Classifying + Diagnosing SZ

Question 1

schizophrenia

Answer 1

schizophrenia is a serious mental psychotic disorder characterised by a disruption of cognition + emotion
= it affects a person’s language, thought, perception + sense of self

Question 2

diagnosing SZ

Answer 2

DSM 5 - Diagnostic + Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders
= 2 or more +ve/ 1 + 1

ICD 11 - The International Classification of Diseases
= show 1 +ve, 1 -ve symptom/ 2 -ve symptoms

Question 3

positive symptoms

Answer 3

• excess of distortion of normal functions:
• hallucinations
• delusions

Question 4

negative symptoms

Answer 4

-reduction/ loss in normal functions:
- speech poverty (alogia)
- avolition

Question 5

hallucinations

Answer 5

sensory experiences of stimuli that have either no basis in reality or are distorted perceptions of things that are there

Question 6

delusions

Answer 6

• aka paranoia
• irrational, bizarre beliefs that seem real to the person with SZ
• common delusions involve being an important historical, religious or political figure

Question 7

alogia

Answer 7

• aka speech poverty
• changes in patterns of speech
• reduction in quality + quantity of speech

Question 8

avolition

Answer 8

finding it difficult to begin or keep up with goal-directed activity
- reduced motivation to carry out a range of activities

Question 9

ads of classification + diagnosis

Answer 9

• communication + shorthand
• treatment
• greater understanding of abnormalities

Question 10

issues associated with SZ

Answer 10

• reliability
• validity
• co-morbidity
• symptom overlap
• gender bias in diagnosis
• cultural bias in diagnosis

Question 11

reliability - issues associated with SZ

Answer 11

• consistency of measuring instrument
• an example of inter-rater reliability
  = two or more people agree with the same diagnosis for the same individual, after diagnosing separately
  = low as +0.11, shows that there is poor reliability in the diagnosis of SZ

Question 12

validity - issues associated with SZ

Answer 12

• the extent to which we are measuring what we intend to measure
  = assessed using criterion validity, using different assessment systems arrive at the same diagnosis
  = according to a study, SZ is more likely to be diagnosed using the ICD than DSM, showing that SZ is either over-diagnosed in ICD or under-diagnosed in DSM

Question 13

co-morbidity - issues associated with SZ

Answer 13

the idea that two or more mental disorders occur together
= question the validity of of diagnosis as around 50% of patients also diagnosed w/ depression or substance abuse (47%)
= shows that we aren’t able to distinguish between disorders very well if they are diagnosed w/ both
= weakness of diagnosis

Question 14

symptom overlap - issues associated with SZ

Answer 14

there is considerable overlap between the symptoms of SZ + other conditions e.g. depression + bipolar disorders
- two psychs found that people w/ DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) actually having more SZ symptoms than those w/ SZ
- overlap questions the validity of the classification + diagnosis of SZ
= as ICD + DSM may diagnose a patient w/ different conditions, and the overlap may suggest that they are the same disorder

Question 15

gender bias - issues associated with SZ

Answer 15

• found that men were more likely to be diagnosed w/ SZ than women
• could be gender bias in diagnosis as women seem to function better than men, having good family relationships + more likely to work
  = therefore less likely to diagnose women as they show better interpersonal function than men

Question 16

cultural bias - issues associated with SZ

Answer 16

African American + English people of Afro Caribbean origin are nine times more likely to be diagnosed w/ SZ

Question 17

communication + shorthand - ads of classification + diagnosis

Answer 17

it’s simpler to incorporate these symptoms into a single diagnosis
= makes communication easier between mental health professionals

Question 18

treatment - ads of classification + diagnosis

Answer 18

treatments are often specific to certain disorders

Question 19

treatment - ads of classification + diagnosis

Answer 19

treatments are often specific to certain disorders
= e.g. symptoms of SZ respond well to certain anti-psychotic drugs but not anti-anxiety
= a real diagnosis can point to a therapy that will alleviate symptoms

Question 20

greater understanding of abnormalities - ads of classification + diagnosis

Answer 20

• there are many underlying biological abnormalities seen in ppl w/ SZ
• it is hoped that a greater understanding of these abnormalities will lead to even more effective treatment