Strengths and Weaknesses of the '4 Ds'

Question 1

+ Can lead to diagnosis

Answer 1

The 4 Ds can lead to a diagnosis of a mental illness and therefore intervention with treatment, allowing those with mental illnesses to be helped. The 4 Ds are a good starting point for treatment

Question 2

+ Reduces harm to society

Answer 2

The 4 Ds lead to interventions and treatments for those with mental disorders, and thus can decrease harm to individuals and society if caught early

Question 3

• Subjective

Answer 3

The application of the 4 Ds is subjective, based on the individual psychologist’s opinion of each case - another psychologist may view each patient differently, which could lead to misdiagnosis

Question 4

• Reductionist

Answer 4

The 4 Ds are a reductionist system for diagnosing mental disorders, simplifying cognitive and behavioural abnormality into just four dimensions