Exam 15: B: Psychological Disorders

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Answers will vary but should include the following points,along with appropriate supportive discussion,for full credit.
--Some disorders are nothing more than labels for a problem rather than an informative diagnosis that adds to our knowledge about the person.
--Some people are diagnosed as suffering from multiple disorders at the same time (comorbidity),which may instead suggest that the disorders are variations on a single condition rather than true,independent diagnoses.
--The DSM is based on a categorical approach-one either has the disorder (meets the diagnostic criteria for a disorder)or does not.This means that one is either normal or abnormal (differences in kind),rather than differing in one's degree of healthy functioning (differences in degree).

Correct Answer:

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Answers will vary but should contain at least three of the following points,including the first one for sure,to earn full credit.
--DID is one of the dissociative disorders characterized by disruptions in a unified sense of the self (through disruptions in consciousness,memory,identity,or perception)where there are multiple personalities within a single individual.Schizophrenia,by contrast,deals with disruptions in thought processes/information processes that in turn effect expression of language,emotions,perceptual abilities,and relationships with others.
--DID is a highly controversial disorder with many critics doubting its existence as a valid diagnosis.By contrast,schizophrenia has long been recognized as a disorder (going back to Bleuler's coining of the term in 1911).
--DID is proposed to arise as a response for dealing with experiences of childhood sexual abuse (in response to environmental factors when it cannot be explained via the sociocognitive model),while schizophrenia is often linked to biological and/or genetic causes.However,many psychologists take the approach that schizophrenia is caused by having a predisposition to schizophrenia along with an exposure to significant stress or multiple stressors in one's life making the disorder more likely to emerge (diathesis-stress model).
--DID largely appeared with the use of suggestive therapeutic tools that seem to create the disorder (and fit with the sociocognitive explanation),while schizophrenia is only managed through the use of antipsychotic medications and hospitalization as necessary for the symptoms.
--DID is often marked by the switching between from one's normal personality among the various "alters" that exist.Schizophrenia is often marked by the presence of delusions,hallucinations,disorganized speech,catatonia,or other disorganized behaviour.

Correct Answer:

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Answers will vary but should contain the following information for full credit.
--Students should identify and discuss any two of the myths and the real facts that are listed in Table 15.7 on page 591.
--Students need to identify that a previous attempt is the best predictor of an attempted suicide.
--Students should mention that while depression is a risk factor, it is less predictive than feelings of hopelessness.
--Students should also mention either a person's intense agitation or wish to have died in previous attempt as an important predictor.
--Students should list at least one more risk factor mentioned in Table 15.7.
Optional (may include either as credit or extra credit):
--Mention that while more women attempt suicide than men, more men successfully complete suicide attempts.
--Mention that suicide is the third leading cause of death for children, adolescents, and young adults.
--Mention that data on attempts and suicides may be underreported by relatives for various reasons (e.g., religious beliefs about persons who commit suicide not being allowed into heaven).