4Ds of Diagnosis Flashcards
What is deviance?
Based around the idea of social norms (agreed ways of acting/normal behaviours within a society)
Those who break them are abnormal in society e.g. hearing voices
What are social norms affected by?
Culture: different cultures have different norms
Context: e.g. clothes you wear in a certain situation
Age: certain behaviours expected by different age groups
Gender: certain behaviours expected in males and females
Historical context: behaviours that used to be considered abnormal but are not anymore e.g. homosexuality
What is dysfunction?
Affects working life e.g. not being able to go to work everyday
Inability to function normally, live life effectively etc is abnormal e.g. not going out with friends
What type of behaviours are seen in dysfunction?
Suffering
Maladaptiveness
Vividness/Unconventional behaviour
Unpredictability & loss of control
Irrationality & Incomprehensibility
Observer discomfort
What is distress?
A behaviour is considered abnormal because it causes upset to the individual
e.g. being unhappy with the symptoms (of OCD, phobias, depression, schizophrenia) that they experience
Why can distress be thought of as a continuum?
Everyone can feel distress at times but persistent and serious distress is a concern and is considered abnormal
What type of experience does distress deal with?
Subjective - each individual feels their distress uniquely
What is danger?
People who are a danger to themselves or others because of faulty thinking and behaviour
e.g. self harm, suicide
Why is danger a continuum?
Varying degrees of danger to themselves or others
Why is deviance holistic as a definition?
Takes into account many factors which makes something a social norm
Why is depending on a psychiatrist’s perception of social norms a weakness of deviance?
Some behaviours will be considered deviant by some doctors but not others e.g. talking to yourself
Why can deviance be considered less credible?
Some behaviours may be considered deviant but are not a symptom of mental disorder
How does dysfunction consider the life quality of a patient?
Talks about dysfunction in their lives (damaging life quality) so looks at wellbeing
Why might dysfunction be subjective?
Some behaviours considered dysfunctional by some doctors but not by others e.g. gambling, drinking
How does distress consider the life quality of the patient?
Talks about distress in their lives (damages life quality) so considers wellbeing of the patient
