Diagnosis and Classification Flashcards
Describe schizophrenia and who it commonly affects.
It is a dysfunctional mental condition that commonly affects males and poorer people.
How are disorders defined, and what does this allow us to do?
A combination of symptoms are grouped as a disorder. This allows us to distinguish between different disorders and diagnose someone.
What are the two main diagnostic manuals?
DSM-5 and ICD-10.
What are positive symptoms? Describe two examples.
Additional symptoms that people with schizophrenia have, compared to normal people.
- Hallucinations are unusual sensory experiences, commonly auditory or visual.
- Delusions/paranoia, which are irrational thoughts. Delusions of grandiosity are when the person believes that they are some famous person. Delusions of persecution are when they believe they are being spied on, or hunted down, by some entity like the government. Delusions of control are when they believe they are being controlled by an external force.
What are negative symptoms? Describe two examples.
Loss of usual abilities.
- Speech poverty is when the amount or quality of speech is reduced. The person might speak or respond slowly.
- Apathy or avolition refers to losing the motivation to do an activity, such as working or maintaining hygiene.
Why is the diagnosis of schizophrenia reliable according to Osario et al (2019)?
Reliability refers to consistency with findings.
There are two types:
- Inter-rater reliability is when two+ psychologists come to the same conclusion.
- Test-retest reliability is when one psychologist comes to the same conclusion on two+ occasions.
The use of the DSM-5 has improved reliability of diagnosis.
Osario et al (2019) found excellent reliability: +0.97 and +0.92.
Why is the diagnosis of schizophrenia not valid according to Cheniaux et al (2009)?
Validity refers to testing the thing we are supposed to test.
Criterion validity is the extent to which different classification systems produce the same diagnosis. In their study, they found almost double the different in diagnosis between the DSM and ICD. This means that schizo might be under- or over-diagnosed.
Why is the validity of schizophrenia limited by co-morbidity?
Because a patient may be suffering from another disorder that is causing these symptoms. For example bipolar disorder has similar symptoms, like psychosis. If a person has multiple conditions, they might actually be suffering from one condition due to the symptom overlap. This means that the diagnosis of schizophrenia is not valid because it could well be a different disorder.
Why is schizophrenia limited by gender and cultural bias (Escobar 2012, Harrison 1988)?
Gender bias: Men are more likely to be diagnosed, while women may be underdiagnosed because they may have a closer support network that allows them to cope or function better.
Cultural bias: Escobar (2012) found that white psychiatrists were more likely to over-interpret the symptoms of black patients due to a lack of cultural understanding. Harrison et al (1988) found that Afro-Caribbeans in the UK were ten times more likely to be diagnosed with schizo than white people.
In the culture hearing voices may be believed as messages from ancestors, rather than mental disorder.
