3 ARTICLES ON NEW WAYS TO DIAGNOSIS AND PREDICT ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR AND MENTAL ILLNESS

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ARTICLE #1:  Can Blood Tests Detect Schizophrenia and Other Mental Illnesses?

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Generally diagnosis in Psychology and Psychiatry is mostly predicated on interviews, history, and Psychological testing.  Reliability and validity of the diagnosis and treatment may often come into question.   What if there were a medical test such as a blood test that could screen for some types of mental illness?  This article interviews researchers (includes a video) about the possibility of blood testing, bacterial testing, and other medical tests to differentiate and predict mental illness.  “…if biological tests for mental illness do come to fruition, even those already living with a condition could benefit…if this biological aspect was attached to it, then people would see that stigmatizing someone for their depression is as ridiculous as stigmatizing someone for their diabetes.”

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Newsweek, August 28, 2016, by Alexandra Venosa

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/09/blood-tests-detect-schizophrenia-mental-illness-493955.html

(Tiny URL)  http://tinyurl.com/hssaonp

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ARTICLE #2  Resting Heart Rate May Predict Future Mental Ills

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“Extremely high or low resting heart rates in young men may predict psychiatric illness later in life, a large new study has found.”  A Swedish study found associations between different levels of heart rate and mental disorders.  “The highest heart rates — above 82 beats a minute — were associated with increased risks of obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder and schizophrenia. The lowest, below 62 beats, were associated with an increased risk of substance abuse and violent criminality.”   Note that this was a conclusion based upon associations — hence the study can be used to examine the diagnostics, prediction value, reliability and validity of this type of scientific research.

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New York Times, October 26, 2016, by Nicholas Bakalar

LINK TO RESOURCE

(Tiny URL)  http://tinyurl.com/zfut7k4

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ARTICLE #3:  Does it pass the ‘smell test’? Seeking ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s early

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The hope of medical science is to be able to predict Alzheimer’s disease before overt symptoms of cognitive decline appear.   Medical researchers have opened up two avenues of research:   smell testing and retinal imaging testing.  There have been preliminary studies (and anecdotal stories) that “…odor identification testing may prove to be a useful tool in helping physicians counsel patients who are concerned about their risk of memory loss.”  Additionally, retinal examinations can reveal amyloid plaque build up in the eyes as a possible means to understanding what goes on in the brain since one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s is the buildup of those plaques.   As yet there are no 100% reliable findings to draw a conclusion about these tests — the concern is whether the findings of these studies are reproducible and robust.  A brief CNN video is included in the article.

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CNN, July 26, 2016, by Susan Scutti

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/26/health/alzheimers-eye-and-smell/

(Tiny URL)  http://tinyurl.com/hp5oh9z

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•The class discussion could begin with providing information regarding Psychological/Psychiatric methods of diagnosing abnormal behavior and “mental disorders.”

•Are the current diagnostic methods reliable and valid?

•Concerning each of the disorders mentioned in the articles, what is the hope of the testing for early prediction?  What would it mean to treatment?

•If diagnosis of mental disorders becomes part of medical testing, what would be the role of Psychologists and other mental health providers?

•If time is available, discuss the science of Psychological studies and what differentiates the good from the bad.    (This would include the use of critical thinking around causation, correlational and associations.)