Mental Illness Flashcards
Medical Model
The conceptualization of psychological disorders as diseases that, like physical diseases, have biological causes, defined symptoms, and possible cures.
Disease
Refers to some deviation from normal body functioning that has undesirable consequences for the affected individual.
Diagnosis
Determine nature of the patient’s mental disease by assessing symptoms.
Symptoms
Behaviours, thoughts, and emotions suggestive of an underlying syndrome.
Syndrome
A coherent cluster of symptoms usually due to a single cause.
__% of the population will develop a mental disorder.
40.
DSM
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
DSM-IV-TR
A classification system that describes the features used to diagnose each recognized mental disorder and indicate how the disorder can be distinguished from similar, other problems.
Disorders are classified as if they were a distinct ___.
Illness.
In order to be classified a mental disorder, a disorder must contain _ elements of diagnosis.
Three.
What are the three elements of diagnosis?
- Disturbances in behaviour, thoughts, or emotions.
- Significant personal distress or impairment.
- Internal dysfunction.
Psychological disorders exist along a ___.
Continuum.
To help with distinguishing between normal and abnormal, there is a scale called the ___.
GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning).
The DSM suffers from complications, because diagnostic categories depend on ___ rather than ___ behaviour.
Interpretation, observable.
The DSM suffers from complications, because diagnosis relies on patient ___.
Self-reports.
The DSM suffers from complications, because agreement amongst clinicians can vary depending on the ___ ___.
Diagnostic category.
The DSM suffers from complications as a result of comorbidity, which is…
The co-occurance of 2 or more disorders in an individual.
Causation for mental illness can be ___ or ___.
Internal or external.
Internal causation can be ___ or ___.
Biological or psychological.
Biological Internal Causation
Genetic influences, biochemical imbalances, and structural abnormalities of the brain.
Psychological Internal Causation
Maladaptive learning and coping, cognitive bias, dysfunctional attitudes, and interpersonal problems.
Environmental External Causation
Poor socialization, stressful life circumstances, and cultural and social inequalities.
Diathesis-Stress Model
A theory that suggests that a person may be predisposed for a mental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress. However, heritability does not mean destiny.
Intervention-Causation Fallacy
Involves the assumption that if a treatment is effective, it must address the cause of the problem. However, you could have just addressed a symptom, not the cause.
