ARIEL MADRID | 2021 - 2020 - Predictive Validity : how well your
Abnormal Psychology assessment tells you what will happen in
Preliminaries | February 07 2025 the future.
- Standardization : Application of certain
standards to ensure consistency across different
CHAPTER 3: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
measurements.
| Assessing Psychological Disorders Mental Status Exam
- Clinical Assessment : the systematic evaluation - Involves the systematic observation of an
and measurement of psychological, biological, individual’s behavior. This type of observation
and social factors in an individual presenting occurs when any one person interacts with
with a possible psychological disorder. another. The exam covers 5 categories.
- Different from Clinical Description - Appearance and Behavior : The clinician notes
which is the unique combination of any overt physical behaviors as well as the
these factors— the result of the individual’s dress, general appearance, posture,
assessment. and facial expressions.
- Diagnosis : the process of determining whether - Thought Processes : This encompasses the
the particular problem afflicting the individual thought processes of the patient. This includes
meets all the criteria for a psychological disorder. the rate or flow of speech, continuity of speech,
- Provisional Diagnosis : Preliminary and content of their speech.
diagnosis. The educated guess. - Delusions : distorted view of reality.
- Differential Diagnosis : Unsure - Delusions of Persecution : when
diagnosis. Having multiple suspicions someone thinks people are after
due to comorbidities or overlapping him and out to get him all the
symptoms. time .
- Final Diagnosis : diagnosis that is a - Delusions of Grandeur :
result from a series of assessment/ individuals think they are
- International Classification of Diseases : all-powerful in some way.
encompasses all illness, diseases, disorders and - Ideas of Reference : The belief
is not limited to psychiatry. that all the actions and thinking
- Written by the World Health of everyone is somehow related
Organization. him/her/
- Latest version is ICD - 11. - Hallucinations : Things a person sees or
hears when those things really aren’t
The Case of Frank : First interview reveals an insecure there.
young man experiencing substantial stress as he - Mood and Affect :
questions whether he is capable of handling marriage - Mood : A longer-lasting, more
and a job. generalized feeling that is not
necessarily tied to a specific event.
Clinical Assessment is likened to a FUNNEL— Starts - Affect : The outward expression of
broad, Multidimensional in Approach, Narrow to Specific emotion and mood, often observed
Problem Areas. through facial expressions, tone of voice,
and body language
Clinical Interview : We always begin by asking the - Intellectual Functioning : making a rough
patient to describe for us, in a relatively open-ended estimate of others’ intellectual functioning just by
way, the difficulties they are experiencing. talking to them. Check for vocabulary,
- It allows us to relate details of the patient’s life abstractions and metaphors, memories, and
revealed later in the interview to the central etc.
problems as seen through the patient’s eyes. - Sensorium : the general awareness of the
- Get the picture of the situation first. surrounding in terms people, time, and place.
Value of Our Assessments : It depends on three basic Patients usually have a good idea of their major
concepts. concerns in a general sense (e.g. “I'm depressed”).
- Reliability : The degree to which a measurement
is consistent. Occasionally, the problem reported by the patient may
- Interrater Reliability : two or more not, after the assessment, be the major issue in the eyes
rates (physician or psychologists) will of the mental health clinician.
get the same result.
- Test-retest Reliability : receiving the Clinical interviews must elicit trust and empathy.
same result after retaking the test. Information provided by patients to the psychologists
- Validity : The degree to which a technique and psychiatrists is protected by laws of privileged
measures what it is designed to measure. communication or confidentiality. However,
Abnormal Psychology assessment tells you what will happen in
Preliminaries | February 07 2025 the future.
- Standardization : Application of certain
standards to ensure consistency across different
CHAPTER 3: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
measurements.
| Assessing Psychological Disorders Mental Status Exam
- Clinical Assessment : the systematic evaluation - Involves the systematic observation of an
and measurement of psychological, biological, individual’s behavior. This type of observation
and social factors in an individual presenting occurs when any one person interacts with
with a possible psychological disorder. another. The exam covers 5 categories.
- Different from Clinical Description - Appearance and Behavior : The clinician notes
which is the unique combination of any overt physical behaviors as well as the
these factors— the result of the individual’s dress, general appearance, posture,
assessment. and facial expressions.
- Diagnosis : the process of determining whether - Thought Processes : This encompasses the
the particular problem afflicting the individual thought processes of the patient. This includes
meets all the criteria for a psychological disorder. the rate or flow of speech, continuity of speech,
- Provisional Diagnosis : Preliminary and content of their speech.
diagnosis. The educated guess. - Delusions : distorted view of reality.
- Differential Diagnosis : Unsure - Delusions of Persecution : when
diagnosis. Having multiple suspicions someone thinks people are after
due to comorbidities or overlapping him and out to get him all the
symptoms. time .
- Final Diagnosis : diagnosis that is a - Delusions of Grandeur :
result from a series of assessment/ individuals think they are
- International Classification of Diseases : all-powerful in some way.
encompasses all illness, diseases, disorders and - Ideas of Reference : The belief
is not limited to psychiatry. that all the actions and thinking
- Written by the World Health of everyone is somehow related
Organization. him/her/
- Latest version is ICD - 11. - Hallucinations : Things a person sees or
hears when those things really aren’t
The Case of Frank : First interview reveals an insecure there.
young man experiencing substantial stress as he - Mood and Affect :
questions whether he is capable of handling marriage - Mood : A longer-lasting, more
and a job. generalized feeling that is not
necessarily tied to a specific event.
Clinical Assessment is likened to a FUNNEL— Starts - Affect : The outward expression of
broad, Multidimensional in Approach, Narrow to Specific emotion and mood, often observed
Problem Areas. through facial expressions, tone of voice,
and body language
Clinical Interview : We always begin by asking the - Intellectual Functioning : making a rough
patient to describe for us, in a relatively open-ended estimate of others’ intellectual functioning just by
way, the difficulties they are experiencing. talking to them. Check for vocabulary,
- It allows us to relate details of the patient’s life abstractions and metaphors, memories, and
revealed later in the interview to the central etc.
problems as seen through the patient’s eyes. - Sensorium : the general awareness of the
- Get the picture of the situation first. surrounding in terms people, time, and place.
Value of Our Assessments : It depends on three basic Patients usually have a good idea of their major
concepts. concerns in a general sense (e.g. “I'm depressed”).
- Reliability : The degree to which a measurement
is consistent. Occasionally, the problem reported by the patient may
- Interrater Reliability : two or more not, after the assessment, be the major issue in the eyes
rates (physician or psychologists) will of the mental health clinician.
get the same result.
- Test-retest Reliability : receiving the Clinical interviews must elicit trust and empathy.
same result after retaking the test. Information provided by patients to the psychologists
- Validity : The degree to which a technique and psychiatrists is protected by laws of privileged
measures what it is designed to measure. communication or confidentiality. However,
