Exam II Flashcards
(41 cards)
According to Boorse’s “What a theory of mental health should be,” what is a primary reason for the lack of agreement regarding the concepts of mental health and illness?
a) The inherent subjectivity of human experience.
b) The lack of a completely acceptable supertheory on which psychiatry can base its work and the unwillingness to use physiology as a paradigm.
c) The influence of cultural and societal values on the definition of normalcy.
d) The fundamental difference between the mind and the body, as proposed by Cartesian dualism
b) The lack of a completely acceptable supertheory on which psychiatry can base its work and the unwillingness to use physiology as a paradigm
Which of the following best describes Boorse’s Bio Statistical Theory (BST) of health?
a) Health is the presence of highly valued personality traits within a culture.
b) Health is defined by the absence of observable suffering or incapacitation.
c) Health is defined in terms of normal functional ability, where functions contribute to survival and reproduction, statistically determined within a reference class.
d) Health is a purely subjective experience determined by an individual’s sense of well-being
c) Health is defined in terms of normal functional ability, where functions contribute to survival and reproduction, statistically determined within a reference class.
Boorse’s BST defines disease as a state contrary to a species-typical nature, which is a “functional design empirically shown typical of it”, defined statistically within a reference class and related to survival and reproduction
Boorse argues that a theory of mental health should align with the physiological understanding of disease by focusing on:
a) Subjective feelings and personal distress.
b) Social deviance and culturally unacceptable behaviors.
c) Causal understanding of mental disorders based on disruptions to normal functional abilities.
d) Symptomatic definitions that mirror early physiological medicine
c) Causal understanding of mental disorders based on disruptions to normal functional abilities
Boorse advocates for a causal model similar to physiological medicine and defines mental health in terms of disruptions to normal functional abilities
According to Glackin, what is a key limitation of using a species’ biological design from the distant evolutionary past as the defining criteria for health and illness in the present day?
a) Our understanding of the evolutionary past is incomplete and speculative. b) The tasks faced by bodies and minds today are different from those for which they were originally designed.
c) Human biology has fundamentally changed since the African Savanna era.
d) Evolutionary biology focuses solely on physical traits and ignores mental functions
b) The tasks faced by bodies and minds today are different from those for which they were originally designed.
Glackin critiques Boorse by arguing that standards of health and disease arising from our evolutionary past on the African Savanna may no longer be relevant to contemporary lives
Glackin argues that judgments of medical and psychiatric dysfunction reflect a society’s:
a) Objective understanding of biological and psychological processes.
b) Adherence to scientific and empirical evidence.
c) Willingness to tolerate and/or accommodate those conditions.
d) Discovery of inherent biological abnormalities
c) Willingness to tolerate and/or accommodate those conditions.
Glackin’s positive view is that judgments of dysfunction reflect our collective willingness or reluctance to tolerate and/or accommodate the conditions in question
Szasz, in “The Myth of Mental Illness,” contends that mental illnesses are fundamentally different from bodily diseases because:
a) Mental illnesses always have clear and identifiable biological markers.
b) Mental “illnesses” are really problems with living involving the violation of social, religious, legal, or moral norms, rather than objectively identifiable bodily lesions.
c) Psychiatry utilizes the same scientific methods as other branches of medicine.
d) The mind is a material entity that can be scientifically investigated in the same way as the body
b) Mental “illnesses” are really problems with living involving the violation of social, religious, legal, or moral norms, rather than objectively identifiable bodily lesions.
Szasz argues that disease should refer to bodily lesions identifiable by objective means, and that mental illnesses are instead deviations from psychosocial norms
According to Wipond, the “chemical imbalance” view of mental disorder:
a) Has been definitively proven by extensive scientific research.
b) Is the primary method by which mental disorders are currently diagnosed.
c) Originally emerged due to observed pharmacological effects of various drugs but has not been fully confirmed by subsequent evidence.
d) Provides clear biomarkers for the majority of mental illnesses listed in the DSM
c) Originally emerged due to observed pharmacological effects of various drugs but has not been fully confirmed by subsequent evidence.
Wipond notes the origins of the theory in drug effects and mentions the lack of conclusive evidence, citing the limited effectiveness of SSRIs compared to placebos
Wipond highlights concerns about the expansion of the “diagnostic net” in psychiatry, suggesting that:
a) More inclusive diagnostic criteria ensure that all individuals in need receive appropriate treatment.
b) The DSM’s increasingly specific categories lead to more accurate diagnoses.
c) The broadening of diagnostic criteria and the interpretation of normal feelings/thoughts/behaviors as symptoms can lead to overdiagnosis and increased risk of involuntary commitment.
d) Reliance on patient self-report in diagnostic surveys minimizes the risk of misdiagnosis
c) The broadening of diagnostic criteria and the interpretation of normal feelings/thoughts/behaviors as symptoms can lead to overdiagnosis and increased risk of involuntary commitment.
Wipond discusses the medicalization of normal sadness, how DSM symptoms can be normal feelings, and how survey-based diagnoses can lead to increased risk of involuntary commitment
Pickard uses Hilary Putnam’s “Twin Earth” thought experiment to argue that “schizophrenia” is not a natural kind because:
a) Schizophrenia has a clear and consistent underlying biological cause, similar to water being H2O.
b) The superficial symptoms of schizophrenia are entirely different across individuals.
c) Our concept of schizophrenia is primarily defined by a cluster of surface-level symptoms, and we cannot guarantee a consistent underlying biological essence, even if neural correlates are found.
d) Unlike water, schizophrenia is entirely a social construct with no basis in biology
c) Our concept of schizophrenia is primarily defined by a cluster of surface-level symptoms, and we cannot guarantee a consistent underlying biological essence, even if neural correlates are found.
