Arthur has been referred for a clinical assessment. He strongly believes he is a medieval knight. He frequently wears a heavy suit of replica chainmail armor and insists on speaking in Middle English to his landlord, which has caused severe friction between them.
Because of his refusal to use computers or telephones at work, which he describes as "unholy machinery," Arthur was dismissed from his administrative role. As a result, he is falling behind on his rent and can no longer afford his hobbies or proper groceries.
Recently, while walking down a busy street, Arthur believed a passing delivery van was a hostile charging beast. He drew a wooden souvenir sword to defend himself, stumbled off the curb into oncoming traffic, and was clipped by a cyclist, resulting in a fractured wrist and a visit to the hospital. When interviewed by a clinical psychologist, Arthur expressed that he feels a profound sense of honor and peace when acting as a knight. However, when he considers his mounting debts and his strained relationship with his family, he admits to feeling deeply overwhelmed, hopeless, and miserable.
To what extent are deviance, dysfunction, distress and danger useful in diagnosing Arthur with a mental health disorder?
You must make reference to the context in your answer.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Content with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 1,059 questions covering Diagnosis of mental disorders (4 Ds), Classification systems (DSM and ICD), Schizophrenia and one other disorder, Treatments for the two disorders, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
