Module 1: Intro to Classification and Diagnosis Flashcards
Why diagnose abnormal behaviour?
Improve communication.
Guide information gathering.
Guide treatment.
Determine if treatment works.
Financial, health and legal reasons.
Clarify the boundaries of the disorder.
What is abnormal behaviour?
Thoughts, behaviour and emotions are distressing to self/others, dysfunction to self/others, statistical rarity (quantitative) or deviance (qualitative).
What are the types of psychological dysfunction?
Cognitive: dysfunctional thoughts.
Behavioural: dysfunctional behaviours.
Emotional: dysfunctional emotions.
Interpersonal: dysfunctional relationships.
What is statistical rarity?
Determined to be abnormal when behaviour is a statistical rarity.
What is deviance?
Atypical/culturally unexpected.
Behaviour may not be culturally accepted.
How are disorders assessed?
Clinical interviews.
Psychological testing.
Observations.
Psychophysiological assessment.
Neuroimaging.
What is a syndrome?
A collection of symptoms that are frequently observed together.
What is comorbidity?
The coexistence of two or more disorders.
Specific phobias (e.g., phobia of spiders, most likely to have anxiety issues).
Personality disorders (e.g., narcissistic personality most likely to have depression).
What are the problems with diagnosis?
Reliability: assessment may not be consistent.
Validity: may not detect the intended disorder.
Self-fulfilling prophecy: client believes that assessment simply mirror the belief.
Diagnostic bias: we see what we want to see.
What is categorical abnormality?
Discrete syndromes.
Distinct boundaries with other disorders.
Distinct boundaries between normal and abnormal.
What is dimensional abnormality?
Traits occur along a spectrum of intensity.
Traits occur in a finite proportion of the general population.
What is the formulation approach?
Alternative to the diagnostic approach: focuses on understanding, not just diagnosing.
Etiology and Maintenance: Looks at causes and sustaining factors of psychopathology.
Hypothesis Development: Creates a hypothesis linking all symptoms, explaining their development, and predicting future condition.
Information Elicitation: Gathers relevant patient information through specific questions.
Integration of Theoretical Knowledge: Applies psychological theories to understand the origins, maintenance, and development of the problem.
What are the four +1 P’s?
Presentation (symptoms and problems).
Predisposing factors (past traumas).
Precipitating factors (triggering events).
Perpetuating factors (maintaining factors).
Protective factors (reduces the problem/distress).
