A Problem of Classification Flashcards
Monism
- mind consistent with body
- –mental illness obeys rules of biology
- –similar to animals
- –should be curable
Dualism
- mind separate from body
- –mental illness is unique to humans
- –sickness of mind is not the same as sickness of body
Disease mindset
if you have a disease you should be able to get better with medicine/treatment
Psychological disorder mindset
nothing physiologically is wrong with you
Broad issues with classification
- psychology was used to categorize people in society
- –believed body fluids not balanced = mental illness
- –treatments either killed patients or didn’t improve their conditions (e.g. bloodletting)
- scientific method was meant to eliminate subjectivity
- –too many assumptions made
- –not consistent
- needed RELIABLE AND VALID classification criteria
- –reliable –> consistent across different cultures
- –valid –> observed behavior is statistically abnormal (don’t know what “normal” is physiologically)
Personality/humanistic (psychoanalysis) classification
- disorders based on deviation from state and traits
- temperament –> life-long (e.g. introversion)
Behaviorism classification
- behavior is a response to the environment
- abnormal behavior exists because its reinforced
Medical classification
abnormal behavior = illness
Why did the different classifications fail?
- attempts failed because they were unreliable
- –too subjective and different based on culture
- –disjunctive classification
Disjunctive classification
- classifications of different disorders overlap
- –e.g. symptoms from drugs and schizophrenia can look similar
DSM I
- few disorders
- –mostly divided into psychotic vs neurotic
DSM II
- 1968
- 185 disorders (inspired by thorazine)
- very little reliability or response to treatment due to overlap of classification
DSM III and IV
- 1980
- continuum
- –more or less sick
- multiaxial and exclusion criteria
- tries to remove any wording of psychological cause, just behaviors and medical causes (atheoretical)
DSM V
- 2008
- removed exclusion criteria and multiaxial approach
Why were the DSM/ICD developed?
- attempt at standard method of scientific communication
- –scientists can communicate with each other and understand each other
- –PROBLEM –> poor interrater reliability
- social construct
- –to allow treatment for those who pose a threat to themselves or others
- –PROBLEM –> normality (validity)