Abnormal psychology Flashcards
What is diagnosis?
Indetifying an illness using a clinical interview
What is a symptom?
Sign of illness
What are classification systems, and what are the main 3 ones?
Diagnostic manuals:
- DSM
- ICD
- CCMD
What are etiologies
Causes:
- Biological
- Cognitive
- Sociocultural
How do diagnostic manuals work?
They contain standardized systems used to diagose. Contains lists of disorders and symptoms, but not causes. They get updated over time, and are not universal.
What are the 4 D’s of danger
- Danger, to oneself or others
- Devience, from what is appropriate/typical
- Distress, unpleasant feeling that impacts your functioning
- Disfunction, behaviour or thoughts that interfere with daily activities
What are the definitions of abnormality?
- Statistically unusual behaviours are abnormal
- Deviation from social norm
- Deviation from optimal health
- Meeting diagnostic criteria
How is abnormality defined by “statistically unusual behaviours are abnormal”
It states that unusual behaviors are abnormal. Beaviours are on a continuum and not either or.
Limitations:
Very rare behaviours, such as high IQ or always beeing in a good mood, should be coonisdered abnormal but they aren’t
There are very common things, such as depression or alcholism, that are considered abnormal
Strengths:
Objective
How is abnormality defined by “deviation from social norms”
Not following norms is abnormal.
Limitations:
Subjective
Norms change over time, ex homosexuality
Different norms in different cultures
How is abnormality defined by “deviation from optimal health”
Deviating from Johodas mental health criteria is abnormal. Criteria:
High self-esteem
Personal growth
Copes with stressful situations
Adjust to new situations
Problem solve
Etc.
Limitations:
To idealistic
How many criteria need to be lacking
Cultural relativism
Difficult to meassure
Western, individualistsic view
Strength:
Objective
How is abnormaity defined by “meeting diagnostic critera”
Symptoms approach, classification systems are used.
Limitations:
Symptoms are self reported
When diagnosed it is just a snapshot, does not reflect whole life
Mental health is on a continuum
Strengths:
Agreement between proffesionals
Critical thinking of definitions of abnoramlity
- There are cultural differences in determining abnormal
- It is a subjective judgement
- Ethical considerations
- Change over time (low temporal validity)
- Low reliability and validity of diagnosis
- Importance of data triangulation
What is data triangulation and how does it work?
Validity is increased when data is triangulated.
- What patients say
- What parents say
- What teachers say
- Observation
- Psychological tests
Rosenhan (1973)
A covert participant observation which aimed to invetsigate how doctors distinguish between sane (normal) and insane (abnormal). 8 pseudo patients spreadout and went to 12 hostpitals in 5 different states, and told the doctors that they heard voices in their head, but acted normal otherwise. All 12 hostpitals admitted the pseudo patient and they were in there for 7-52 days. The conclusion is that once the initial diagnosis is made it sticks.
Evaluation
Difficult with ethical considerations (consent, undue harm and withdrawal) they were however debriefed.
Time taken from real patients
The sick role bias
Limited generalization
Low temporal validity, 1973
Bolton (2002)
Case studies which aimed to investigate if the descrition of symptoms of depression and PTSD (DSM) a valid description of what Rwandans were experiencing after the Rwanda genocide. Researchers interviewed locals and asked them about their local terms for their problems. They then interviewed local healers and leaders and asked them to compare the local symptoms to the DSM. They found both similarities and differences, and from those results a new assessment tool for depressions and PTSD in Rwandans were created. Conclusion is that people from different cultures have different symptoms for the same disease.
Evaluation
Strengths:
Emic approach
Data triangulation
Limitations;
Cultures are dynamic
No outside verification of diagnosis
