reliability and validity in diagnosis and classification of SZ Flashcards
what is the definition of diagnosis?
the identification of the nature of an illness or other by examination of symptoms
e.g someone reporting hearing voices
what is the definition of classification?
the action or process of classifying something; classification of disease according to symptom
e.g a symptom of SZ is hallucination
what is reliability?
link to schizophrenia
Reliability refers to consistency, refers whether we can gain consistent results when classifying and diagnosing sz
therefore, extent to which classification systems agree upon how SZ should be classified and extent to which 2 or more health professionals would agree on the same diagnosis, regardless of time period of culture measure by inter rate reliability
what is validity?
link to schizophrenia
validity refers to accuracy, extent to which we are measuring what we intend to measure
for example, are classification systems acc outlining signs and symptoms of SZ and are health professionals accurately diagnosing sz
what did cheniaux study?
asked 2 psychiatrists to diagnose the same 100 patients using DSM and 44 according to ICD
other diagnoses 13 according to DSM and 24 according to ICD
shows poor inter rate reliability as 1 psychiatrist diagnosed almost double the amount than other psychiatrist
Moreover it demonstrates poor reliability in classification of SZ as both psychiatrists diagnosed almost double the number pf patients using ICD than the DSM also calls in question the validity of diagnosis
what is symptom overlap?
this is where 2 or more conditions share similar symptoms, for example both schizophrenia and depression involve negative symptoms such as avolition.
what is co morbidity?
this is where 2 illnesses/ conditions occur at the same time, schizophrenia is commonly diagnosed with other conditions e.g depression and OCD as they share common symptoms e.e lowered mood/ motivation
this is a problem as it means that SZ may not exist as a distinct condition which may lead to misdaiganosis
what is gender Bias?
link to schizophrenia
since 1980s men have been diagnosed with SZ more often than women, this may be because men are more genetically vulnerable to developing SZ than women
however it could be because females with sz typically function better than men, being more likely have good family relationships.
what is culture bias?
link to Schizophrenia
English people of African origin are much more likely to be diagnosed with SZ in the UK. (rates in the West Indies and Africa aren’t high so this can’t be due to genetic vulnerability)
higher diagnosis rates in uk may be because some behaviours are classed as positive symptoms of SZ are normal in African cultures
why symptom overlap a problem of reliability and validity of SZ?
one problem of reliability and validity of classification and diagnosis of SZ is that theres ‘symptom overlap’
where 2 or more conditions share similar symptoms
e.g. both SZ and depression include symptom Avolition
questions the validity and reliability of classification and diagnosis of SZ because an individual maybe diagnosed with wrong disorder
issue as doctors may not be diagnosing SZ correctly, and therefore individuals may not receive app treatment
weakens validity and reliability in classification and diagnosis of SZ as it negatively affects acc and consistency
why’s co morbidity a problem with reliability and validity of classification of SZ?
a problem with reliability and validity of diagnosis and classification of SZ is co morbidity
where 2 illnesses/conditions occur at the same time.
BUCKLEY ET AL concluded that 50% of patients with SZ also have a diagnosis pf depressions and 23% patients diagnosed with SZ are diagnosed with OCD
this questions the validity and reliability of classification of sz, because 2 conditions 2 conditions may be better seen as one and doctors may be diagnose the wrong condition.
why’s gender bias a problem with reliability and validity of classification of SZ?
another issue with with validity of the diagnosis and classification of sz is gender bias
since 1980s men have been diagnosed with sz more often then women
may may be because men are more genetically vulnerable to developing sz than women
however it could be because females with sz typically function better than men, being more likely to work and have good family relationships therefore symptoms may be masked by good interpersonal skills
questions the validity and reliability of classification and diagnosis of sz
as women as women who share similar symptoms as women may not get the same diagnosis and their symptoms are seen as mild.
