Foundation of Personality : DSM

Question 1

Diagnostic criteria

Answer 1

defining characteristics used to classify people within a clinical category.
“feature list”: certain # of must be true to justify inclusion into category
Criteria will reflect personality traits

Question 2

Personality trait

Answer 2

a long standing pattern behaviour expressed in different situations

Question 3

personality disorder

Answer 3

pattern of problematic personality traits

Question 4

personality prototype

Answer 4

purest expression but unlikely.
when all criterion/feature traits occur together

Question 5

categories: advantages and disadvantages

Answer 5

advantage: rapid diagnosis using salient (obvious) features.
Disadvantages: assumes discrete boundaries between
1. different personality styles
2. normality and abnormality
that don’t exist (its a continuum).

Question 6

what is the multiaxial (literally means multiple axes) model

Answer 6

How disorders in the DSM are grouped.
Each axes represents a different kind of information.
each axes represents a different level of influence in human behaviour.
combined they contribute to abnormal behaviour

Question 7

axes I

Answer 7

Clinical Syndromes

Question 8

axes II

Answer 8

Personality Disorders

Question 9

Axes III

Answer 9

General Medical Conditions:
medical conditions that are major (brain injury) or minor (hormones) contributors in understanding axis I and II disorders

Question 10

Axes IV

Answer 10

Psychosocial and environmental problems relevant to psychological functioning (family, occupation, economic)

Question 11

Axes V

Answer 11

Global Assessment of Functioning:
overall index of psychological health and functioning

Question 12

Why is a multiaxial system required?

Answer 12

The multiaxial system reflects the functioning of the whole person by putting together the various symptoms and personality characteristics of a patient.
Guides our understanding of how psychopathology develops.

Question 13

using the multiaxial system, how is depression different in a narcissistic vs dependent PD?

Answer 13

what differentiates them is the MEANING of the depressive symptoms in relation to underlying personality (combination of symptoms and traits). The reason for having depressed symptoms will be different, even if depressed symptoms are the same.

Question 14

Case conceptualization

Answer 14

integration of all the available info (developmental past, present pathology) to understand how symptoms form, perpetuate, and may best be treated.