Studies
Scheff
Self Fulfilling Prophecy
Suggested that once a person is labeled "mentally ill," they are forced into a social role that encourages them to act out the symptoms, leading to a permanent "career" as a patient.
What is the difference between reliability and validity?
The validity is determined
by its ability to classify a pattern of symptoms. Reliability is measured by its efficiency
across different clinicians, patients, and disorders.
Cultural Differences in depression
Affective vs. Somatic
What are three approaches to treating depression?
Biomedical, CBT, Group Therapy
Rosenhan (1973)
They tested the reliability of diagnoses by telling the hospital that they were going to admit fake patients (when there were actual patients that suffered from schizophrenia). This resulted in most being misdiagnosed due to confirmation bias.
Culture bound syndromes:
psychological disorders that are specific to cultures
Serotonin Hypothesis
Underproduction of Serotonin in the brain as a cause for depression
What are two ways that psychologists can avoid cultural bias in diagnosis?
Learning about the patients’ culture and have bilingual clinician/translator
Nurnberger and Gershon
Seven twin studies, found concordance rate for major depressive was higher in MZ twins (65%) than DZ
(14%), supports the hypothesis that there are genetic factors that can predispose people
DSM
Handbook used by psychiatrists to identify and classify symptoms of disorders
The Prevalence Rate for Depression
20% or around 1 in 5 people
What are three methods for diagnosing mental illness?
Observation, Brain Scanning, Psychological Testing
Marsella (1979)
affective symptoms are typical in individualistic cultures; collectivist cultures have more of a social group so somatic symptoms are more common
Etiology
Study of causes of a disease
Three components of the Triad by Beck?
The self
The world
The future
Why is defining behaviour as abnormal so difficult?
Diversity in life habits and social norms
Jenkins-Hall and Sacco (1991)
Demonstrated that white therapists were more likely to give a more negative prognosis to Black patients than white patients with the same symptoms, raising concerns about overpathologization.
Overpathologisation
Attributing things as cultural practices that are normal for some, as a symptom of a disorder just because it is unknown to the researcher(s)
Possible Explanations for the Depression Prevalence Rate in women being higher than in men?
Hormones, Expectations etc.
Why are biomedical treatments often the most used for depression?
They focus on regulating the balance of neurotransmitters.