Review this week’s Learning Resources, considering the many interacting factors that contribute to the development of psychopathology. Consider how theoretical perspective on psychopathology impacts the work of the PMHNP.

Discussion Topic: Factors That Influence the Development of Psychopathology

In many realms of medicine, objective diagnoses can be made: A clavicula is broken.  An infection is present. TSH levels meet the diagnostic criteria for hypothyroidism. Psychiatry, on the other hand, deals with psychological phenomena and behaviors. Can these, too, be “defined objectively and by scientific criteria (Gergen, 1985), or are they social constructions?” (Sadock et al., 2015).