chapter 1

Question 1

classification

Answer 1

a system of an overarching taxonomy of mental illness, prereq to diagnosis

Question 2

diagnosis

Answer 2

act of placing an individual, based on a constellation of signs (observable indicators) or symptoms or both, into a category within that taxonomy

Question 3

Pathology

Answer 3

pathological features considered collectively; the typical manifestation or behavior of a disease

Question 4

etiology

Answer 4

causation of a disease or condition

Question 5

heterogeneity

Answer 5

the quality or state of being diverse in character or content

Question 6

homogeneity

Answer 6

the quality or state of being all the same or all of the same kind

Question 7

What makes a symptom different than an observable indicator?

Answer 7

symptoms = subjective indicators (feelings)

Question 8

syndromes (what are they, what is the case for most classical syndromes, what is an exception)

Answer 8

• typically constellations of signs and symptoms that co-occur across individuals
• in classical syndromes, neither pathology nor etiology is well understood, nor is the syndrome’s causal relation to other conditions established
• some cases may constitute grouping of signs and symptoms that exhibit minimal covariation across individuals but that point to an underlying etiology

Question 9

example of a syndrome

Answer 9

antisocial personality disorder – signs (use of an alias) and symptoms (lack of remorse) tend to covary across indv., but the pathology and etiology are largely unknown

Question 10

disorders

Answer 10

syndromes that cannot be readily explained by other conditions

Question 11

diseases (what is it and what is an example of a disease exception)

Answer 11

• disorders in which pathology and etiology are reasonably well understood (exception = etiology of Alzheimer’s disease is evolving but not complete, but pathology is well known)

Question 12

example of a disorder

Answer 12

• OCD – can be diagnosed only if its symptoms (eg recurrent fears of contamination) and signs (eg recurrent hand washing) cannot be accounted for by a specific phobia (eg irrational fear of dirt)

Question 13

example of a disease

Answer 13

Sickle-cell anemia – disease bc its pathology (crescent-shaped erythrocytes containing hemoglobin S) and etiology (two autosomal recessive alleles) have been conclusively identified