Lilienfeld Chapter 2: Rosenhan and Spitzer Flashcards
What are the risks of diagnosis that Rosenhan points out?
o What is viewed as normal in one culture may be seen as abnormal in another.
o In certain environments we are likely to label certain people
o Mental health professionals may be looking for disorders rather than seeing what is there.
o It reduces people to a label that carries a social stigma.
What are the benefits of diagnosis that Spitzer elucidates?
o To assist people in psychological distress
o For mental health professionals to communicate with each other about the subject matter of their concern, comprehend the pathological processes involved in psychiatric illness, and control psychiatric disorders.
What are the pros and cons of the “descriptive” approach to diagnosis (e.g., “hallucinates”) that Rosenhan suggests?
o The poor reliability of medical diagnosis, even when assisted by objective laboratory tests, does not mean that medical diagnosis is of no value.
o Recognition of serious problems of the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis has resulted in a new approach to psychiatric diagnosis.
o Reliability can greatly be increased by using specific criteria.
