PSY240H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Reference Group, Binge Eating, Depersonalization
Document Summary
A diagnostic system for mental disorders provides a description of a disorder. It allows for the use of universal vocabulary so that clinicians can effectively communicate. An assessment is the procedure through which information is gathered systematically in the evaluation of a condition; this assessment procedure yields information that serves as the basis for a diagnosis. A mental health assessment may include interviews, psychophysiological or psychological testing, and the completion of self-report scales or other report rating scales. Reliability: a diagnostic system must give the same measurement for a given item every time: inter-rater reliability: the extent to which two clinicians agree on the diagnosis of a particular patient. The interest in the classification of psychopathology dates back to at least the middle ages. The international statistical classification of disease, injuries, and causes of death was formed in 1948. The american psychiatric association published the diagnostic and statistical manual (dsm) in 1952.