Transcript Characteristics of Disorders

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Exam Style Questions
(ESQ)
January 2010
a.Describe the characteristics of a psychotic disorder. (10)
b.Evaluate difficulties when identifying characteristics of psychological disorders. (15)
June 2013
a.Describe the characteristics of one anxiety disorder. (10)
b.To what extent is it valid to identify a disorder from a list of characteristic. (15)
June 2014
a.Outline the characteristics of an affective disorder. (10)
b.Asses the reliability of identifying a disorder from a list of characteristics. (15)
Exam Style Question
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January 2010
a)Evaluate
difficulties when identifying
characteristics of psychological disorders. (15)
1.
Inter-rater reliability – do Psychiatrists agree with each other?
Cooper et. al. (1972) Beck (1962)
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Overlap between disorders due to similar symptoms
3.
Symptoms may not always be evident by observation –relies
on self-report
4.
Ethnocentrism – culturally bound disorders Szaz 1967
5.
Gender Bias – Is one gender more prone to receive a
diagnosis? Ford and Widiger (1989)
6.
Type 1 & 2 Error – Rosenhan
7.
Self-Fulfilling prophecy - Rosehan
8.
Insanity defense - Rosehan
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Research the following points and
provide evidence to support them.
Can you link the points to
reliability/validity?
Counter argument
(Strengths)
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There are methodological problems with the studies on
validity and reliability (researcher bias, generalisability,
ecological validity).
Revised diagnostic tools are higher in reliability than earlier
versions, e.g. DSM-IV-TR.
Many people do seek help voluntarily for disorders (which
may mean that the disorder is valid).
The reliability of diagnosis is high for some disorders, e.g.
obsessive compulsive disorder.
There are many similarities of disorders across cultures.
Diagnostic systems do not classify people, but the disorders
that they have.
Without diagnosis we wouldn’t be offering the correct
treatment
The more observable the behavior classified the better we
would be become at identifying people at risk of
developing the illness