Psychopathology, Diagnosis, and Cultural Perspectives

Flashcards covering key definitions, epidemiological statistics, classification systems (DSM-5-TR, ICD-11), cultural concepts of distress, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB).

What is psychopathology?

The scientific study of mental disorders, examining how thoughts, emotions, and behaviours deviate from what is considered healthy or typical to understand underlying causes, mechanisms, and patterns.

How does the World Health Organization (WHO, 2025) define mental health?

A state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.

According to the Australian National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2020–2022), what percentages of Australians aged 16–85 experienced a mental illness in the past 12 months and over their lifetime?

22% experienced a mental illness in the previous 12 months, and 43% experienced a mental illness during their lifetime.

What are the three most common mental illnesses in Australia and their prevalence rates according to the NSMHW (2020–2022)?

Anxiety disorders (17% of the population), Affective disorders (8% of the population), and Substance Use disorders (3% of the population).

What proportion of severe mental illness emerges before the age of 25, and what burden does it represent among young people?

75% of severe mental illness emerges before the age of 25 and accounts for 70% of the total burden of mental illness among young people.

How does the DSM-5-TR define a mental disorder?

A syndrome characterised by clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotion regulation or behaviour that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning and is usually associated with significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important activities.

How are Etiology and Epidemiology defined in psychopathology?

Etiology refers to the causes or origins of a disorder. Epidemiology is the scientific study of the frequency and distribution of disorders within a population.

What is co-morbidity?

A clinical situation where an individual's presenting symptoms or problems meet the criteria for more than one diagnosis.

How is the burden of disease measured in health statistics?

Measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which combine years of life lost due to premature mortality (fatal burden) and years of healthy life lost due to poor health (non-fatal burden).

What proportion of the total burden of disease in Australia is attributed to mental and substance use disorders according to AIHW 2024?

15% of the total burden of disease (accounting for almost 7% or $11.9 billion of total spending in 2022–23).

Who laid the groundwork for modern psychiatric classification in 1883, forming the 'medical model'?

Emil Kraepelin, who classified mental illnesses in a similar way to physical illnesses based on symptoms, syndromes, and predictable organic courses.

What new disorder and clinical codes were featured in the DSM-5-TR (2022)?

It featured Prolonged Grief Disorder as a new disorder, as well as codes for suicidal behavior available to all clinicians of any discipline without requiring any other diagnosis.

What is meant by polythetic criteria in the DSM-5?

A diagnosis based on the presence of a subset of symptoms or criteria (e.g., meeting 5 out of 7 criteria) rather than requiring a specific set of criteria to be met.

What does the acronym WEIRD stand for in the study by Henrich et al. (2010), and what key finding was reported?

WEIRD stands for Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic societies. Henrich et al. (2010) found that 96% of participants in psychological studies came from WEIRD societies, which represent only 12% of the global population.

What are the four core domains of the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI)?

1. Cultural definition of the problem; 2. Cultural perceptions of cause, context and support; 3. Cultural factors affecting self-coping and past help seeking; 4. Cultural factors affecting current help seeking.

What is 'Ataque de nervios'?

A cultural syndrome prevalent in Latinx and Hispanic populations described as an attack of nerves with a sense of being out of control, accompanied by trembling, crying attacks, verbal/physical aggression, and shaking, often triggered by stressful events like a loved one's death.

What is a 'Khyal' attack?

A cultural syndrome in Cambodia described as 'wind' attacks where khyal (a wind-like substance flowing alongside the blood supply) surges upwards, causing dizziness, shortness of breath, anxiety symptoms, and autonomic arousal, often linked to trauma.

According to Westerman (2021), what are the Aboriginal cultural concepts of 'Longing for Country' and 'Wrong Way Relationships'?

'Longing for Country' refers to a disconnection from land that impacts physical, cognitive, spiritual, and cultural wellbeing. 'Wrong Way Relationships' refers to the disruption of kinship/skin systems leading to relationship problems, exclusion, depression, and suicidality.

In what year did the Australian Psychological Society (APS) formally apologize for psychology's role in the mistreatment of First Australians?

2016.

What was the First Nations suicide rate in 2023 compared to non-Indigenous Australians?

Over 2.5 times that of non-Indigenous Australians (AIHW, 2022).

What are the eight domains of the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Wheel?

Mind & emotions, Body, Family & kinship, Community, Culture, Country, Spirituality, and Ancestors.

What is the exam definition of the SEWB Wheel?

The SEWB Wheel is a holistic model of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing that recognises interconnected physical, mental, emotional, cultural, spiritual, family, community and Country/ancestral dimensions of health.