About the lecture

In this lecture, we approach the topic of diagnostic labelling in mental health, focusing in particular on: (i) the reasoning for diagnosing someone, if they are demonstrating behaviour that may be a mental illness; (ii) the reasons given being that treatment can only be useful/possible if the individual treating them understands what their condition is, and that classifications can help us understand prevalence; (iii) classification systems, beginning by explaining that the development of our existing system(s) has only been possible thanks to stable patterns found across causes of mental health, and treatments allowing us to both differentiate and see common ground between different conditions, a process that remains ongoing; (iv) some key classification systems, including a history of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychological Disorders) and the ICD (International Classification of Diseases); (v) some of the potential problems with classification.

About the lecturer

Dr Jude Stevenson is a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Glasgow, with a primary focus on mental health and well-being. Dr Stevenson’s research centres around body focused repetitive behaviours and is a UK ambassador for the TLC Foundation for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours. Some of Dr Stevenson’s recent publications include 'Social media peer support groups for obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: understanding the predictors of negative experiences' (2021) and 'Pathogen disgust predicts stigmatization of individuals with mental health conditions' (2020).