4 Ds

Question 2

what are the 4 Ds

Answer 2

deviant, distress , danger and dysfunction

Question 3

define deviance

Answer 3

• behaviours that are statistically infrequent and don’t fit into sociocultural norms and are considered to be abnormal
• may not be a social norm but not considered abnormal e.g. being very clever which is not classed as deviant
• paedophilia symptoms in the DSM are not socially accepted and therefore illustrated through deviance

Question 4

define distress

Answer 4

• personal suffering which may cause them to not be able to function day to day life however they could also be distressed but still be able to function
• distress is subjective and differs from person to person
• hypochondriasis - the fear of having a serious disease causes distress as they often misinterpretate body symptoms

Question 5

define dysfunction

Answer 5

• not successful in carrying out everyday tasks
• this may be delibirate and not signal a mental disorder
• major depressive disorder - episodes of depression, may not be able to get out of bed
• affect one or more part of a persons life

Question 6

define danger

Answer 6

• causing suffering to others may also be to themselves, for example suicidal thoughts
• Davis (2009) found that individuals suffering with mental illness are 25% more likely to die from unnatural causes

Question 7

what are the 4 Ds used for

Answer 7

to help health professionals in defining abnormality
the 4 Ds may be present when no mental illness is e.g.g someones family member may have just died and its affected them massively

Question 8

what did Davis suggest

Answer 8

a 5th D, duration, which refers to the length of time the individual has shown symptoms, for example different schizophrenic disorders are based on the length of time symptoms have been shown

Question 9

what is the practical application of the 4 Ds

Answer 9

used by professionals such as psychologists in diagnosing mental disorders

Question 10

what is a strength of deviance

Answer 10

it is objectively measured using a distribution curve to see where each patient is on it to decide whether their behaviour is abnormal

Question 11

what is a weakness of danger

Answer 11

can lead to labelling with negative conations and then self fulfilling prophecy

Question 12

what is a strength of danger

Answer 12

Davis (2009) - those diagnosed with a mental disorder are 25% more likely to die from unnatural causes

Question 13

what is a weakness of distress

Answer 13

hard to measure, people deal with distress differently and it is therefore subjective

Question 14

what is a strength of distress

Answer 14

in the DSM V it states to ask the participants what distress means to them to help decide what is abnormal for them

Question 15

what is a weakness of dysfunction

Answer 15

hard to measure as dysfunction may be deliberate e.g. find it hard to get out of bed or people may not be able to physically get out of bed