Task 1 A difficult patient
QUESTIONS IN TASK 1
○ Does Andrew suffer from depression? What might be a differential diagnosis?
■ No, his score is only 14, which means mild mood disturbance
○ Does it make sense to give people such as Andrew a test like the BDI-II? More
generally, are tests and tasks helpful?
■ Yes, it makes it possible to determine whether the perceived disorder is
really a disorder or a mild form of behavior that could emerge in a
disorder on long term
○ Please check out the Self Confidence Test in Appendix 1; fill it out. Sum the
number of “yes”- answers. What’s your score? Andrew was also given this test
and he attained a value of 31. What do you conclude? By the way: keep a record
of your own scores at the item level; you will need them in Task 2.
■ 11
○ What is a good psychological test anyway?
Learning goals:
1. What is psychodiagnostic and what is it used for?
1.1 explain the models (from the lecture)
2. What are psychological tests? And how can you determine that a test is a good
test/best option?
3. What are the BDI questionnaires? What does the patient’s score mean? Is there any
other differential diagnosis that should be made?
4. What is the Self Confidence test?
Bron: Lecture 1
What is psychodiagnostics?
● A scientific study that helps you to make a funded statement about a person
● Aim: e.g. to make a decision, to advice a person, or to give a treatment
→ thus: do I need to be worried about the person? What can i do to help or advice this
person?
● Psychodiagnostic is not only a study of diseases or abnormal behavior
● Therefore this course is not only a preparation for working in a clinical setting
○ You want to avoid problems!
, Classification stage - the “relatively”easy one?!
Can be different descriptions of behavior
E.g. parents, family members, friends, teachers
Explanation stage - the “relatively” difficult and forgotten one?!
E.g. why does he show symptoms of ADHD? (causes and maintaining factors)
Answer is essential for e.g. treatment planning
Explanation stage should be driven by theory and science
Clinicians often value this stage as less important
→ psychologists could be building a schema with explanations directly upon seeing
the symptoms
Bron: Beck’s Depression Inventory
INTERPRETING THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY
Now that you have completed the questionnaire, add up the score for each of the twenty-one
questions by counting the number to the right of each question you marked. The highest
possible total for the whole test would be sixty-three. The lowest possible score for the test
would be zero.
Total Score______________Levels of Depression
1-10____________________These ups and downs are considered normal 11-
16___________________ Mild mood disturbance
17-20___________________Borderline clinical depression 21-
30___________________Moderate depression
31-40___________________Severe depression
Over 40__________________Extreme depression
Bron: Glischinski, Brachel, Hirschfeld
QUESTIONS IN TASK 1
○ Does Andrew suffer from depression? What might be a differential diagnosis?
■ No, his score is only 14, which means mild mood disturbance
○ Does it make sense to give people such as Andrew a test like the BDI-II? More
generally, are tests and tasks helpful?
■ Yes, it makes it possible to determine whether the perceived disorder is
really a disorder or a mild form of behavior that could emerge in a
disorder on long term
○ Please check out the Self Confidence Test in Appendix 1; fill it out. Sum the
number of “yes”- answers. What’s your score? Andrew was also given this test
and he attained a value of 31. What do you conclude? By the way: keep a record
of your own scores at the item level; you will need them in Task 2.
■ 11
○ What is a good psychological test anyway?
Learning goals:
1. What is psychodiagnostic and what is it used for?
1.1 explain the models (from the lecture)
2. What are psychological tests? And how can you determine that a test is a good
test/best option?
3. What are the BDI questionnaires? What does the patient’s score mean? Is there any
other differential diagnosis that should be made?
4. What is the Self Confidence test?
Bron: Lecture 1
What is psychodiagnostics?
● A scientific study that helps you to make a funded statement about a person
● Aim: e.g. to make a decision, to advice a person, or to give a treatment
→ thus: do I need to be worried about the person? What can i do to help or advice this
person?
● Psychodiagnostic is not only a study of diseases or abnormal behavior
● Therefore this course is not only a preparation for working in a clinical setting
○ You want to avoid problems!
, Classification stage - the “relatively”easy one?!
Can be different descriptions of behavior
E.g. parents, family members, friends, teachers
Explanation stage - the “relatively” difficult and forgotten one?!
E.g. why does he show symptoms of ADHD? (causes and maintaining factors)
Answer is essential for e.g. treatment planning
Explanation stage should be driven by theory and science
Clinicians often value this stage as less important
→ psychologists could be building a schema with explanations directly upon seeing
the symptoms
Bron: Beck’s Depression Inventory
INTERPRETING THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY
Now that you have completed the questionnaire, add up the score for each of the twenty-one
questions by counting the number to the right of each question you marked. The highest
possible total for the whole test would be sixty-three. The lowest possible score for the test
would be zero.
Total Score______________Levels of Depression
1-10____________________These ups and downs are considered normal 11-
16___________________ Mild mood disturbance
17-20___________________Borderline clinical depression 21-
30___________________Moderate depression
31-40___________________Severe depression
Over 40__________________Extreme depression
Bron: Glischinski, Brachel, Hirschfeld
