Evaluation of diagnosis and classification of schizophrenia

Question 1

Evaluation

Answer 1

- Opposing evidence from Rosenhan (poor validity)
- Poor reliability
- Comorbidity and symptom overlap
- Gender bias
- Cultural bias

Question 2

Rosenhan (1973)

Answer 2

• ‘psudeopatient’ experiment to test that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are sane and insane
• 8 ‘normal’ researchers presented themselves at 12 California mental hospitals complaining about hearing voices
• each admitted and diagnosed as schizophrenic based on claim
• once in hospital, stopped complaints and acted normally
• staff still treated them as mentally ill
• none were found out- but actual patients suspected researchers were sane
• release duration for researchers ranged from 7-52 days
• when they were released, they were released as schizophrenic in remission (in process of recovery)
• suggests that its not behaviour that led to them being treated as sick, but the label of being schizophrenic itself
• 1973 doctors used the DSM 2

Question 3

Poor validity

Answer 3

The Rosenhan study shows that diagnosis of schizophrenia is low in validity. This is becasue in 1973, psychologists could not differentiate betweeen people with schizophrenia, and people without schizophrenia using the DSM 2.

Question 4

Poor reliability

Answer 4

Cheniaux et al had 2 psychiatrists assess 100 patients independently and found huge differences and disagreements in the number of patients they diagnosed as schizophrenic e.g. one diagnosed 26 patients as schizophrenic whilst the other diagnosed 13. This is a weakness of the dignosis of schizophrenia.

Question 5

Comorbidity and symptom overlap

Answer 5

Comorbidity is the occurence of two different illnesses or conditions together. If conditions occur together a lot of the time then this calls into question whether the validity of their diagnosis and classification because they might actually be a single condition.
* Buckley found that half of patients with schizophrenia are also diagnosed with depression. The similarities in symptoms between the two imply that doctors may not be accurately differentiating between depression and schizophrenia.

Question 6

Gender bias

Answer 6

Men are diagnosed more with schizophrenia. This may be because women are better at masking their symptoms or because doctors may incorrectly believe that their symptoms are the casue of the stress having to balance work and home life.

Question 7

Cultural bias

Answer 7

Refers to the tendancy to over-diagnose ethnic groups as having schizophrenia becasue their typical behaviours might be seen as abnormal by clincians.

• African American and Afro-Carribean people are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.
• This may be because doctors do not realise that some symptoms such as hallucinations may be considered normal in their culture or the majority of psychiatrists who are white may be biased when diagnosing a black patient.