Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
Assessing Psychological Disorders Purposes of clinical assessment To understand the individual To predict behavior To plan treatment To evaluate treatment outcome
Assessing Psychological Disorders Analogous to a funnel Starts broad Multidimensional in approach Narrow to specific problem areas
Key Concepts in Assessment Reliability Consistency in measurement Examples include test-retest and inter-rater reliability Validity What an assessment measures and how well it does. Examples include concurrent, discriminant, and predictive validity
Key Concepts in Assessment Standardization Ensures consistency in the use of a technique Provides population benchmarks for comparison Examples include structured administration, scoring, and evaluation procedures
Concepts That Determine the Value of Clinical Assessments
Key Concepts in Assessment Inter-rater reliability Observer agreement Test-retest reliability Similarity of scores across repeated test administrations or observations Content validity Extent to which a measure adequately samples the domain of interest, e.g., all of the symptoms of a disorder Criterion validity Concurrent validity Two measures administered at the same point in time Discriminnant validity Ability of the measure to discriminate one measure from another
Example of Interrater Reliability
The Clinical Interview Clinical interview Most common clinical assessment method Structured or semistructured Example of semistructured interview: Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-5 (ADIS-5) has modules pertaining to anxiety, mood, and related disorders, designed to assess DSM-5 criteria
Sample Item form SCID
The Clinical Interview Mental status exam Appearance and behavior Thought processes Mood and affect Intellectual functioning Sensorium
Components of Mental Status Exam Subsequent focus possible existence of disorder characterized by intrusive, unwanted thoughts, and resistance to them. Mental Status Exam 1. Appearance and behavior Overt Behaviour Appearance, posture, expressions 2. Thought Rate of speech Continuity of speech Content of speech 3. Mood and affect Predominant feeling state of the individual says 4. Intellectual functioning Type of vocabulary Use of abstractions and metaphors 5. Orientation Awareness of surroundings in terms of person (self and clinician), time, and place Frank Persistent twitch Appearance appropriate Flow and content of speech reasonable Clanging (combining unrelated words due to similar sounds Korktuğum zaman, aman, saman, yaman Anxious mood Affect appropriate Intelligence within normal limits Oriented
Behavioral Assessment and Observation Behavioral assessment Focus on the present here and now Direct observation of behavior-environment relations Purpose is to identify problematic behaviors and situations ABCs identify antecedents, behaviors, and consequences
Behavioral Assessment and Observation Behavioral observation and behavioral assessment Can be either formal or informal Self-monitoring vs. being observed by others Problem of reactivity using direct observation
ABCs of Observation
Psychological Testing: Projective Tests Psychological testing Must be reliable and valid Projective tests Rooted in psychoanalytic tradition Used to assess unconscious processes Project aspects of personality onto ambiguous test stimuli Require high degree of inference in scoring and interpretation
Psychological Testing: Projective Tests Examples The Rorschach inkblot test Thematic Apperception Test Reliability and validity data tend to be mixed
Sample Item from TAT Size verilen kartlardan hareketle başı, ortası ve sonu olan bir hikaye hayal etmenizi ve anlatmanızı istiyorum. Resimdeki konuyu başlatan olayı, kişilerin ne düşündüğünü, ne hissettiğini ve orada neler olduğunu anlatınız. Aklınıza gelen düşünceleri hemen söyleyiniz. Her bir resim için 5 dakika süreniz var.
Sample Item from Rorschach
Objective Tests and Personality Tests Objective tests Roots in empirical tradition Test stimuli are less ambiguous Require minimal clinical inference in scoring and interpretation Personality tests Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Extensive reliability, validity, and normative database
Sample MMPI Profile
Psychological Testing and Objective Tests Intelligence tests Nature of intellectual functioning and IQ Originally developed as a measure of degree to which children s performance diverged from others in their grade The deviation IQ Compare a person s scores against those of other people who are of the same age Verbal and performance domains
Neuroimaging and Brain Structure Neuroimaging: pictures of the brain Two objectives Understand brain structure Understand brain function Lanius et al. 2010, dissociative subtype of PTSD
Neuroimaging and Brain Structure Imaging brain structure Computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scan) Utilizes X-rays Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Utilizes strong magnetic fields Better resolution than CT scan
Neuroimaging and Brain Function Imaging brain function Positron emission tomography (PET) Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) Both involve injection of radioactive isotopes Isotopes react with oxygen, blood, and glucose in the brain Functional MRI (fmri) brief changes in brain activity
Neuroimaging and Brain Function CT Scan fmri Image PET Scan
Psychophysiological Assessment Psychophysiological assessment Assess brain structure, function, and activity of the nervous system Psychophysiological assessment domains Electroencephalogram (EEG) brain wave activity. Heart rate and respiration cardiorespiratory activity Electrodermal response and levels sweat gland activity
Psychophysiological Assessment Uses of routine psychophysiological assessment Disorders involving a strong physiological component Examples Sexual dysfunctions, sleep disorders Headache and hypertension