PSYC2101 W2 questions n answers
graded A+ passed
What statistical guideline do American clinicians use to classify mental disorders? What do
European clinicians use? - correct answer ✔✔Americans - DSM
Europeans - ICD
What are the DSM-5's definition of mental disorders? - correct answer ✔✔1. has to cause
significant disturbance and dysfunction
2. associated with significant distress or disability in social/occupational activities
3. socially deviant behaviour are mental disorders ONLY if it results from a dysfunction in the
individual
when was homosexuality removed from the DSM? - correct answer ✔✔1974
What is the advantage of removing axis based distinctions between clinical and personality
disorders from the DSM? - correct answer ✔✔It removes stigma around personality disorder
diagnoses.
Major difference between DSM-IV and DSM-5? - correct answer ✔✔DSM-IV had listed down 3
different axes for clinical disorders, personality disorders and medical/physical conditions. DSM-
5 combined these 3 axes into one.
A clinician has to take into account gender and cultural contexts when using the dsm-5 for
diagnoses. T or F? - correct answer ✔✔True
A clinician has to rule out different conditions to diagnose a person. List down an example -
correct answer ✔✔Clinician has to rule out substance/medication-induced anxiety disorder
, what are the advantages of using the DSM for diagnosis? - correct answer ✔✔1. provides a
common language for short-hand communication
2. guides treatment recommendations & access to funding e.g. children with autism can access
state funding
3. benefits for research bc you get to document prevalence, morbidity and mortality rates. can
help guide state funding and planning
4. normalizing for both person diagnosed and their family.
5. person can start educating friends and family about their disorder
Limitations of using DSM for diagnosis - correct answer ✔✔1. arbitrary cut offs - what is
normal/abnormal?
2. categorical classification is quite limiting bc a disorder can have different presentations. A
dimensional approach would thus better reflect the true representation and nature of mental
health disorders.
3. lack of diagnostic validity
4. lack of inter-rater reliability: diagnoses are subjective and interpretative that clinicians may
give the same patient different diagnoses
(lack of scientific validity/reliability actually caused National Institute of mental health to
abandon dsm5 for research purposes and instead use research domain criteria (RDOC) that has
more behavioural and neuroscience evidence)
5. pharmaceutical influence - experts working on DSM have been accused of benefitting
financially from the classification of dsm. Relatedly, when you broaden the diagnostic threshold
with each edition (e.g. more easily diagnosed with major depression now because the
bereavement exclusion is removed) more people will be diagnosed and more people will need
medication.
6. strong western influences
7. labels are stigmatizing and ppl may receive judgments/discrimination/
define personality - correct answer ✔✔individual differences in characteristic patterns of
thinking, feeling and behaving
graded A+ passed
What statistical guideline do American clinicians use to classify mental disorders? What do
European clinicians use? - correct answer ✔✔Americans - DSM
Europeans - ICD
What are the DSM-5's definition of mental disorders? - correct answer ✔✔1. has to cause
significant disturbance and dysfunction
2. associated with significant distress or disability in social/occupational activities
3. socially deviant behaviour are mental disorders ONLY if it results from a dysfunction in the
individual
when was homosexuality removed from the DSM? - correct answer ✔✔1974
What is the advantage of removing axis based distinctions between clinical and personality
disorders from the DSM? - correct answer ✔✔It removes stigma around personality disorder
diagnoses.
Major difference between DSM-IV and DSM-5? - correct answer ✔✔DSM-IV had listed down 3
different axes for clinical disorders, personality disorders and medical/physical conditions. DSM-
5 combined these 3 axes into one.
A clinician has to take into account gender and cultural contexts when using the dsm-5 for
diagnoses. T or F? - correct answer ✔✔True
A clinician has to rule out different conditions to diagnose a person. List down an example -
correct answer ✔✔Clinician has to rule out substance/medication-induced anxiety disorder
, what are the advantages of using the DSM for diagnosis? - correct answer ✔✔1. provides a
common language for short-hand communication
2. guides treatment recommendations & access to funding e.g. children with autism can access
state funding
3. benefits for research bc you get to document prevalence, morbidity and mortality rates. can
help guide state funding and planning
4. normalizing for both person diagnosed and their family.
5. person can start educating friends and family about their disorder
Limitations of using DSM for diagnosis - correct answer ✔✔1. arbitrary cut offs - what is
normal/abnormal?
2. categorical classification is quite limiting bc a disorder can have different presentations. A
dimensional approach would thus better reflect the true representation and nature of mental
health disorders.
3. lack of diagnostic validity
4. lack of inter-rater reliability: diagnoses are subjective and interpretative that clinicians may
give the same patient different diagnoses
(lack of scientific validity/reliability actually caused National Institute of mental health to
abandon dsm5 for research purposes and instead use research domain criteria (RDOC) that has
more behavioural and neuroscience evidence)
5. pharmaceutical influence - experts working on DSM have been accused of benefitting
financially from the classification of dsm. Relatedly, when you broaden the diagnostic threshold
with each edition (e.g. more easily diagnosed with major depression now because the
bereavement exclusion is removed) more people will be diagnosed and more people will need
medication.
6. strong western influences
7. labels are stigmatizing and ppl may receive judgments/discrimination/
define personality - correct answer ✔✔individual differences in characteristic patterns of
thinking, feeling and behaving
