CAS PS 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Beck Depression Inventory, Mental Disorder, Psychopathology

• School: Boston University
• Department: Psychological & Brain Sciences
• Course: CAS PS 101
• Professor: Robert Reinhart

Document Summary

Earliest view: diagnosis = demons and treatment = torture. During the last 200 years, recognition has grown that psychopathology re ects dysfunction of the body, particularly of the brain. Psychological disorders are common and account for the greatest proportion of disability in developed countries. When a psychological problem disrupts a person"s life and causes signi cant distress over a long period, the problem is considered a disorder. Assessment examination of a person"s mental state to diagnose possible psychological disorders. The primary goal of assessment is to make a diagnosis so that appropriate treatment can be provided. The course and probable outcome, or prognosis, will depend on the particular mental disorder that is diagnosed. Assessment does not stop with initial diagnosis: it"s an ongoing process. Unstructured since the beginning of clinical psychology, most interviews have been unstructured. Problem: no two unstructured interviews are likely to elicit identical information form the same patient.