Pickard adapts the thought experiment to illustrate that even with a shared underlying physical property (like XYZ on Twin Earth), if our concept (“water” or “schizophrenia”) is fundamentally tied to surface properties (drinking/washing or symptoms), the underlying difference matters for natural kinds
According to Pickard, even though “bad” personality disorders involve deviations from ethical norms, they can still be studied scientifically by examining:
a) Their purely moral dimensions and the process of moral conversion.
b) Their alignment with Aristotelian concepts of virtue and vice without considering biological factors.
c) The developmental pathways of the associated character traits, including potential neurological underpinnings influenced by factors like childhood experiences.
d) Their classification as moral failings rather than medical conditions
c) The developmental pathways of the associated character traits, including potential neurological underpinnings influenced by factors like childhood experiences.
Pickard suggests investigating the development of character traits associated with PDs, drawing on Aristotle and considering neurological factors like the development of the orbito-frontal cortex due to childhood experiences
According to Boorse, what is the purpose of a “reference class” in the Bio Statistical Theory?
A) To define disease in terms of social desirability.
B) To identify the subjective experience of illness.
C) To statistically determine normal functioning within a specified population group.
D) To distinguish mental illness from somatic illness.
C) To statistically determine normal functioning within a specified population group.
Which of the following best reflects Wipond’s concerns about psychiatric diagnoses?
A) Psychiatry is an entirely objective science with clear biomarkers.
B) Modern psychiatric classifications reduce the risk of misdiagnosis.
C) The expansion of diagnostic criteria increases the risk of involuntary commitment.
D) Psychiatric diagnosis should rely solely on patient self-report.
C) The expansion of diagnostic criteria increases the risk of involuntary commitment.
According to Pickard, what does the “Twin Earth” thought experiment illustrate about schizophrenia?
A) Schizophrenia is a biologically reducible mental disorder.
B) Schizophrenia is not a natural kind because its symptoms do not map to a singular biological cause.
C) Schizophrenia cannot be treated using medical methods.
D) Schizophrenia is best understood through its neurological causes alone.
B) Schizophrenia is not a natural kind because its symptoms do not map to a singular biological cause.
What is a core tenet of Szasz’s critique of psychiatry?
A) Mental illness should be redefined using psychoanalytic frameworks.
B) Mental illnesses are brain disorders and should be treated biologically.
C) Mental illnesses are not genuine diseases but rather problems of living.
D) Mental health can only be defined through statistical methods.
C) Mental illnesses are not genuine diseases but rather problems of living.
According to Glackin, why is the concept of disease inherently value-laden?
A) All medical classifications are based on cultural traditions.
B) Disease is defined entirely by statistical deviation from the norm.
C) Societal judgments influence what conditions are deemed tolerable or in need of treatment.
D) Psychiatry is fundamentally distinct from medical science.
C) Societal judgments influence what conditions are deemed tolerable or in need of treatment.
What distinguishes disease from illness in Boorse’s Bio Statistical Theory (BST)?
A) Disease is defined by subjective experiences, while illness is defined by biological dysfunction.
B) Disease involves internal dysfunction, while illness refers to the subjective experience of harm.
C) Illness involves biological dysfunction, while disease refers to moral failings.
D) Illness is culturally defined, while disease is a personal experience.
B) Disease involves internal dysfunction, while illness refers to the subjective experience of harm.
What is a major criticism Boorse has regarding symptomatic definitions of mental illness?
A) They align too closely with psychoanalytic theories.
B) They rely on the concept of Cartesian dualism.
C) They focus on observable symptoms rather than underlying causes.
D) They fail to address cultural differences in mental health.
C) They focus on observable symptoms rather than underlying causes.
According to Boorse, which of the following is necessary to extend the concept of somatic health to mental health?
A) Mental processes must be purely neurological.
B) Mental processes must play a causal role in action.
C) Mental health must be defined solely by observable behavior.
D) Mental illness must be defined as a metaphor.
B) Mental processes must play a causal role in action.
Which thinker emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of studying mental disorders?
A) Boorse
B) Szasz
C) Pickard
D) Glackin
C) Pickard
What does Pickard argue about schizophrenia?
A) It is a natural kind with clear scientific properties.
B) It is best understood through a teleological framework.
C) It cannot be classified as a natural kind because it lacks unifying scientific properties.
D) It is entirely caused by environmental trauma.
C) It cannot be classified as a natural kind because it lacks unifying scientific properties.
Which of the following best reflects Szasz’s view on mental illness?
A) Mental illness is a biological dysfunction similar to physical disease.
B) Mental illness is a myth and represents problems of living.
C) Mental illness is entirely defined by genetic abnormalities.
D) Mental illness is best explained through evolutionary theory.
B) Mental illness is a myth and represents problems of living.
According to Wipond, why does the “chemical imbalance” theory of mental disorders persist?
A) It is strongly supported by scientific evidence.
B) It aligns with evolutionary biology.
C) Pharmaceutical companies are motivated to perpetuate it for profit.
D) It explains the majority of psychiatric conditions.
C) Pharmaceutical companies are motivated to perpetuate it for profit.
What is one of Glackin’s main criticisms of Boorse’s evolutionary definition of disease?
A) It cannot explain why mental illness exists.
B) It assumes mental disorders are entirely social constructs.
C) Evolutionary health standards may not apply to modern life.
D) It disregards the role of brain structure in disease.
C) Evolutionary health standards may not apply to modern life.
- Which thinker argues that disease is a value-based decision within a community?
A) Boorse
B) Szasz
C) Glackin
D) Pickard
C) Glackin
