Medical Model Flashcards
DSM
The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health is a reference book of mental disorders which are use by psychiatrist for diagnosis.
The DSM aims to improve reliability and validity and by standardising descriptions of symptoms of each disorder by providing scales and measures for each disorder that has been tested for reliability and validity is by constantly updating the DSM a new research
Fits into the medical model
Medical model of abnormality
The main perspectives on psychological abnormality assumes that all abnormalities have a physiological causes e.g. chemical imbalances
Uses drug therapy
Psychiatrist rather than psychologist cheap medical disorders
Criticisms of the medical model
Most abnormalities do not have this logical course
Ssaz 1962 disease of the brain and problems of living
May overlook social factors e.g. inequality
Drugs may not be affected and have side-effects also drugs are sold for profit and drug trials are not objective
When is diagnosis valid
Diagnosis is valid when it is a real illness and the person genuinely has that illness
When is diagnosis reliable
When different clinicians constantly give the same diagnosis to the same symptoms at different times and different patients
Reasons why diagnosis made with the DSM may not be reliable or valid
Focused on biology so overlooks other factors
Disorders overlap such as social anxiety disorder and avoidant personality disorder
Still relies on psychiatrists interpretation
Diagnosis may be altered and cause labelling
May be culturally bias
More diseases added each addition and some of which may not be real
Diagnosis might make us view the person as a disorder rather than a person
Five factors affecting reliability and validity of diagnosis
Overlapping symptoms e.g. social anxiety disorder and avoidant personality disorder
Illnesses that are not really illnesses e.g. FSD
Disease mongering e.g. Viagra for FSD
Culturally bias e.g. schizophrenia in African Americans
Gender bias e.g. historically hysteria
Langar and Abelson 1974 Study
A patient by any other name
40 clinicians from behavioural and analytical perspective
Watched a video tape interview half were told it was a job applicant and the other half it was a patient
The findings of this study shows that behavioural therapist in both conditions described the person as fairly well adjusted
Analytical therapists described the person is more disturbed if given the label of patient
