The '4 Ds' of Diagnosis

Question 1

Deviance

Answer 1

• Relates to how far a behaviour differs from the norm
• Specific thoughts, behaviours, and emotions are considered deviant when they are unacceptable or uncommon in society
• It must be remembered that minority groups are not always considered deviant just because they lack commonality with other groups (e.g. speaking to ‘spirits’ is common in some cultures but uncommon in the UK - this is not deviant behaviour)
• Examples include: hearing voices, consistently low mood, disordered eating, etc.

Question 2

Dysfunction

Answer 2

• A behaviour significantly interferes with a person’s life
• Involves maladaptive behaviour - that which impairs the individual’s ability to perform normal daily functions
• Examples include: checking behaviours associated with OCD, disordered eating behaviours, etc.

Question 3

Distress

Answer 3

• The extent to which the behaviour is causing upset to the individual
• The subjective experience is important because some may be facing a great deal of difficulty but coping well but others may be very distressed by something that some may view as trivial - known as INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Question 4

Danger

Answer 4

• A behaviour that causes may cause harm to the individual and/or others
• If a person is putting their life or others’ lives in danger, then intervention is likely required
• This must be considered on a scale of severity because people often engage in behaviours that could be considered dangerous, but when the behaviour becomes extremely risky then a diagnosis may be necessary, e.g. reckless driving requires intervention when an individual deliberately sets out to crash their car, taking drugs requires intervention when an individual becomes addicted and dependent on these drugs