicide. Sunshower Karen Kenyon Psychological Concept: recovering from the suicide of a loved one A courageous woman tells how she survived her husband's unexpected suicide when he was in his thirties and life was full of promise. Darkness Visible William Styron Psychological Concept: deciding not to commit suicide A Pulitzer prize-winning author was so overcome with depression that suicide seemed the only solution; in one startling moment, however, he had an experience that compelled him to change his mind. 6. Psychological Factors and Medical Conditions Is It Worth Dying For? Robert S. Eliot and Dennis L. Breo Psychological Concepts: heart attack, stress, type A behavior After suffering a heart attack, a physician realizes that his type A behavior and the stress he put himself under contributed to his illness. In Bed Joan Didion Psychological Concept: migraine headaches A noted writer describes the tensions in her life that precipitate her migraine headaches. Days of Grace Arthur Ashe and Arnold Rampersad Psychological Concepts: AIDS, coping, social support A tennis champion points to the social support and coping strategies that sustained him when he discovered he had received a blood transfusion tainted with the AIDS virus. Thorns into Feathers: Coping with Chronic Illness Floyd Skloot Psychological Concepts: chronic fatigue syndrome, stress, coping A man explains how a change in lifestyle helps him adapt to chronic fatigue syndrome. 7. Schizophrenia Welcome Silence: My Triumph Over Schizophrenia Carol S. North Psychological Concept: schizophrenia A woman who made a remarkable recovery from schizophrenia with therapy and medication describes the voices she heard and the imaginary events that were part of her illness. Tell Me I'm Here Anne Deveson Psychological Concept: schizophrenia and the family A South Australian woman describes the torment brought to her and her family as a result of her son's schizophrenia. I Feel Cheated by Having This Illness Allan Davis Psychological Concept: schizophrenia An African-American man tells of his battle with schizophrenia and of the treatment that is helping him. 8. Personality Disorders and Impulse Control Disorders The Duke of Deception Geoffrey Wolff Psychological Concept: antisocial personality disorder A well-known writer painfully discovers that his father's behavior was frequently deceitful, impulsive, irresponsible, or criminal. Girl, Interrupted Susanna Kaysen Psychological Concept: borderline personality disorder A young woman describes how she was hospitalized for self-destructive behavior and diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Losing Your Shirt Mary Heineman Psychological Concept: compulsive gambling Two young men detail their addiction to pathological gambling, and describe the ways it destroyed trust and relationships. 9. Substance-Related Disorders My Descent into Alcoholism Caroline Knapp Psychological Concept: alcohol dependence An editor and columnist tells of the power alcohol had over her, her refusal to recognize her addiction, and the damage it brought to her health. Getting Better: Inside Alcoholics Anonymous Nan Robertson Psychological Concept: recovery from alcohol dependence A veteran reporter discusses how Alcoholics Anonymous and the medication Antabuse helped her overcome alcohol addiction. Dying to Be Bigger D. H. Psychological Concept: steroid abuse A high school student, determined to be a football star, decides to take steroids and suffers severe physical and psychological changes. Cocaine: Helen's Story John C. Flynn Psychological Concept: cocaine dependence A woman who has a seizure brought on by using cocaine describes how the drug has affected her life. 10. Sexual Dysfunctions and Disorders A Fear of Impotency Lloyd Van Brunt Psychological Concept: sexual dysfunction caused by a medical condition Diagnosed with a prostate condition, a man confronts his fears as he discovers that the medication he takes makes him temporarily impotent. Secret Life Michael Ryan Psychological Concept: pedophilia A man recounts the sexual abuse he experienced as a child from a former neighbor. Surviving a Sexual Attack Migael Scherer Psychological Concept: sexual assault A woman recalls the terror of being sexually assaulted in a laundromat and of her difficult recovery afterward. 11. Cognitive Disorders A Glass Full of Tears June Lund Shiplett Psychological Concept: dementia A woman determined to care for her husband who has vascular dementia details his deterioration, abusiveness, and the challenges that confront her. Show Me the Way to Go Home Larry Rose Psychological Concept: Alzheimer's disease An electrical engineer diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease records the early stages and subsequent effects of the disease. I Refused to Be Sick...and It Almost Killed Me Katherine H. Lipsitz Psychological Concepts: epilepsy, grand mal seizure A college student writes about the onset of epilepsy, the spasms and seizures she suffered, and her attempts to deny that she had the illness. Parkinson's: A Patient's View Sidney Dorros Psychological Concept: Parkinson's disease A man in the prime of life describes how he learned to accommodate Parkinson's disease. 12. Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence, Mental Retardation, and Eating Disorders My Friend David Jean Edwards and David Dawson Psychological Concepts: Down syndrome, mental retardation A man who has Down syndrome describes his childhood, his relationships, and the skills he hopes will allow him to take care of himself when his mother dies. Emergence Labeled Autistic Temple Grandin and Margaret M. Scariano Psychological Concept: autism A college professor presents a remarkable account of her childhood experiences with autism and offers many insights into this puzzling illness. Coping with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Ann Colin Psychological Concept: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder Puzzled by the erratic behavior of her four-year-old son, a mother learns he has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and seeks ways to help him. Your Dieting Daughter Carolyn Costin Psychological Concept: anorexia nervosa A woman who has recovered from anorexia nervosa describes her obsession with being thin and writes of the physical and emotional toll of the disorder. 13. Individual and Group Therapy Feeling Good David D. Burns Psychological Concept: applying cognitive therapy to work-related stress A cognitive therapist shows how he works with two patients and shares a technique that he finds helpful for working with problems. Welcome to My Country Lauren Slater Psychological Concept: group therapy with persons with schizophrenia Working in an institution with persons diagnosed with schizophrenia, a psychologist learns that she is able to help her patients when she acknowledges their perceptions of reality. Therapy with an American-Indian Girl: A Native AmericanPerspective Royal Alsup Psychological Concept: culture and psychotherapy A psychologist demonstrates the therapeutic value of using American-Indian ancestral mythology and cultural practices with a Native American teenage girl. Creating an Ethical Position in Family Therapy Ivan B. Inger and Jeri Inger Psychological Concepts: family therapy, collaboration by cotherapists A family therapy team interviews a family whose gifted son has been labelled severely emotionally disturbed by school officials; the therapists, however, meet a very different boy. Credits Name Index Subject Index