Reliability Of The Classification Of Depression Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is inter-rater reliability?
Based on the basis that two clinicians could see the same patient and would both conclude to the same diagnosis
Following the same classification system
What are the different types of reliability
Inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability
What is test-retest reliability?
Based on the idea that the same clinician can see the patient twice within a period of time that presents with the same symptoms each time and therefore the clinician would give the same diagnosis
What factors could reduce the reliability of the classification system?
- the experience of the clinician
* prescriptive ness of the classification tool
Why may the experience of the clinician effect the validity?
This May effect the diagnosis of the patient, because if the clinician has more experience, instead of following the tool word for word, they may use their own experience to influence their decision, where as an inexperienced clinician may follow the tool rigidly and therefor may not pick up all of the signs
How might the prescriptive ness of the tool affect the validity?
This might affect the validity, because if the system is open to interpretation too much, it runs the risk of lowering the interested reliability as two clinicians may interpret the tool differently
Why is low reliability a problem?
Low reliability is a problem because it can lead to an invalid diagnosis. If two doctors were to give the same patient two different diagnosis, they can’t both be correct, therefor it runs the risk of patients getting treated unnecessarily or patients not getting the treatment that they need
What is one issue when trying to diagnose depression?
Lack of reliable outward signs
Why is lack of reliable outward signs a problem when diagnosing depression?
Depression is not a physical illness and does not have reliable signs for a doctor to diagnose it. For example, the flu and depression do not have to show all the symptoms
Why could lack of reliable outward signs make the diagnosis of depression invalid?
- The clinician may not see the symptoms needed for diagnosis, the patient may present with trouble sleeping as the main problem, but this may be a symptom of depression.
- The clinician may see symptoms that are not there. For example, a patient may not be able to sleep because they may be stressed about an exam
Why is lack of reliable outward signs a problem?
This is a problem as it could lead to the misdiagnosis of a patient. This could therefore lead to medicalisation. And individuals being given drugs unnecessarily
What can be done to address the issues of validity?
- make sure GP’s have enough time with patients
- ensure that the dr-patient relationship is positive
- promote acceptance of mental illnesses
- limit desire to treat mental illnesses
Why should we make sure that GP’s have enough time with patients?
Drs would then be able to ask patients more detailed questions and therefore decreasing the chance of patients getting misdiagnosed
Why is it important to ensure a positive patient-Dr relationship?
This is important because it may make them feel more comfortable to open up and tell the Drs more in depth details
Why is it important to promote acceptance of mental illness?
This is because it may reduce the stigma around mental illness and the fear of being labeled
Why is it important to limit the desire to treat mental illnesses?
This is because the individual may be reluctant to ask for help due the the fear of being given drugs
