Clinical Psychology

5 Diagnosis and Classification of Psychological Problems

FOCUS QUESTIONS

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
   thethreemajordefinitionsofabnormalbehavior?


2. What is mental illness or mental disorder? Why
   are mental disorder diagnoses important?


3. How wasDSM-IVdeveloped? Describe the five
   diagnostic axes used for aDSM-IVdiagnostic
   formulation.
   4. How are diagnostic classification systems
   evaluated?
   5. What is the diathesis-stress model of
   psychopathology?

CHAPTER OUTLINE

What Is Abnormal Behavior?
Statistical Infrequency or Violation of Social Norms
The Case of Dmitri A.
BOX5-1:Clinical Psychologist Perspective:
Kenneth J. Sher, Ph.D.
The Case of Juanita L.
Subjective Distress
BOX5-2:Focus on Professional Issues:
Culture and Diagnosis
The Case of Cynthia S.
The Case of Kwame G.
Disability, Dysfunction, or Impairment
The Case of Richard Z.
The Case of Phyllis H.

Where Does This Leave Us?

Mental Illness

The Importance of Diagnosis

BOX5-3:Clinical Psychologist Perspective:

Elaine Walker, Ph.D.

Early Classification Systems

DSM-IV-TR

The Case of Michelle M.

General Issues in Classification

Categories Versus Dimensions

Causes of Abnormal Behavior and Mental Illness

Major Models of Psychopathology

Diathesis-Stress Model

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