Lec1 Basic concepts in assessment

Question 1

what is normal spectrum

Answer 1

any variable that can be measured with a normalised test has a spectrum of expected values

Question 2

what is standardised tests

Answer 2

Standardised tests give one or more quantitative scores which allow a systematic comparison between participants against a control sample

Question 3

how do you change a raw score into a standard score

Answer 3

Z-score

1. (Individual score – mean score)/group SD
2. This can be used to compare two or more scores taken from normal distributions, even when the means and SDs are different

Question 4

what are the similarities btw physical and mental diseases (4)

Answer 4

Mental diseases are diseases of the brain, which is a physical organ

i. Some somatic diseases lack a biomarker too
1. Perhaps the lack of a biomarker so far merely means that more research needs to be done?

Question 5

what are the differences btw physical and mental diseases

Answer 5

a) A fundamental distinction between the mind and the body (Descartes, ”Principles of philosophy”)
b) One’s thoughts can influence feelings and behaviour
c) Psychological diseases don’t have a biomarker
d) Brains are highly variable, so the same underlying disease can manifest differently in different people

Question 6

Concordance rate for depression is ___% MZ vs. _____% DZ twoms (McGuffin et al., Arch Gen psychiatry, 1996)

Answer 6

46% MZ vs. 20% DZ twins (McGuffin et al., Arch Gen Psychiatry, 1996)

Question 7

meta-analyses find a heritability of depression ______%-______% (Sullivan et al., Am J Psychiatry, 2000)

Answer 7

meta-analyses find a heritability of 31%-42% (Sullivan et al., Am J Psychiatry, 2000)

Question 8

E.g., ______-_________% patients with major depression recover after SSRI vs ________% after placebo

Answer 8

E.g., 50-70% patients with major depression recover after SSRI vs 40% after placebo

Question 9

People suffering from depression are more likely to recall __________ events (Beck’s cognitive triad, Seligman’s attribution theory)

Answer 9

negative

Question 10

variables that follow a __________ distribution in the population vary predictably around the mean
departure from the _______ does not necessarily equal a clinical condition

Answer 10

normal

Question 11

clinical conditions can be defined using ____________, ____________ ___________ and ___________ models.

Answer 11

biological, cognitive psychological and social models

Question 12

Biological, cognitive and social factors impact on brain physiology causing changes in __________.

Answer 12

behaviour

Question 13

_________ disorders are brain disorders

Answer 13

mind

Question 14

clinical assessment consists of an ____________, tests to assess a ___________ ___________ and tests to exclude ____________ ___________ (___________ diagnosis).

Answer 14

clinical assessment consists of an interview, tests to assess a presumed diagnose and tests to exclude alternative diagnoses (differential diagnosis).

Question 15

standardized tests allow to assess the patient’s performance relative to the __________ distribution of a large control group

Answer 15

normal