The 4Ds of Diagnosis

Question 1

Diagnosis

Answer 1

• Is the proposing cause for a psychological problem, it is followed by prognosis which is a prediction about how the problem will develop with or without treatment
• Before diagnosing a mental disorder, we need to assess that it is actually a disorder, the main method of use is the 4 D’s

Question 2

Deviance

Answer 2

• When the behaviours and emotions are viewed unacceptable, it is decided wither how unusual it is statistically
• Behaviour that occurs rarely in the population is abnormal
• Another way is using social norms, which are unwritten rules about society, and if their behaviour violate social norms, it is seen as abnormal

Question 3

Dsyfunction

Answer 3

• When abnormal behaviour is significantly interfering with everyday tasks and living your life
• It is regarded as abnormal with you are unable to cope with demands of everyday life, such as looking after yourself etc

Question 4

Distress

Answer 4

• When the abnormality involves being unhappy which relates to experiencing negative feeling such as anxiety, isolation, confusion and fear
• It is viewed as abnormal if its persist longer than it should

Question 5

Danger

Answer 5

• Two broad themes, danger to self and danger to others
• This is when the behaviours of the individual is detrimental to the person or others around then, such as violent behaviour directed towards others and danger to self, such as suicidal thoughts or intention

Question 6

Strength of 4Ds

Answer 6

• One strength is that the 4Ds can be aligned with symptoms in the DSM-V and ICD-10
• Different disorders tend to display different combination of D’s, therefore the 4Ds can be used in conjunction with the symptoms of diagnostic manual
• Schizophrenia has a combination of deviance and dysfunction, due to deviance being hallucinations and dysfunction being delusions affecting daily life
• This demonstrates that the 4D’s are actively involved in the diagnosis process in common manuals

Question 7

Weakness of 4Ds

Answer 7

• One weakness is that there may be subjectivity in utilising the 4Ds as a method of diagnosis
• As ‘dysfunctional’ may differ from individual to individual. As some people may think not eating breakfast is dysfunctional where another sees it as acceptable
• Deciding whether something is ‘dysfunctional’ is dependent on cultural values
• This subjectivity can lead to different professional to making different diagnoses, potentially leading to incorrect diagnoses and subsequent treatment