QUESTION 1
- You catch a TV interview with a celebrity who describes his difficult childhood, living with a mother who
suffered from major depression. “Sometimes my mother stayed in her bed for days, not even getting up to eat,”
he says. “At the time, the family hushed it up. My parents were immigrants, and they came from a culture
where it was considered shameful to have mental problems. You are supposed to have enough strength of will
to overcome your problems, without help from anyone else. So my mother never got treatment.” How might the
idea of a medical model of psychiatric disorders have helped this woman and her family in the decision of
whether to seek treatment?
QUESTION 2 - A friend of yours has a family member who is experiencing severe mental problems, including delusions and
loss of motivation. “We went to one psychiatrist,” she says, “and got a diagnosis of schizophrenia. We went for
a second opinion, and the other doctor said it was probably bipolar disorder. They’re both good doctors, and
they’re both using the same DSM- how can they come up with different diagnoses?” How would you answer?
Sample Solution