Abnormal Psychology

Clinical Diagnosis and Assessment 75

Without a classifi cation system for psychological

disorders, the problems that Pete Wentz, Carolina

Reston, and Keith Urban appear to have suffered

from—bipolar disorder, anorexia nervosa, and

substance abuse, respectively—would be nameless.

Among other purposes, a classifi cation system

allows clinicians to diagnose and treat symptoms

more effectively, allows patients to know that

they are not alone in their experiences, and helps

researchers to investigate the factors that contribute

to psychological disorders and to evaluate

treatments.

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clinicians don’t need to spell out the various elements that constitute her disorder:

for example, that she had depressed mood and a signifi cant lack of energy and

enthusiasm (Dukakis & Tye, 2006).

• They allow clinicians and researchers to group certain abnormal thoughts, feel-

ings, and behaviors into unique constellations. To say that someone has a di-

agnosis of depression effectively communicates to a mental health professional

that the patient has a particular constellation of symptoms. When a clinician

hears that Kitty Dukakis suffered from depression, for instance, the clinician can

infer that she has some or all of the following symptoms: depressed mood,

reduced pleasure in activities, fatigue or tiredness, a sense of worthlessness, dif-

fi culty concentrating, recurrent thoughts about death, and signifi cant changes

in appetite, sleep, and energy level (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

Notice how long this list of symptoms is—the term depression conveys much of

the needed information more succinctly.

• A particular diagnosis may also convey information about the etiology (causes)

of the disorder, its course, and indications for its treatment. Depression, for

instance, can further be specifi ed as either a single—that is, fi rst—episode or

as a recurrence. A diagnosis of recurrent depression implies a heightened neu-

rological and/or cognitive vulnerability to depression and a longer and more

variable course, and it indicates that the disorder may require multiple types

of treatments in order to reduce symptoms (Peterson et al., 2007). Despite

treatment, Kitty Dukakis suffered numerous bouts of depression, which sug-

gests that many types of factors contributed to her disorder and that she was

at signifi cant risk for additional episodes.

• Classification systems also enable researchers to study the causes, the

course, and the effects of treatments for various disorders. If there were no

diagnoses, then how would researchers be able to study mental illness and

its treatment? They wouldn’t be able to group together individuals with similar

problems systematically and reliably. Not only did Kitty Dukakis suffer from

depression, but she was also dependent on amphetamine pills—“uppers”—and

alcohol (Dukakis & Tye, 2006). Some researchers investigate differences be-

tween people who suffer from both depression and substance abuse (as Dukakis

did) and those who suffer only depression. Researchers have also examined the

effect of substance abuse on the course of depression (Agosti & Levin, 2006).

Kitty Dukakis became intimately familiar with

her symptoms of depression: “It is June 20, 2001,

Michael’s and my 38th wedding anniversary. It also

is the end of my fourth month of depression, my

crisis period. I’m normally a person with enormous

enthusiasm for and interest in the world. All that

is just missing now. Fun or enjoyment are things I

cannot even imagine. I don’t speak to my kids on

the phone, or to my sister” (Dukakis & Tye, 2006).

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