DSM Flashcards
AO1
The diagnostic and statistical manual is a tool used by psychiatrists to aid in the diagnosis of mental disorders. It is American, and was produced by the APA for profit, but there are other systems around the world such as the ICD 10 which is the british version. It is regularly updated, the dsm 5, which replaced the DSM IV, is the latest version and came out in May 2013. It is multi axial and considers a number of factors such as health and social factors in making a diagnosis.
Clinical syndromes
Sleep disorders, Anxiety disorders, Mood disorders and eating disorders.
AXIS 1 Clinical Syndromes
This is a diagnostic category with appropriate sub classification eg SZ; paranoid type. AXIS 1 includes mood disorders, anxiety, phobias and sleep disorders.
AXIS 2 Personality Disorders
These includes paranoid, obsessive complusive, antisocial
AXIS 3 General Medical Conditions
A list of any current physical disorders that may be relevant to understanding and treating the person, such as brain injuries, diabetes and heart problems.
AXIS 4 Psychosocial and Environmental problems
These include educational problems, death of a loved one, divorce and poverty
AXIS 5 Global Assessment of Functioning Scale
An evaluation of how well the individual has functioned socially and occupationally prior to onset of the illness. 1-10 is severe danger of self harm or to others / lack of hygiene. 91-100 is superior functioning in a wide range of activities.
Strength common diagnosis
The DSM allows a common diagnosis, when 2 or more doctors use the DSM they should come close to the same diagnosis. It is the best attempt at diagnosis given the limited understanding of mental disorders.
Strength Goldstein
Goldstein tested the reliability of the diagnosis between the DSM II and DSM III, in which she found evidence of reliability.
Strength Field trial
The DSM 5 underwent field trials before publication, which included test-retest reliability where different clinicians independently evaluated the same patient.
Weakness lack of cures
The DSM is seen as confirmation of the medical state of mental disorder, as sufferers are ‘patients’ and ‘treatment’ is suggested. Mental health issues are disorders and illnesses and so cures are not looked for.
Weakness Credibility
There was criticism that those reviewing the DSM 5 had to sign an agreement that they would not talk about the process of reviewing this version, which meant there was no transparency so it is argued that this meant the DSM 5 lacked credibility as the results of any testing could not be challenged
Weakness Social norms
The BPS has expressed concern about the DSM 5 as it brought in social norms to be considered when making a diagnosis and this requires the clinician to make judgements about such norms or to use their own social noms. Deviance and Dysfunction relate to culture and social norms as they might be different in different cultures.
