CLINICAL-REVIEWER

Abnormality

A mental disorder or psychiatric diagnosis, often focused on patterns of behavior that deviate from social norms.

Harmful Dysfunction Theory

A definition of mental disorders that combines scientific data with social values to determine abnormal behavior.

DSM-5

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, a key diagnostic guide used by mental health professionals.

Mental Disorder (DSM-5 Definition)

A clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior indicating dysfunction in mental functioning, usually associated with distress or disability.

Jerome Wakefield

A noted scholar in abnormal psychology known for his Harmful Dysfunction Theory.

Personal Distress

A criterion for defining abnormal behavior characterized by severe distress experienced by the individual, such as in depression or panic disorder.

Deviance from Cultural Norms

A criterion for abnormality where behavior diverges significantly from accepted cultural standards.

Statistical Infrequency

A criterion for defining abnormal behavior based on the rarity of the behaviors or symptoms in the population.

Impaired Social Functioning

A criterion for defining abnormality where social interactions are significantly hindered, as seen in disorders like social phobia or antisocial personality disorder.

Psychopathology

The study of mental disorders, including their symptoms, causes, and treatment.

FIELD TRIALS

Testing proposed diagnostic criteria in real clinical settings to assess their reliability and clinical utility.

Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

A severe version of premenstrual syndrome characterized by significant emotional and physical symptoms.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

An eating disorder in which individuals overindulge in food without compensatory behaviors, leading to distress.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

A category of disorders that arise during development and affect personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning.

Crisis Interviews

Interviews designed to assess urgent psychological problems and provide immediate interventions.

Intelligence vs. Achievement

Intelligence refers to cognitive capacity, while achievement refers to what one has accomplished in areas like reading and math.

Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT-2)

A language-free test of intelligence that uses gestures for administration and is designed to be culturally fair.

Wechsler Intelligence Test

A widely used set of intelligence tests designed by David Wechsler that assesses cognitive abilities across different age groups.

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales

An intelligence test that measures a range of cognitive abilities and yields a single measure of full-scale IQ.

Cultural Fairness

The concept of ensuring that intelligence tests do not disadvantage individuals from different cultural backgrounds.

Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder

A revised DSM-5 diagnosis combining previous categories such as autistic disorder and Asperger's disorder into one spectrum.

Hoarding Disorder

A mental disorder characterized by persistent difficulty discarding possessions, resulting in clutter and impairment in functioning.