Week 1: Diagnosis in Psychiatry Pt. 2 Flashcards
What is the limitation of a diagnosis?
The diagnosis alone does not provide a comprehensive understanding of an individual’s situation, including their biology or life circumstances.
Is a philosophical concept that posits the existence of perfect, unchanging forms.
While it can be a useful tool for understanding abstract concepts, it may not be the most practical or realistic way to understand complex phenomena like mental illness.
Platonic Ideal
Is a type of abnormal motor behavior that can be associated with various mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression.
It involves unusual movements or a lack of movement, and can range from extreme agitation to complete immobility.
Catatonic Behavior
The study of conscious experience and subjective perception.
Phenomenology
Treatments often aimed at specific symptoms, rather than targeting the underlying disorder.
Symptom-based Treatments
Is a term used in psychiatry to describe a disturbance in the way a person thinks.
It can manifest in various ways, such as:
- Disorganized speeches
Delusions
Hallucinations
Difficulty understanding abstract concepts
Thought Disorder
Categorical Approach VS Dimensional Approach in Mental Disorders
Categorical:
Distinct entities with clear boundaries
Meeting all-or-none in diagnostic criteria
Dimensional:
Continuous spectra with varying degrees of severity
Individuals can fall anywhere along the spectrum, rather than being strictly categorized.
The classification of diseases, injuries, and disorders.
Nosology
Depression that occurs without episodes of elevated mood.
Unipolar Depression
Depression that occurs with episodes of elevated mood (mania or hypomania).
Bipolar Depression
A severe form of depression characterized by psychotic symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations.
Psychotic Depression
Is a medical procedure that involves inducing seizures with electrical stimulation to the brain.
It is primarily used to treat severe mental health conditions, particularly when other treatments have failed.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Is a common mental health condition characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness.
It can also include physical symptoms such as fatigue, changes in appetite, and sleep disturbances.
Depression
The increasing prevalence of a diagnosis over time, often due to changes in diagnostic criteria or increased awareness.
Diagnostic Creep
Controversies in Diagnoses of Mental Illnesses
1) ‘Novel’ diagnostic categories (PTSD, Autism)
2) Diagnostic Creep (ADHD)
3) Overdiagnosis in psychiatry
A movement that criticizes the medicalization of mental health and the use of psychiatric treatments.
Antipsychiatry
Approaches to mental health treatment that focus on understanding the individual’s unique circumstances and developing a personalized treatment plan.
Formulation-based Treatment
This approach focuses on the social and political context of mental illness and challenges traditional psychiatric practices.
Concerned about the excessive reliance on diagnostic classification and the use of psychopharmacological agents.
Critical Psychiatry
A concept proposed by R.D. Laing that suggests individuals may have conflicting or contradictory aspects of their personality.
The Divided Self
Argues that psychosis is not a medical condition but rather a result of internal conflict or tension between the authentic self and the false self.
The Divided Self
2 Personas within us according to R.D. Laing’s The Divided Self (1960)
Authentic Self: The true, private identity of an individual.
False Self (Sane): The persona or mask that individuals present to the world.
Laing suggests that individuals experiencing psychosis may be more in touch with their true selves and therefore more “sane” than those who conform to societal expectations.
The Divided Self
A cultural movement that often celebrated non-conformity and alternative states of consciousness.
Shamanism
The functional or structural changes in an organism that underlie a disease.
Pathophysiology
What were Thomas Szasz’s antipsychiatry arguments?
Szasz suggests that the language of mental illness is merely a metaphor and does not accurately reflect the nature of these conditions.
Unlike physical/proper illnesses, mental disorders do not have a clear underlying biological basis.
Mental conditions are not biological entities but rather social constructs that are used to label and control individuals.
The extent to which a psychological construct or variable measures what it is intended to measure.
Construct Validity
The study of the use of drugs to treat mental disorders.
Psychopharmacology
Is the involuntary confinement of an individual by the state, typically for reasons related to mental health or public safety.
Civil Detention
A general term for a range of negative emotions and experiences.
Environmental factors, such as poverty, unemployment, and trauma, that can contribute to this.
Psychological Distress
What are Kinderman’s (2013) core arguments?
- Psychological distress is a normal part of life
- Humans respond to difficult circumstances by becoming distressed
- Mental states exist on a continuum, with no clear cutoff between normal experience and disorder
- Psychosocial factors are the most strongly-evidences causal factors for distress (i.e., unemployment, poverty)
- Genetics and developmental factors influence the magnitude of an individual’s reaction
Theoretical concepts or variables that can be measured or studied.
Constructs
A new framework for mental health research proposed by the NIMH.
It focuses on studying phenomena at different levels of analysis. These include genetics, molecules, cells, circuits, behavior, and self-report.
Research Domain Criteria Matrix (RDoC)
5 Constructs under the RDoC Matrix
1) Negative Valence Systems
2) Positive Valence Systems
3) Social Systems
4) Cognitive Systems
5) Arousal and Regulatory Systems
Is the ability to attribute mental states, such as beliefs, desires, and intentions, to others.
It’s essentially our capacity to understand that other people have their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives that may differ from our own.
Theory of Mind
Systems involved in cognitive processes, such as perception, memory, decision-making, and attention.
Cognitive Systems
A system involved in emotional responses to threats or negative stimuli.
Examples: Fear, anxiety, sadness, anger
Negative Valence Systems
A system involved in emotional responses to rewards or positive stimuli.
Examples: Pleasure, reward, motivation, hope
Positive Valence Systems
Systems involved in regulating physiological arousal and sleep-wake cycles.
Examples: Alertness, circadian rhythm, stress response
Arousal and Regulatory Systems
Systems involved in social interactions and understanding the self.
Examples: Empathy, social communication, theory of mind, self-awareness
Social Systems
A mental health condition that includes symptoms of both schizophrenia and mood disorders.
Schizoaffective Disorder
Groups of individuals with similar biological characteristics.
Examples:
- Individuals with a genetic predisposition for certain mental disorders
- Individuals who respond differently to certain medications
Biotypes
Examples of biological characteristics that can affect mental illnesses
Genetic markers: DNA sequences that are associated with specific traits or diseases.
Brain structure and function: Brain size, shape, or activity patterns.
Neurotransmitter levels
Hormone levels: regulate various bodily functions.
Negative attitudes or beliefs associated with a particular condition or characteristic.
Stigma
General Patterns VS Individual Peculiarities
General Patterns: Broad categories or classifications.
Individual Peculiarities: Unique characteristics or traits of an individual.
A focus on making decisions for patients based on what is believed to be in their best interest, rather than respecting their autonomy.
Paternalistic Focus on Outcome
The ability to make choices and take control of one’s own life.
Personal Agency
What was Heckers’ (2015) view on psychiatric diagnosis?
‘The true value of a psychiatric diagnosis is the ability to predict course of illness, response to treatment, and ultimately quality of life and level of function in society. Good clinicians use diagnoses in the service of best patient care. They balance a paternalistic focus on outcome with respect of personal agency and encouragement for recovery.’
Decisions made with full knowledge and understanding of the options.
Informed Decisions
Treatments supported by research and proven to be effective.
Evidence-Based Treatments
Can be a valuable tool in promoting patient autonomy, effective care, and fulfilling professional responsibilities.
Diagnosis
