Diagnosis Of Depression

Question 1

What is depression and how is it diagnosed

Answer 1

A mood disorder diagnosed by the DSM (diagnostic statistical manual)

Question 2

How do you diagnose depression?

Answer 2

5 or more of the symptoms present, most of the time, for 2 or more weeks

Question 3

Symptoms include

Answer 3

Sad depressed mood 
Shift in activity level
Negative self concept 
Change in appetite 
Difficulty concentrating

Question 4

Reliability of DSM study

Answer 4

Keller - 524 depressed individuals interviewed using criteria and again 6 months later.
Inter rater reliability .8
Test re test .61
BECAUSE symptoms change, one change can lead to no diagnoses

Question 5

Validity of DSM

Answer 5

McCullough - symptoms overlap

• requires honesty
• seek help from GP not trained professional may lead to misdiagnosis
• exaggerate or minimise symptoms low validity
• how do you measure characteristics
• culturally biased - European Americans less embarrassed