diagnosis of mental disorders

Question 1

state the 4 Ds of diagnosis

Answer 1

• deviance
• distress
• dysfunction
• danger

Question 2

describe ‘deviance’

Answer 2

• behaviours and emotions that deviate from social / cultural norms and are seen as unacceptable by society
• some disorders are clearly illustrated by deviance eg paedophilia whilst others are difficult to distinguish between

Question 3

describe ‘distress’

Answer 3

• when someone with a disorder experiences negative feelings
• difficult to measure
• eg hypochondriasis

Question 4

describe ‘dysfunction’

Answer 4

• the behaviour is not successful in relation to carrying out everyday tasks and living their life in general
• hard to use in diagnosis as many life events can be dysfunctional
• eg major depressive disorder

Question 5

describe ‘danger’

Answer 5

• poses a threat to others or themself
• Davis found that individuals with mental illness 25% more likely to die from unnatural causes
• eg nicotine dependence

Question 6

describe 2 strengths of using the 4 Ds

Answer 6

• practical application for professionals considering symptoms: decide whether making a diagnosis is appropriate
• supports DSM as a diagnostic classification system: various diagnoses are shown to focus on specific Ds which suggests they all have value

Question 7

describe 3 weaknesses of using the 4 Ds

Answer 7

• subjective: 2 professionals may not reach same conclusion
• labelling: using danger as a part of criteria can lead to equating mental illness with being dangerous, causing stereotypes and SFP
• social control: misuse of psychiatric diagnosis used to legitimise punitive treatments and social exclusion