Psychology 2035A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder, American Psychological Association, Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2035A/B
• Professor: John Campbell

Document Summary

The medical model proposes that it is useful to think of abnormal behavior as a disease and has become the main way of thinking about mental illness today. This view is in stark contrast to how mental illness used to be perceived. Thus, the medical model has brought much needed improvement in patient care. The diagnosis involves distinguishing one illness from another. Etiology refers to the apparent causation and developmental history of an illness. The american psychological association (apa) uses the diagnostic and statistical manual. It is now in its fifth revision and referred to as the dsm-5. It provides detailed information about various mental illnesses that allows clinicians to make more consistent diagnoses. Compared to the dsm iv, the dsm-5 no longer has a multiaxial system. Anxiety disorders are a class of disorders marked by feelings of excessive apprehension and anxiety.