Ch. 3 Classification and Diagnosis Flashcards
Week 1 (12 cards)
Why do we need a classification system for mental disorders?
provides a description of different mental disorders. gives us a vocabulary for communicating about mental disorders with others. for research, its used to identify ppl who meet the criteria for a particular disorder and those who do not so that the specific disorder of interest can be studied. also needed for surveying population health, and for understanding the prevalence and etiology of particular mental health problems.
What is a diagnosis?
a determination or identification of the nature of a persons condition or disease, or a statement of that finding.
What is a diagnostic system?
a system of rules for recognizing or grouping various types of problems.
What is an assessment?
a procedure where info is gathered systematically in the evaluation of a potential disorder. so when info is gathered to determine of a pt has certain disorders.
What does the perfect classification system consist of?
would classify disorders on the basis of presenting symptoms (patterns of experiences and behaviours), etiology (history of the development of symptoms and underlying causes), prognosis (future development or maintenance of symptoms), and response to treatment (how well diff treatments work to reduce symptoms).
What are the characteristics of strong diagnostic systems?
reliability - inter-rater reliability. validity - concurrent and predictive.
What is reliability?
when the diagnostic system must give the same measurement for a given thing everytime.
What is inter-rater reliability?
refers to the extent to which two clinicians agree on the diagnosis of a particular patient.
What is validity?
validity in a diagnostic system is determined by whether a diagnostic category is able to predict mental disorders accurately.
What is concurrent validity?
the ability of a diagnostic category to estimate a persons present standing regarding factors related to the disorder but not part of the diagnostic criteria. ie academic underachievement and falling socioeconomic status are not diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia but are found in most ppl with schizophrenia.
What is predictive validity?
a test being able to predict the future course of an individuals development.
What is the history of the classification of mental disorders?
DSM first established in 1952. DSM 2 1968. they were both shit. had very brief and vague descriptions of diagnostic categories and were greatly influenced by psychoanalytic theory so was not empirically based on observable processes. DSM 3 was made after more field trials were conducted and was atheoretical as in it moved away from endorsing any one theory of psychology or psychopathology. DSM 3 R was polythetic, meaning a person could be diagnosed if most but not all symptoms/criteria were met. DSM 5 is the recent one that was done with much feedback and contribution fro professionals around the world.
