This is the Chapter 1 of the book Psychological Diagnostics in Health Care (Luteijn & Barelds, 2019). Which is content for the exam of the Theory component of Module 5 (Mental Health) of the University of Twente, in the Netherlands

The Diagnostic Process

Introduction

• Clinical psychodiagnostics: professional activity based on 3 elements  
  • 1. The problems/complains and problematic behaviour
  • 2. Operationalization and its subsequent measurements
  • 3. The application of relevant diagnostic methods

Steps in the diagnostic process

• Diagnostician analyses client’s request for help and the referrer’s request, and formulates question questions that arise during the first meeting
• Diagnostician will construct a provisional theory about the client, which describes what the problems are and how they can be explained
  
  • Testing this theory requires:
    

This is the Chapter 15 of the book Psychopathology (Davey, G. C., 2021). Which is content for the exam of the Theory component of Module 5 (Mental Health) of the University of Twente, in the Netherlands

Ch. 15: Neurocognitive disorders

• Disorders have psychological (experiences that give rise to problematic ways of thinking and behaving and may cause distress and form the basis for diagnosable psychopathologies)
• Neurocognitive disorders have their origins in damage or abnormalities in the biological substrates that underlie thinking and behaving
  
  • They are biological as they are identified as biochemical imbalances in the brain and nervous system or direct or indirect damage to brain tissue
• Rehabilitation programmes:
  
  • 1. Restoring previously affected cognitive and behavioural functions
  • 2. Helping to develop new skills to replace those that

This is the summary of the Lecture 3: Depression and mood disorders. In this lecture, the following chapters were discussed: Chapter 7 Davey (2021)

Lecture 3

Depression and mood disorders

“Though I am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me” Vincent van Gogh

What is a mood disorder?

“A mood disorder is not just a diagnosis”

• Mental health disorder affects person’s emotional state
• Symptoms that last relative long periods
• Long-term deficits in social, functional, cognitive areas

Diagnostics:

• Two groups of mood disorders, with many subtypes
  • 1. Depressive disorders
  • 2. Bipolar disorders
• Diagnostics:
  
  • Language that professionals speak. Helps communication, comparison, prediction, and treatment planning
  • It does not give

This is the summary of the Lecture 1: Introduction Psychopathology & Psychodiagnostics. In this lecture, the following chapters were discussed: Chapter 1 Davey (2021) and Chapter 1 to 4 of Luteijn & Barelds (2019)

Lecture 1

Psychopathology & Psychodiagnostics

Psychodiagnostics

• By collecting information about client and their environment:
• The goal is to design the best approach to problems and interests of the client
• And to evaluate our approach (during and after the treatment)

Characteristics of clinical diagnosis:

• Theory development of problematic behaviour
• Operationalisation and its subsequent measurements
• Application of relevant diagnostic methods

The diagnostic process:

1. Application

• 1. Analysis of the request
  • Information about the referrer
  • Type and content of request