diagnosis

Question 1

Classification of mental disorder

Answer 1

CD-10 and DSM-5 cluster symptoms together to identify disorders and distinguish them from each other

Question 2

Schizophrenia

Answer 2

Classification then used to identify disorder in individuals with specific symptoms

Question 3

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 3

Atypical symptoms experienced in addiction to normal experiences

Question 4

Hallucinations

Answer 4

Unreal or distorted sensory experiences
Eg auditory and visual
- positive symptom

Question 5

Delusions

Answer 5

Beliefs with no basis in reality eg believing you are an important historical figure or someone is persecuting you
- positive symptom

Question 6

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 6

Atypical experiences that represent loss of usual experience

Question 7

Speech poverty

Answer 7

Reduced frequency or quality of speech, disorganisation
- Negative symptom

Question 8

Avolition

Answer 8

Loss of motivation, low activity levels
- Negative symptom

Question 9

Co-morbidity

Answer 9

Two disorders or conditions occur together – where two conditions are frequently diagnosed together it calls into question the validity of classifying the two disorders separately

Question 10

Symptom overlap

Answer 10

When two or more conditions share symptoms – question validity of classifying the two disorders separately

Question 11

Good reliability

Answer 11

P – strength as high reliability
E – psychiatric diagnosis said to be reliable when different diagnosing clinicians have same diagnosis (inter-rater reliability)
E - DSM-5 reliability has improved – inter-rater reliability = +.97 and test-retest reliability = +.92 - Osorio et al
L – we can be reasonably sure that the diagnosis of schizophrenia is consistently applied

Question 12

Low validity

Answer 12

P – limitation is diagnosis has low validity
E – validity over concerns whether we assess what we are trying to assess
E - 100 clients assessed, 68 diagnosed with schizophrenia using ICD-10 and 39 with DSM-4 – low criterion validity - Cheniaux et al
L – schizphrenia is either over- or under-diagnosed according to the diagnostic system so criterion validity is low

Counterpoint
P – excellent agreement between clinicians when used two measures
E - alternative diagnostic procedures within DSM-5 show good agreement - Osorio et al
L – criterion validity is good provided it takes place within a single diagnostic system

Question 13

Co-morbidity - issue

Answer 13

P – limitation due to co-morbidity with other conditions
E – calls into question validity of diagnosis
E - Around half of clients also have another diagnosis eg depression, substance abuse - Buckley et al
L – problem as schizophrenia may not exist as distinct condition – problem with diagnosis

Question 14

Gender bias

Answer 14

P – limitation due to gender bias existing in diagnosis
E – Since 1980s more men than women have received a diagnosis – maybe less vulnerable or genetic factors
E – however more likely under diagnosed as have closer relationships and support so better functioning than men
L – alpha bias – women may not therefore be receiving treatment and services that might benefit them

Question 15

Culture bias

Answer 15

P – cultural bias existing in diagnosis
E - African-Caribbean British – 9 times more likely to be diagnosed than white British
E - Maybe because norms in African-Caribbean communities misinterpreted by white clinicians
L - British African-Caribbean people may be discriminated against by a culturally-biased diagnostic system

Question 16

Symptom overlap

Answer 16

P – symptoms overlap with other conditions
E - Symptoms of schizophrenia and eg bipolar disorder overlap, both conditions involve delusions and avolition
E - Makes diagnosis and classification difficult as suggests variations of single condition
L – schizophrenia may not exist as a distinct condition so classification and diagnosis are flawed