Module 3: Clinical Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Assignment

Module 3: Clinical Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Assignment

Module 3 covers the issues of clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. We will define assessment and then describe key issues such as reliability, validity, standardization, and specific methods that are used. In terms of clinical diagnosis, we will discuss the two main classification systems used around the world – the DSM-5 and ICD-10. Finally, we discuss the reasons why people may seek treatment and what to expect when doing so. Module 3: Clinical Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Assignment

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Module Outline

3.1. Clinical Assessment of Abnormal Behavior
3.2. Diagnosing and Classifying Abnormal Behavior
3.3. Treatment of Mental Disorders – An Overview

Module Learning Outcomes

Describe clinical assessment and methods used in it.
Clarify how mental health professionals diagnose mental disorders in a standardized way.
Discuss reasons to seek treatment and the importance of psychotherapy.

3.1. Clinical Assessment of Abnormal Behavior

Section Learning Objectives

Define clinical assessment.
Clarify why clinical assessment is an ongoing process.
Define and exemplify reliability.
Define and exemplify validity.
Define standardization.
List and describe seven methods of assessment.

3.1.1. What is Clinical Assessment?

For a mental health professional to be able to effectively help treat a client and know that the treatment selected worked (or is working), he/she first must engage in the clinical assessment of the client, or collecting information and drawing conclusions through the use of observation, psychological tests, neurological tests, and interviews to determine the person’s problem and the presenting symptoms. This collection of information involves learning about the client’s skills, abilities, personality characteristics, cognitive and emotional functioning, the social context in terms of environmental stressors that are faced, and cultural factors particular to them such as their language or ethnicity. Clinical assessment is not just conducted at the beginning of the process of seeking help but throughout the process. Why is that?

Consider this. First, we need to determine if a treatment is even needed. By having a clear accounting of the person’s symptoms and how they affect daily functioning, we can decide to what extent the individual is adversely affected. Assuming a treatment is needed, our second reason to engage in clinical assessment will be to determine what treatment will work best. As you will see later in this module, there are numerous approaches to treatment. These include Behavior Therapy, Cognitive and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Humanistic-Experiential Therapies, Psychodynamic Therapies, Couples and Family Therapy, and biological treatments (psychopharmacology). Of course, for any mental disorder, some of the aforementioned therapies will have greater efficacy than others. Even if several can work well, it does not mean a particular therapy will work well for that specific client. Assessment can help figure this out. Finally, we need to know if the treatment we employed worked. This will involve measuring before any treatment is used and then measuring the behavior while the treatment is in place. We will even want to measure after the treatment ends to make sure symptoms of the disorder do not return. Knowing what the person’s baselines are for different aspects of psychological functioning will help us to see when improvement occurs.