diagnosis of mental disorders Flashcards
define ‘symptoms’
things that characterise the disorder with regard to how they think/feel/behave
define ‘features’
statistics/aspects about a disorder eg how it develops or how other factors such as age link
define diagnosis
clinician assessing a patient deciding whether they show evidence of mental disorder and if so if their symptoms match their checklist
state the 4 Ds of diagnosis
-deviance
-distress
-dysfunction
-danger
describe ‘deviance’
*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
describe ‘distress’
*when someone with a disorder experiences negative feelings
*difficult to measure
eg hypochondriasis
describe ‘dysfunction’
*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
describe ‘danger’
*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
describe 2 strengths of using the 4 Ds
-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
describe 4 weaknesses of using the 4 Ds
*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
*incomplete- Davis suggets a 5th D needs to be added ‘duration’ which refers to how long symptoms have lasted
