Discuss validity and reliability of diagnosis

DISCUSS VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF DIAGNOSIS MANUALS

Participants (8 - 5 male, 3 female) attempted to gain access to various hospitalsвЂ™ psychiatric wards, phoned hospitals to make a diagnosis appointment (using fake names and jobs) STUDY: Rosenhan - 'Being sane in insane placesвЂќ (I)ДЄIM: to challenge the reliability / validity of diagnosis to investigate the effects of labelling If the method of diagnosis for a disorder is valid and unbiased, other diagnosticians should be able to follow this method and be able to diagnose the same disorder in another patient with accuracy.ДЄ valid method of diagnosis will disregard any confirmation biases (psychiatrists put emphasis on certain factors and overlook other factors), fundamental attribution errors (attributing behaviours / symptoms to dispositional factors), and any self-fulfilling prophecy on the patientsвЂ™ part. Validity in regards to diagnosis means whether or not the diagnosis is accurate and reflects the symptoms being displayed. What is a disorder in one culture could be quite normal in another. adolescents, women) to be more prone to depression, so they are more likely to diagnose them as such (this could also be considered confirmation bias)Дifferent cultures may view symptoms and disorders differently to others. For example, they may expect a certain group of people (e.g. 80% reliability for OCD, 57% reliability for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) this may be because how excessive a personsвЂ™ worries are are subjective to the personД¬ultural biasВ occurs when the diagnosis is influenced by the attitudes / prejudices of the psychiatrist. Two clinicians separately diagnosed 267 people seeking treatment for anxiety / stress-related disorders Studied the reliability of the DSM III for anxiety disorders Agreement between two psychiatrists on diagnosis for 153 patients was 54% Meanwhile, London psychiatrists were twice as likely to diagnose mania / depression Psychiatrists in NY were twice as likely to diagnose schizophrenia than London psychiatrists Psychiatrists in London and New York were shown the same videotaped clinical interviews how objective the criteria is), andВ whether repeating the diagnosis will result in different results each time.

Reliability in regards to diagnosis is whether or not the same disorder can be diagnosed accurately in every case,В whether or not different diagnosticians get the same diagnosis (i.e. the DSM was released by the American Psychiatric Association, the ICD was released by the World Health Organisation, and China has its own manual, the CCMD

Different regions use different diagnostic manuals, e.g.

Labelling and its consequences on a personвЂ™s life could lead to stigmatisation, prejudice, discrimination, self-fulfilling prophecy.

Therefore, suitable treatments can be applied as needed.

Enables psychiatrists to identify specific disorders based on symptoms.

Statistical method of diagnosis, therefore quantifiable / standardised.

Based upon patientsвЂ™ self-reports, agreed upon by psychiatrist.

Somatic (physical) symptoms - headaches, nausea etc.

Cognitive (thought processing) symptoms - negative attributions, disordered thinking, pessimism, self-image etc.

Behavioural symptoms - speech / movements, crying, withdrawl etc.

Affective (mood) symptoms - sadness, mania, anger etc.

Diagnoses are based on symptoms manifesting in different ways:.

Classification / diagnostic systems are meant to be objective previously-used medical models of psychological diagnosis are now considered reductionist.

Most psychiatrists use a biopsychosocial approach to diagnosis - using criteria from diagnostic systems.

ValidityВ is the degree to which the information is accurate (in regards to methods of measuring) ReliabilityВ is the quality of being dependable (ability to be repeated)

DISCUSS VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF DIAGNOSIS MANUALS

Reference to diagnostic manuals (DSM, ICD etc.).Diagnosis also provides investigative opportunities into the etiologies of disorders. What is the purpose of diagnosis?В To identify abnormal disorders so that the right treatment can be administered in order to improve a personвЂ™s quality of life. Opinions and conclusions presented are clearly supported by appropriate evidence. вЂњ DISCUSS'В - a considered and balanced review, including a range of arguments, factors, or hypotheses.

Discuss validity and reliability of diagnosis (22 marks)