4 D

Question 1

Strength Standardised

Answer 1

There are standardised tests to assess symptoms of many disorders and these should be used where possible rather than making a personal judgement about the patients’ symptoms

Question 2

Strength Application

Answer 2

The 4D’s have a practical application as they are useful for professionals when considering when a patient’s symptoms or issues become a clinical diagnosis.

Question 3

Strength Davis 2009

Answer 3

Davis showed how the 4D’s can be used with the DSM IV, and adds a 5th D - Duration which is the length of time a symptom has lasted.

Question 4

Weakness Subjectivity

Answer 4

There is potential for subjectivity in the interpretations of the individual patients’ experience - the clinician must take into account how the person is coping with the behaviour being discussed because what is considered dysfunctional by one person will be seen differently by another.

Question 5

Weakness Reliability

Answer 5

There are issues of reliability as the decision of whether the behaviour requires further diagnosis relies on what is discussed between the patient and clinician - to be reliable the clinician should ensure they explore all 4 D’s with every patient to ensure everyone is measured in a standardised way.

Question 6

Weakness Depression

Answer 6

An issue with deviance is that some problematic behaviours are not actually rare, eg depression occurs in 20% of the population.