What is Psychopathology? Classification and Diagnosis

Question 1

When did Psychology enter the picture?

Answer 1

1950s

Question 2

For the last 70 years, most mental health professionals have followed what?

Answer 2

The medical model

Question 3

‘Mental disorders’ can be identified from what?
Who did this originate from?

Answer 3

Shared symptoms
Emil Kraepelin

Question 4

Two clusters of symptoms:

Answer 4

Dementia praecox
Manic depressive psychosis

Question 5

What does the DSM stand for

Answer 5

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Assosciation

Question 6

When was the DSM first published and what edition is it on

Answer 6

1952
fifth edition (2013)

Question 7

What does the alternative system ICD stand for

Answer 7

International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organisation

Question 8

When did the ICD first incorporate mental disorder and what edition is it on

Answer 8

1948
11th edition (2019)

Question 9

diagnostic coding 5 points

Answer 9

• depends on frequency
• severity
• presence of psychotic features
• remission status
• unspecified when criteria not met and none of the other conditions apply

Question 10

Whats Beck’s triad of negative schemas

Answer 10

1. The self (Im ugly/a failure/wish i was someone else)
2. The world (people dislike/ignore/take advantage of me)
3. The future (how will i cope, things are getting worse)

Question 11

what are 4 cognitive biases or distortions the triad is driven by

Answer 11

• Arbitrary inference
• Selective abstraction
• Over generalisation
• Magnification/minimalisation

Cognitive behavioural therapy aims to ‘restructure’ these thoughts

Question 12

what are 4 cognitive biases or distortions the triad is driven by

Answer 12

• Arbitrary inference
• Selective abstraction
• Over generalisation
• Magnification/minimalisation

Cognitive behavioural therapy aims to ‘restructure’ these thoughts

Question 13

Biological explanation for depression

Answer 13

Monoamine hypothesis
- depression arises bcos of depleted serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine

• treated by raising serotonin
• tendency to work better for women

Question 14

Major depression affects ?% of women and ?% of men at some point
and why

Answer 14

26% of women
12% of men

female personality? cognitive tendencies?
different emotions associated: sadness (F), anger/recklessness (M)

Question 15

Stoppard (2000): depression as response to ‘insoluble dilemmas’ in women’s lives

Answer 15

• need to be a good mother, good wife etc
• dual demands for career success and domestic responsibilities
• physically exhausting

Question 16

Learned helplessness
Seligman (1974) dog shock experiment, extrapolated to humans:

Answer 16

depressed individuals don’t operate coping strategies when under stress/threat

Question 17

Learned helplessness
Attributional model (Abramson, Seligman & Teasdale, 1978): given situation, e.g. failed exam, assessed in terms of:

Answer 17

1. Locus of control
2. Stability
3. Global/specific

Question 18

To classify or not to classify?
FOR:

Answer 18

Professionals and clients alike welcome clarity provided by labels/discrete syndromes

Makes treatment decisions and prognoses simpler and easier to communicate

Allows inter group comparison

Question 19

To classify or not to classify?
AGAINST:

Answer 19

Classification by long lists of symptoms far from ideal

Low reliability of accuracy between experts, time and place

Comorbidity the rule rather than the exception

Increasing evidence (inc. neurological) against category validity