Diagnosis and abnormal psych Flashcards
The DSM is \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ in nature and, as such, only addresses the etiology of disorders for which the cause is clearly known (e.g., PTSD).
Atheoretical
Regarding multiaxial assessment, identify and describe the 5 axes used with each individual diagnosis.
Axis I: Clinical disorders and other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention; Axis II: Mental retardation and personality disorders; Axis III: General medical conditions; Axis IV: Psychosocial and environmental problems; Axis V: GAF
When a therapist applies
diagnoses for a person on
both Axis I and Axis II, what words should be used to emphasize the one that is the focus of treatment?
Principle Diagnosis (or Reason for Visit)

Routinely used defense mechanisms and maladaptive personality traits that are not pervasive enough to qualify for a personality disorder can be recorded on what axis?
Axis II
This diagnosis requires the
following three criteria: (1) Significantly sub-average intellectual functioning, (2) concurrent impairments or deficits in at least 2 areas of adaptive functioning, and (3) onset before age 18.
Mental Retardation
True or False: A therapist should not consider impairment caused by a client’s physical or environmental limitations when using the GAF scale (Axis V)?
True
What are the 4 degrees of mental retardation and their corresponding IQ scores, as defined by the DSM?
Mild (IQ = 50-55 to 70); Moderate (IQ = 35-40 to 50-55); Severe (IQ = 20-25 to 35-40); Profound (IQ = 20-25 or below)
The DSM-IV-TR takes a ________ approach to mental disorder diagnosis, classifying a person as either meeting or not meeting a disorder’s given criteria. This differs from a ________ approach, which quantifies a persons symptoms rather than classifying them.
Categorical; dimensional
People with this degree of
mental retardation are able to develop social and communication skills during childhood, acquire about a 6th grade level of academic skills, and are able to work and live independently as adults.
Mild Retardation (85% of all mentally retarded people)
What biological antecedent to mental retardation is caused by a lack of the enzyme necessary to oxidize phenylalanine (and amino acid in protein foods)?
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
This biological cause of mental retardation occurs due to a faulty distribution of chromosomes when the egg or sperm is formed, leaving the person with 47 rather than 46 chromosomes.
Down’s Syndrome (aka Trisomy-21)
________ retardation is often related to early deprivation of nurturance, deficiencies in health care, early deficiencies in social, cognitive, and other stimulation, and poverty.
Cultural-familial
What disorder is characterized
by delayed or abnormal functioning in: social interaction, language as used in social communication, or symbolic or imaginative play by age 3?
Autism Disorder
True or False: As people with Autism grow older, they may become more interested in developing relationships, which is usually absent in Autistic children?
True- though they usually do not understand the customs that regulate social interaction
With this level of mental retardation, people may require guidance and some supervision in social and occupational settings; they usually have no more than a 2nd grade academic level; and as adults, they can contribute to their own support by performing unskilled or semiskilled work under close supervision.
Moderate Retardation (10% of all mentally retarded people)
What is the term used to define a person’s tendency to repeat the words or phrases of others?
Echolalia
People with this degree of mental
retardation have poor motor skills and communication skills as a child, though may learn to talk and can be trained in simple hygiene tasks; and they are often able to perform simple tasks as a adults, often living in highly supervised settings (e.g., group homes, with family).
Severe Retardation (3-4% of all mentally retarded people)
What form of therapy has been shown to be fairly successful in treating people with Autism?
Behavioral therapy, particularly techniques such as shaping and operant conditioning, has helped people with Autism replace abnormal behaviors with more desirable ones
At this level of mental retardation, people demonstrate extreme limitations in motor and sensory function; require highly structured environments, usually assisted by a caregiver; and can sometimes perform simple tasks under close supervision in a sheltered workshop.
Profound Retardation (1-2% of all mentally retarded people)
People with ________ experience a significant loss of developed skills (language, social, adaptive behavior, bowel/bladder control, play, and/or motor) after 2 or more years of seemingly normal development.
Childhood Disintegrative
Disorder (similar social/communication
and behavior to those with Autism)
What are the significant
differences between a
person with Autism and a person with Asperger’s Disorder?
While both involve deficits in social interaction and behavior, people with Asperger’s show no impairment in language development, self-help skills, cognitive development, or interest in the environment
What are the 3 Learning Disorders described in the DSM?
Reading Disorder, Mathematics Disorder, and Disorder of Written Expression
True or False: Learning disorders cannot be caused by mental retardation, but mental retardation can be co-diagnosed with a learning disorder?
True
What condition involves inflammation of the middle ear accompanied by accumulation of liquid in the middle ear cleft and is said to cause cerebellar-vestibular dysfunction, which has been linked to the development of learning disorders?
Otitis Media with Effusion (OME)