Classification Systems
Classification Systems
Classification Systems
Abnormal Psychology
Classification Systems
● Identify patterns of behavioural or mental symptoms that consistently occur together to form a disorder
● In the USA, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
published by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5) is used.
● A standardized system for diagnosis based on factors such as the
person’s clinical and medical conditions, psychosocial stressors and
the extent to which a person’s mental state interferes with his or
her daily life.
● It is developed for American psychiatrists and is used mainly in the USA.
It contains descriptions, symptoms, and other criteria for diagnosing
mental disorders.
● The World Health Organization has published the
International Classification of Diseases [ICD].
● It is developed by a global health agency and it is distributed as broadly as possible at a very low cost.
ATL: Research and Critical Thinking
What are the similarities between this disorder and Western disorders?
Comparing Classification Systems
Disorders:
Important Reading-
https://www.verywellmind.com/dsm-friend-or-foe-2671930
Homework-
● Its use results in the psychiatrist not considering cultural or social factors that
may be highly relevant
● It may be considered an oversimplification, reducing the continuum of human
behaviour to labels.
● The concept of mental illness is "medicalized." This may also lead to stigma.
● A potential for over-diagnosis, in which people are labeled as having a disorder
based on a new addition to the guide. For example, the addition of ADHD in the
DSM III and IV coincided with a significant increase in the number of children
diagnosed and treated with Ritalin. Are we better at diagnosing? Or has the
guide led to more diagnosis of something that is perhaps not a problem?
● Decisions are made in the creation of the guide that reflect current political and
health care realities.
Diagnosis is accomplished through a formal standardized
clinical interview—a checklist of questions to ask each patient.
This interview can be supplemented by interviews with the
patient’s relatives.
There are several limitations of relying on a clinical interview
for diagnosis:
Diagnosing ● The individual is automatically labeled as a
“patient.”This means that the psychiatrist is
Psychological Disorders “looking for evidence of abnormal behaviour.”
This assumption that if a person is seeking
assistance, s/he must have a mental disorder is
known as sick role bias.
● The fact that the person is being observed or
asked personal questions may increase anxiety
and therefore change or intensify behaviour. This
is called reactivity. This may then be seen by the
psychiatrist as further evidence of dysfunctional
symptoms.
● A clinician’s unique style, degree of experience,
and the theoretical orientation will definitely
affect the interview.
Psychiatrists refer to the ABCS when describing symptoms of a disorder-
Affective symptoms: emotional elements, including fear, sadness, anger
Behavioural symptoms: observational behaviours, such as crying, physical withdrawal
from others, and pacing
Cognitive symptoms: ways of thinking, including pessimism, personalization, and self-
image
Somatic symptoms: physical symptoms, including facial twitching, stomach cramping
and changes in weight.
How culture affects
diagnosis...
Important reading:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/where-transgender-is-no-longer-a-diagnosis/
Important Link:
Changes in the New Edition of DSM
https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/edu
cational-resources/dsm-5-fact-sheets
● https://www.thinkib.net/psychology/page/22453/classification-systems
● https://www.thinkib.net/psychology/page/27275/alp-12-classification-systems
● Oxford IB Psychology Course Companion