Clinical psychology
1. Concerned with what makes bhv abnormal
2. Seeks to diagnose mental health problems so they can be treated
3. Investigates explanations + treatments for mental disorders
4. Studies issues related to diagnosis by looking at reliability + validity of different
diagnostic systems
Diagnosis of mental disorders
Assessment of abnormality
Diagnosis: propose cause for medical problem
Clinicians take note of:
- Symptoms + how long
- General health
, 2
- Social psychological problems
Take into account patient’s context + situation
Prognosis: prediction how problem develop with/out treatment
Issue: point at which bhv so “abnormal” that it requires clinical diagnosis + treatment
No physiological signs of MDs
DEVIANCE
Extent bhvs, thoughts + emotions “rare” + “deviant” (viewed as extreme, unusual,
bizarre, undesirable + differ from statistical & social norms) within society =clinical
disorder
Bhvs + emotions viewed as socially unacceptable
Statistical norms: behaviour frequent =normal but rare / unusual= abnormal
Normal distribution curve: majority of scores cluster around mean =normal
Truly abnormal at top / bottom of scale
+ Objective
- Ignores how we feel about abnormality
Social norms: shared standards of acceptable behavior
1. Culture: different social norms
2. History: once abnormal may become normal later
3. Situation: bhv normal in 1 place/context may be abnormal in different situation
4. Age + gender: different expectations for men +women, young + old
+ Popular feelings + moral values
+ Norm-breaking useful indicator of psychological abnormality as failure to
conform to statistical / social norms lead to negative attention from others &
social exclusion
+ Standardised tests assess symptoms of disorders
, 3
- Subjective : therapist influenced by whether they personally find bhv shocking /
upsetting
- Curtailing of human rights as social norms change with time
- Some cultures deem bhvs as desirable rather than deviant
- Some problematic bhvs not that rare: clinician weighs up all 4 diagnostic
dimensions for whether patient requires further psychiatric care
- Decision of whether bhv needs further diagnosis relies on what’s discussed btw
patient - clinician : reliable = all 4Ds explored with everyone so they are measured
in standardised way & any decision over level of “deviance” is based on a
standardised measure
DYSFUNCTION
Abnormal bhv significantly interferes with everyday tasks and unable to cope
with demands of everyday life
Discuss carefully all aspects of patient’s everyday life b/C disturbances in not
obvious areas
Rosenhan & Seligman (1989): failure to function adequately :
● Unpredictable loss of control
● Irrational, incomprehensible
● Discomfort to observers
● Suffering / distress
● Maladaptiveness (risk to yourself and others)
● Vividness & unconventionality (deviance)
● Violate moral standards
+ More objective than appealing to social norms
+ Help determine when MH “issue” is MH “disorder”
- Abnormal bhv may actually be helpful for individual
- Lacks objectivity: disagree on what’s considered dysfunctional bhv =
clinician take into account how person is coping with bhv b/C what’s
considered to be dysfunctional by 1 is seen differently by another
, 4
DISTRESS
Abnormal bhv causing upset, unhappiness
Negative feelings occur inappropriately / persist too long
E.g. anxiety, isolation, confusion, fear
Treated in isolation from other Ds: patient extremely distressed by current situation but
still able to function completely normally in other life areas
Patient’s subjective experience important: face great difficulty but feeling no distress /
very distressed by smth others view as trivial (little importance)
What 1 person finds dysfunctional might not affect some1 else so much (degree of
distress dependent on job + levels of support)
Stress: belief of not having enough resources to cope = INDIVIDUAL BELIEF
+ Connects abnormality to quality of life
- Subjective judgment + interpretation of patient’s experience
DANGER
Bhv puts at risk individual + others around them
Based on “harm principle”: right to behave in any way if don’t cause harm
On scale of severity: many engage in bhv that could be dangerous but don’t cause
immediate harm, but if problematic bhv risky + not addressed = need diagnosis
- Lead people to equate mental illness with being dangerous
5TH D: DURATION
Deviant, dysfunctional, distressing + dangerous bhvs in short term but if persist =
symptom of an illness requiring psychiatric attention
ISSUES AND DEBATES
★ ETHICS / SOCIAL SENSITIVITY
Issues of diagnosing MDs
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller erikakumar. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $13.62. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
