To view the psychopathology of other people can be alluring. It makes us feel better about ourselves in comparison. It may school us on the type of people to avoid. It can satisfy the disturbing need to view a bloody wreck. Perhaps it is sheer voyeurism that makes the Casey Anthony trial so fascinating.
Other trials have caught the public’s attention. Dreyfus, Scopes and even Simpson appeared less concerned with psychological details than the Anthony trial. The psychological status of the defendant at the moment of the crime seems increasingly important in recent history. Perhaps it is a mitigating factor that should be considered. On the other hand, establishing the psychological status of a person in the recent past is difficult, let alone the distant past.
Neglecting the past altogether, it is difficult to capture the current psychological status of an individual. The use of multiple tests and informants greatly increases accuracy and reliability. This is assuming the defendant and informants have no motivation to deceive. Consider a situation where the defendant and witnesses have strong motivation to lie about their history and past psychological status. Now paint an accurate picture of the defendant’s psychological status at a specific moment in their past. Finally, avoid any bias in the interpretation of the defendant’s behavior, secondary to the awareness of the report’s possible ramifications.
Establishing causal links between past behavior and psychological status is fraught with error. Factors unknown to anyone, including the guilty, may play a role. Merely because an action is improbable does not make it impossible, and psychological tests search for the probable. The evidence of forbidden behavior may remain deeply buried within the brain of the guilty. It may be buried on purpose, or as a consequence of trauma. Depression and substance abuse may distort recollection, even when well-intentioned. Unfortunately, psychological tests are not able to completely pierce the fog of deception, examiner bias, amnesia and random acts of criminality.
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The Anthony trial is certainly a compelling mystery. To watch it unfold before one’s eyes is to be quickly seduced. The public is invited to take a peek through the window of a family in free-fall. The tension is pleasant because we will not suffer any consequences. The public are free to be voyeurs that need not fear the police. We can slowly view the wreck in progress, without holding up the people in the rear.
Suicide, incest, murder and substance abuse have been mentioned as symptoms of this diseased family. The focus is not on the treatment of their malady. The focus is on the eradication or isolation of the pathological agent. The mission is less one of research and discovery, than one aimed at assigning blame. Punitive measures are employed rather than reinforcing the healthy bits that remain. The pathological agent will be destroyed or isolated, and the body of the family will be left to decay.
The Casey Anthony trial is a psychological phenomenon that invites a voyeuristic public to take a peek at this diseased family. The psychological factors that attract viewers may speak to a disease that infects the public at large. The degree to which diseased behavior in one person causes subsequent criminal behavior in another person is highly subjective. Making assumptions about this person’s psychological status at a specific moment in the past is nearly as subjective. Whether to watch the Casey Anthony trial is the most subjective choice of all.
Some words are not replaceable. There is no one word that can be used as a substitute. One such word is anhedonia. It is rarely used in casual conversation. It is even rarely used by psychologists. As the word was typed, the online dictionary underlined the word in red, indicating that it is not in their database.
The meaning is related to its Greek roots indicating a lack of happiness, yet this could be confused as sadness or a numb feeling. Used in a clinical context, the word means a near inability to derive pleasure from activities once found enjoyable. For example, a person who avidly collects stamps finds their books going unfilled, and a movie buff can’t recollect the last time they went to the cinema. If the person went on to other activities they found rewarding, then the dropping of old interests would not be considered anhedonic. The term is meant to describe a loss of enjoyment that has not found another outlet for expression. This symptom is highly indicative of a depressive disorder, and may be the least understood of the many depressive complaints.
Patients usually associate sadness with depression, and to a lesser extent, sleep and appetite disturbances. It is rare that depressive people have insight into how the disorder affects their daily activities. Typically close others observe the alteration of behavior, and the patient often voices non-depressive rationalizations for the change. The subjective experience of sadness is generally more figural than a change in behavior. Said another way, people are generally more aware of changes in feeling than behavior. This becomes important when someone suffers with a depressive disorder, and they lack a subjective sense of sadness. They may feel angry or numb, but the lack of subjective sadness prevents the person from identifying the problem as Major Depression.
It cheap viagra from india http://frankkrauseautomotive.com/testimonial/toyota-solara-convertible/ has been termed safe by the wellbeing criteria. This is what makes the blood flow or circulation in the body. vardenafil india to overcome erectile dysfunction. If you are unable to satisfy your physical needs, it will definitely levitra online australia create problems for you and what kind of results you’ll be able to enjoy. In addition it’s a Natural Aphrodisiac and a healthful alternative to cheap cialis online frankkrauseautomotive.com. It is not uncommon for a person to be labeled by their family and physician as depressed, and yet have no insight into what others see as obvious. It is common for the person to have an “ah-ha” moment when a microscope is placed on their behavior. For example, a middle-aged man complained that his family and doctors continually labeling him as depressed, yet he didn’t feel particularly sad-let alone suicidal. We discussed his daily activities and how they may have changed over the past year. Subsequently, the man identified a significant loss of interest in professional sports and cooking. He became aware of his loss of interest in activities that had given him the greatest enjoyment. Within six months of accepting treatment, the man was again enjoying sports and cooking. The symptom of anhedonia often serves as an excellent marker of clinical progress.
Anhedonia is a very important symptom of depression because it has little overlap with other psychological disorders. The depressive phase of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia are two areas of overlap. Since the anhedonia only occurs during the depressive phase of Bipolar Disorder, it is still valuable in ruling out other diagnoses. Anhedonia is not a prominent symptom of schizophrenia, and could easily be thought of as a reaction to the auditory and visual hallucinations. Not so much a direct reaction as a depressive reaction to the effect of the delusions and hallucinations on social relationships. It is likely that anhedonia has a much greater overlap with medical conditions, since many physical illnesses can impair a person to the point it is difficult or impossible to engage in “normal” activities.
Anhedonia is not just a nifty word to impress others at a cocktail party. It is a word that often correctly classifies people as depressed who are suffering without insight. It is a symptom that has little overlap with other psychological disorders, such that it is a significant help in making a correct diagnosis. A prospective patient needs to rule out medical conditions that lead to chronic fatigue and low motivation. If this person is deemed physically healthy, yet continues to suffer with a global loss of interest, a trip to the psychologist will help rule out a Mood Disorder.
Tags: anhedonia, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, disorder, ennui, major depression, mood disorder, schizophrenia
Bipolar (manic depression), Depression, Psychology | orlandopsychcom | 
May 27, 2011 10:54 am | 
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