Clinical: 4Ds Of Diagnosis Flashcards
Define diagnosis
The process of matching a persons behaviours and feelings to the signs and symptoms of a mental disorder in order to provide treatment
Define deviance (4 marks)
-Behaviours that are extreme, unusual and go against societal and statistical norms.
-Social norms can depend on the culture, history situation, age and gender of the individual.
-Culture example: hearing voices may be normal in a culture that believes in spirits but not in another.
-Failure to conform to social norms may lead to negative attention and social exclusion.
Define dysfunction (4 marks)
-Symptoms which obstruct a persons ability to continue with everyday life.
-Objective measures used to assess everyday functioning (self-report questionnaires)
-Looks at factors such as a persons understanding of what is going on around them
-Example: Getting up in the morning
Define distress (4 marks)
-If symptoms cause emotional pain or anxiety.
-Can come across physically (aches and pains)
-Can depend on the situation. For example: losing a loved one would cause distress but there may be no need for diagnosis
-Quantitative data collected through distress scales about level of distress.
Define danger in terms of the 4Ds
-Hostile behaviour that could risk the safety of the individual or others.
-Mental Health Act allows an individual to be detained if they are a danger to themselves (3 professionals must agree)
-Example: self harm or threatening to harm others.
What are the 4Ds?
Deviance, Dysfunction, Distress, Danger
Give an example of how history can cause deviance to differ?
What is abnormal at one time may change. Eg; homosexuality used to be viewed as a mental illness but is now accepted in most western cultures
Give an example of how situation can cause deviance to differ.
Behaviour that is normal in one context may be abnormal in another. Eg; normal to be naked in a nudist beach but not in a supermarket.
