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
  • Referrer’s knowledge about client
• 2. Analysis of request for help

2. The diagnostic reflection

• Studying file data
• Weigh information
• Take into account own bias, knowledge, preferences
• When needed: literature search, and refer to a colleague

3. Diagnostic scenario

• Collect all questions
• Formulate preliminary theory about client
• Relate problems to questions --> there are 5 basic questions from which all questions can be summarized
  
  • 1. Recognition --> What?
    
    • E.g. To what extent does Greg suffer from feelings of
      disconnection?
  • 2. Explanation --> Why?
    
    • E.g. To what extent can Greg's exposure to a traumatic event in
      the past explain his flashbacks?
  • 3. Prediction --> What will happen in the future?
    
    • E.g. To what extent will the symptoms get better in the future?
  • 4. Indication --> How can problems be solved?
    
    • E.g. Can exposure therapy reduce the symptoms?
  • 5. Evaluation --> Did it work?
    
    • E.g. To what extent has exposure therapy reduced the
      symptoms?

4. Diagnostic research

• Select research tools considering:
  • Questions that need to be answered
  • The tools are suited to measure what you aim to measure --> come up with testable predictions, to make sure you don’t fall into confirmation bias
  • Efficiency

5. Reporting

• First aim: summarise diagnostic process, answering the 5 questions
• Second aim: effective communication about client
• Diagnostic quality
  
  • Psychodiagnostics defined as:
    
    • Diagnostic frames of reference or theories
      
      • Individual
      • Development --> Freud theories
      • Context --> If context influences client’s problematic behaviour
    • The three frames of references can be tested in test theory models and statistical methods

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 meaning to patience experience
  • It does not give causal explanations

Etiology of mood disorders

• Diathesis-stress models: stressful experiences trigger disorders in people who are vulnerable
• Depression: (potential) genetic predisposition + psychological stressors
• Bipolar: a more pronounced genetic component

Risk factors:

Depression:

• Social and environmental factors
• Gender
• Neurobiological factors
• Stressful life events
• Long-term health issues
• Ethnic minority? Not always, when it comes to global results
• Negative emotionality (e.g. rumination, neuroticism)

Bipolar:

• Genetics
• Drug/alcohol use
• Stressful life events
• Neurobiological factors (e.g. neurotransmitters)
• Cognitive deficits (related to difficulties in
  emotion regulation)

The diagnostic process:

• Interview, observe, and use of instruments
  • History, level of functioning (how well client functions in daily life --> e.g. functioning depression, nonfunctioning depression)
• Clinical interview protocols (semi-structured, disorder-based)
• Questionnaires for screening --> not in-depth analysis, general classification of client’s symptoms
• Special challenges:
  • • Interviewing depressed patients: time-consuming, due to their slow/passivity attitude
    • In (hypo) mania: they don’t want to talk to you, they feel great. There is no experienced problem.

Treatments of mood disorders:

• Talk therapies
• Medication
• Other treatments:
  
  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): was one of the most invasive treatments, but it has adapted. Now it seems to be really effective for severe persistent depression (when nothing else worked)
  • Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): pulses of magnetic energy to increase brain activity at a specific location
  • Light therapy: supplementing natural sunlight with artificial light to treat SAD

Prognosis of mood disorders:

• Recurring or ongoing symptoms --> dependent on:
  • The severity of the condition
  • How early is it’s diagnoses (and whether something has been done for treatment)
  • Whether it was treated properly
  • Comorbidity