Week 2 Flashcards
What is a clinical assessment?
Systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in an individual presenting with a possible psychological disorder.
What is the purpose of a clinical assessment?
- To understand the individual
- To predict behavior
- To plan treatment
- To evaluate treatment outcome
When do psychologists have to do clinical assessments?
At the 1st, 6th, and 10th sessions (for the medicare model).
What are the different domains of a clinical assessment?
- Clinical Interview
- Physical Exam
- Mental Status Exam
- Behavioural assessment and observations
- Psychological testing
What is a clinical interview?
The first step of a clinical assessment. The interview is used to gather information on present and past behaviour, attitudes, and emotions, as well as a detailed history of the problem and the individual’s life in general.
What should be discussed before a clinical interview?
- Purpose and nature of psychological assessment
- What the client is expected to do
- Confidentiality
- Informed consent
- Who will have access to the information and how it will be used
- What the psychologist would like to gain from the interview
What information is typically obtained during a clinical interview?
- Demographic data
- Medical history (self and family)
- Family history
- Educational and vocational history
- Psychological history
What does a Mental Status Exam involve?
- Appearance
- Behaviour
- Orientation
- Memory
- Sensorium
- Affect
- Mood
- Thought content & processes
- Intellectual resources
- Insight
- Judgement
What happens during behavioural observation and assessment?
- Focus on ABCs
- Can be formal or informal (self or others-monitoring)
What are the problems with observation?
When someone knows they are being observed, they act differently.
What are some types of psychological tests?
- Projective tests
- Objective psychological tests
- Objective personality tests
- Objective intelligence tests
- Neuropsychological tests
- Psychophysiological assessment
What are some problems with neuropsychological tests?
False positives and false negatives
What are the domains of psychophysiological testing?
- EEG
- Heart rate and respiration
- sweating
- muscle tension (electromyography)
What are some common classification systems?
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA)
- International Classification of Diseases (WHO)
Describe the development of the DSM
- DSM I (1952): little interest in diagnosis, psychoanalysis only treatment.
- DSM II (1968): 134 pages, included behaviour, symptoms, and different treatments
- DSM III (1980): 500 pages, scientific evidence, multiaxial classification system
- DSM IIIR (1987): 567 pages, revised version, more disorders
- DSM IV (1994): 886 pages, more culture specific
- DSM V (2013): move away from multiaxial system, AXIS I, II, and III are now coded on a single axis.
