Diagnosis of mental disorders

Question 1

What does diagnosis mean?

Answer 1

The process of matching a person’s behvaiours, cognitions, feelings and desires to the signs and symptoms of a recognised mental disorder in order to provide information about prognosis and treatment.

Question 2

What are the 4 D’s?

Answer 2

Deviance, dysfunction, distress and danger

Question 3

What is the definition of deviance?

Answer 3

Behaviours, cognitionsm, feelings and desires which are extreme, unusual or bizarre and which differ from social and statistical norms.

Question 4

What is an example of deviance?

Answer 4

Meowing at a man

Question 5

What is a postive of deviance?

Answer 5

It is objective and can be counted

Question 6

What is a negative of deviance?

Answer 6

Just because something is devient in one culture does not mean it is deviant in another culture and therfore not very good as a means of measurement worldwide

Question 7

What is the definition of dysfunction?

Answer 7

The inability to conduct everday activities

Question 8

What is an example of dysfunction?

Answer 8

behaviour interfering with their relationship or job

Question 9

What is a positive of dysfunction?

Answer 9

Easily identifiable

Question 10

What is a negative of dysfunction?

Answer 10

Might not relate to mental illness e.g. having a disability or religious reasons
It is subjective because it ignores the duration of time and is hard to measure

Question 11

What is the definition of distress?

Answer 11

The sunjective experience of feeling upset and/ or anxious.

Question 12

What is an example of distress?

Answer 12

Feeling upset

Question 13

What is a positive of distress?

Answer 13

Easy to identify (not sure on this one cant lie)

Question 14

What is a negative of distress?

Answer 14

It is quite subjective

Question 15

What is the definition of danger?

Answer 15

At risk of causing physical and psychological harm to the self or others.

Question 16

What is an example of danger?

Answer 16

Suicide or attacking someone

Question 17

What is a positive of danger?

Answer 17

It is ethically good

Question 18

What is a negative of danger?

Answer 18

We might do dangerous things that are not associated with mental illness.

Question 19

What is an overall issue with the 4 D’s?

Answer 19

Overly simplistic. Could be improved by adding a 5th dimension (duration- Davis).

Question 20

What is an example of labelling that stems from the 4 D’s?

Answer 20

Using “danger” as a criterion for mental disorder leads people to equate mental illness with being dangerous.
Most people with Sz are not actually more dangerous than people without the diagnosis. This matters because such attituds may become “self fulfilling prophecies”- stereotypes lead people to act in the way predicted by the stereotypes.

Question 21

Which classification manuals are the 4D’s used in?

Answer 21

DSM-5 and ICD-10