Posted by special_k on March 22, 2006, at 22:00:42
In reply to Re: Subject close to my heart, posted by special_k on March 22, 2006, at 21:43:10
'Classification as a Characteristic Activity of Humans
Classification of people and their problems has been a hotly contested issue throughout much of the history of clinical psychology and psychiatry. On the one hand, many professionals have argued that classification or diagnostic systems are necessary to facilitate our understanding of people and their problems, to provide a basis for understanding of people and their problems, and to provide adequate treatment to those in need of help (Clark, Watson, & Reynolds, 1995). On the other hand, critics have argued that classification systems for personality and psychopathology are inherently problematic because they lead to the dehumanisation of individuals and contribute to the development of stereotypes of individuals who are placed in certain diagnostic categories (Kutchins & Kirk, 1997). Critics also argue that stigmas and other negative attitudes are attached to the labels that emerge from classification systems (Tucker, 1998)...
THE BENEFITS AND COSTS OF CLASSIFICATION
The decision to classify psychopathology has both benefits and costs. There are two major benefits
- Organised information about the characteristics of people whom we try and help can be useful when clinician's make treatment decisions...
- A classification system allows professionals to communicate with one another in an informed manner, which facilitates better undersanding and treatment of problems and leads to new insights.
In response to the first... That will only happen if you can make generalisations from dx to the kind of treatment that will benefit.
In response to the second... That will only happen if you can make generalisations from dx to symptoms and from dx to the kind of treatment that will benefit and from dx to insights.
The point is that generalisation... Doesn't constitute knowledge.
There can be more symptom variability between two individuals with the same dx than there is between two individuals with different dx.
IMO currently... dx just promotes stereotypes which do not count as knowledge because they are more likely to be inaccurate than accurate and because you cannot generalise from dx to treatment...
Sigh.
poster:special_k
thread:622738
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20060322/msgs/623516.html