Pyschology Atypical

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two key points about the views of each of the following:

a. Szasz

b. Laing

c. Goffman

Answer:

a. Labelling someone with a mental illness can lead to stereotyping and discrimination by other people within society.

Labelling someone with a mental illness just because they have upset ‘social order’ results in people being punished by forms of e.g. invasive treatment and therefore depriving them of their civil rights.

b. Families and environmental factors within families may sometimes actually be the cause for ‘abnormal behaviour’.

Certain behaviours are displayed as a way of coping with a difficult situation.

c. Labelling and hospitalisation cause more problems than it solves due to the stigma attached to Mental Illnesses.

Hospitals are dangerous places for people experiencing mental illnesses and institutionalise people that stay in them.

Question:

What are the potential implications of misdiagnosis for the patient?

Answer:

Incorrect diagnosis/treatment for the condition you might have/symptoms you may be experiencing.

Experiencing dangerous side effects of medication or treatment if diagnosed incorrectly.

Discrimination as a result of being labelled as having a mental illness

Question:

Can you think of three criticisms of the psychometric approach?

Answer:

1. Some people might find the questionnaire too difficult to understand

2. People answering the questions may not be totally truthful with their responses.

3. Responses are quite limited so may not correspond with how people are actually feeling.

Question:

What are the implications of the way Asperger’s is classified and viewed in the DSM-5?

Answer:

The DSM-5 merges existing diagnoses onto just one broader spectrum. (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) There are many concerns with this because although people with Asperger’s normally have a type of autism they are very different. Making one definition for the entire autism spectrum could lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate medical treatment and insufficient support.