Culture, co-morbidity + symptom overlap- Schizophrenia

Question 1

What factors can affect reliability and validity of diagnosis for Sz?

Answer 1

-culture
-co-morbidity
-symptom overlap
-gender bias

Question 2

What does culture mean

Answer 2

-rules, customs, morals that bind a group of people together and define how they are likely to behave

Question 3

Gender bias meaning:

Answer 3

The tendency to describe behaviour of men and women in such a way that might not be seen to represent the characteristics of either of those genders correctly

Question 4

Co-morbidity meaning:

Answer 4

The extent to which 2 or more conditions or diseases occur simultaneously in a patient e.g. depression and Sz

Question 5

Symptom- overlap meaning

Answer 5

Symptoms of a disorder, eg. Delusions in Sz, may not be unique to that disorder, can be found in other disorders e.g. bipolar, make diagnosis accurately difficult

Question 6

How does culture affect the reliability of Sz?

Answer 6

• Copeland et al
  194 British psychiatrist and 134 Us psychiatrists description of patient
  69% US- Sz
  2% British- Sz (inter-rather reliability low)

Question 7

How does gender bias affect the validity of Sz?

Answer 7

• clinicians may base judgements on stereotypical beliefs held about males and females
  -diagnostic criteria biased towards male of female?

Question 8

How does co-morbidity affect validity in Sz?

Answer 8

• many people with Sz suffer from at least one other condition (is it a true disorder in its own right)
  -can difficult to get accurate diagnosis and treatment is 2 or more conditions occur at same time

Question 9

How does symptom over-lap affect validity of Sz?

Answer 9

• many of positive + negative symptoms of Sz are found in other disorders - can they be given accurate diagnosis?
  Eg. Delusions in depression

Question 10

Issues with reliability/ validity study- Cooper et al

Answer 10

-found New York psychiatrist twice as likely to diagnose Sz than London who twice as likely to diagnose depression when shown same clinical interviews
-from different cultures (validity)
-inter-rather reliability lack of consistency amongst patients disposed

Question 11

Issues with reliability/ validity study- rosenhan

Answer 11

Sane in insane places: diagnosis was wrong so lacks validity
-lack consistency 1 person diagnosed with bipolar

Question 12

Issues with reliability/ validity- lack of objectivity (unstructured interviews)

Answer 12

• lack of reliability in way symptoms are assessed, likely to get unreliable diagnosis
  -lack of validity- use own questions, interpret in different ways