Chapter 4: The Spectrum of Mental Health Disorders Flashcards
Define what a mental health problem is?
diminished capacities that interfere with a person’s enjoyment of life or affect their interactions with society and the environment
Mental Disorders
clinically significant patterns of behavioural or emotional function that are associated with some level of distress
What are 2 systems of Diagnostic Classification in Canada?
- The international classification of diseases (ICD)
2. The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)
What is the ICD?
addresses all types of illness
created by the WHO
used internationally
What is the DSM?
addresses psychiatric disorders but no other illness
strictly used in north america
Who is considered a primary user of the ICD codes?
health care personnel (drs, nurses, medical coders)
Who is a secondary user of the ICD codes?
someone who uses already coded data from hospitals to conduct research
What are some criticisms of diagnosis?
- problems with reliability and validity
- effects of labelling
- cultural relativity
- political and economic misuses
What is reliability?
consistency of results when a measurement is repeated
What is validity?
whether a measurement really captures what it says it will
What are some problems with reliability and validity?
- diagnoses have been criticized for being too vague and unscientific
- few diagnoses are linked to specific causes
What are some effects of the labelling theory?
- dominant groups have a tendency to label minority groups negatively
- labels can become internalize and that can lead to deviance
Cultural Relativity
- something might be a mental disorder in one cultural but not considered one in another
- in Canada the DSM doesn’t exactly fit with the spiritual framework that many Aboriginals embrace
What are some political misuses of diagnosis?
People often use mental illness as an excuse for committing a crime and end up in jail
What are some economic misuses of diagnosis?
over-identification of a mental illness for the purpose of selling a medication
Why do we diagnose people?
- as a means of understanding different illnesses
- designating the correct treatment
- currently the benefits outweigh the risks
What are organic mental disorders?
neurocognitive disorders
caused by a disturbance of brain function or damage to brain structures
What is delirium?
disturbance of brain function with confusion, memory loss, disturbed level of consciousness and distorted perception
What is dementia?
a progressive degenerative disease that involves the loss of neurons from the cerebral cortex and other areas of the brain
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Psychoactive Substance Use
caused by the use of a psychoactive drug
includes prescribed and non-prescribed medications
Acute intoxication
disruptions in cognition, emotion, level of consciousness and other mental functions
What are concurrent disorders?
combination of substance disorder and another mental disorder
When do schizophrenic disorders emerge?
usually in adolescence/ early adulthood
What are delusions?
an intense irrational belief
detachment from reality
