Chapter 1

Question 1

What is a psychological disorder?

Answer 1

(1) A psychological dysfunction
(2) associated with distress or impairment in functioning and
(3) a response that is not typical or culturally expected. All 3 criteria must be met.

Question 2

What is psychopathology?

Answer 2

The scientific study of psychological disorders.

Question 3

Who is Sigmund Freud?

Answer 3

The founder of psychoanalytic therapy, who offered an elaborate conception of the unconscious mind. His therapy methods tried to tap into the unconscious mind.

Question 4

What is the prevalence of the disorder?

Answer 4

The amount of people in the population as a whole who have the disorder.

Question 5

What is the incidence of the disorder?

Answer 5

The amount of new cases that have occurred during a given period, such as a year.

Question 6

What is the course of a disorder?

Answer 6

The length of time that the disorder lasts. E.g. Chronic = long time, lifetime,
episodic = few months but likely to recur at a later time,
time-limited course = improve without treatment in a short period.

Question 7

What is acute onset?

Answer 7

Disorder begins suddenly

Question 8

What is insidious onset?

Answer 8

-Disorder developed gradually over time.

Question 9

What is the prognosis?

Answer 9

The anticipated course of a disorder.

Question 10

Why do clinicians give diagnosis?

Answer 10

The diagnosis of a mental disorder should have clinical utility. It should help clinicians with determining:

• prognosis
• treatment plans
• potential treatment outcomes

(It should be useful to classify someone)

Diagnosis is not equivalent to a need for treatment (interesting)

Question 11

What’s new with DSM-5 (2013)

Answer 11

• Harmonisation between DSM and ICD
• Transition towards a dimensional approach
• Rigid categories do not capture clinical experience or scientific observations
• Many symptoms occur at varying degrees of severity in a number of disorders
• From “Yes/No” to “How much/severe” (based on number of symptoms and/or level if distress and interference with functioning)
• Boundaries between normality and pathology vary across cultures

Question 12

What is a mental disorder?

Answer 12

• A clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotion regulation or behaviour.
• Reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning
• Causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.