Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis - Lecture Notes | PSYC 3082, Study notes of Psychology

Download Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis - Lecture Notes | PSYC 3082 and more Study notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter 3 Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis table of contents Assessing Psychological Disorders • Purposes of Clinical Assessment – To understand the individual – To predict behavior – To plan treatment – To evaluate treatment outcome • Analogous to a Funnel – Starts broad – Multidimensional in approach – Narrow to specific problem areas Domains of Assessment: The Clinical Interview and Physical Exam • Clinical Interview – Most common clinical assessment method – Structured or semi-structured • Mental Status Exam – Appearance and behavior – Thought processes – Mood and affect – Intellectual functioning – Sensorium • Physical Exam Domains of Assessment: The Clinical Interview and Physical Exam (cont.) Figure 3.2 Components of the mental status exam Domains of Assessment: Behavioral Assessment and Observation • Behavioral Assessment – Focus on the present – Here and now – Focus on direct observation of behavior-environment relations – Purpose is to identify problematic behaviors and situations – Identify antecedents, behaviors, and consequences Domains of Assessment: Psychological Testing and Projective Tests (cont.) Figure 3.4 This inkblot resembles the ambiguous figures presented in the Rorschach test Domains of Assessment: Psychological Testing and Projective Tests (cont.) Figure 3.5 Example of a picture resembling those in the Thematic Apperception Test Domains of Assessment: Psychological Testing and Objective Tests • Objective Tests – Test stimuli are less ambiguous – Require minimal clinical inference in scoring and interpretation • Objective Personality Tests – Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI, MMPI-2, MMPI-A) – Extensive reliability, validity, and normative database Domains of Assessment: Neuroimaging and Brain Function • Imaging Brain Function – Positron emission tomography (PET) – Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) – Both involve injection of a tracer substance containing radioactive isotopes – Functional MRI (fMRI) – Provides a view of brief changes in brain activity Domains of Assessment: Psychophysiological Assessment • Psychophysiological Assessment – Methods used to assess brain structure, function, and activity of the nervous system – Electroencephalogram (EEG) – Brain wave activity – Heart rate and respiration – Cardiorespiratory activity – Electrodermal response and levels – Sweat gland activity Diagnosing Psychological Disorders: Foundations in Classification • Diagnostic Classification – Classification is central to all sciences – Assignment to categories based on shared attributes or relations • Terminology of Classification Systems – Taxonomy – Classification in a scientific context (i.e., entities/things) – Nosology – Application of a taxonomy to psychological/medical phenomena The DSM-IV (cont.) • The Five DSM-IV Axes – Axis I – Clinical Syndromes – Axis II – Stable, enduring problems (e.g., personality disorders, mental retardation) – Axis III – Medical conditions related to abnormal behavior – Axis IV – Psychosocial problems affecting functioning or treatment – Axis V – Global clinician rating of adaptive functioning • Other Unique Features of the DSM-IV Unresolved Issues in the DSM-IV • Comorbidity – Defined as two or more disorders for the same person – High comorbidity is the rule clinically – Comorbidity threatens the validity of separate diagnoses