500
Describe the dimensional approach in terms of classifying mental disorders. Provide an example of a dimensional approach, one strength and one limitation.
Dimensional approach quantifies individual's symptoms; values are then compared with the statistically 'normal' expected values for each characteristic. Mental disorder is graded in terms of magnitude, degree or severity.
An example is the MMPI. One strength is that it takes into account a wide range of factors, OR, more detailed information on each symptom, OR, reduced stigma as a profile is created rather than a label.
One limitation is that there is no standard inventory to compare, thus diagnosis is difficult, OR, it is time consuming.