Psychological Diagnosis

Psychological disorders do not typically manifest in the body and are not detectable through blood tests or biopsies the way many medical conditions are. Rather, psychological disorders are expressed through patterns of behavior, mood, and interaction. Diagnosing them therefore involves human clinicians making judgements about others’ behavior and well-being, and about what counts as normal or abnormal. Is that as it should be? Why are some behaviors considered just “unusual” while others are labelled “disordered,” and who gets to decide which is which? Who benefits and who suffers from the biases inherent in clinicians’ diagnostic judgments? We will consider these and related questions as we critically examine the process of psychological diagnosis. 3 hrs. sem.