Clinical psychology is a branch of psychology, which main objectives is to address issues (both practical and theoretical) related to the prevention, diagnosis of diseases and pathological conditions, as well as psych correction forms of influence on the process of recovery, rehabilitation, addressing various issues and experimental study of the impact of various psychological factors on the shape and course of various diseases. (Trull & Prinstein, 2013)
A common task of the clinical psychologist in the medical institution is its involvement in the differential diagnosis of various diseases, treatment and social and labor adaptation of patients. First, it is to assess the mental state of the patient, usually express diagnostics conducted using a brief battery of psychological tests. Second task is the assessment of changes in the mental condition of the patient under the influence of ongoing drug therapy or under the influence of psychotherapy. (Carr, 2012) This study suggests a diagnosis of a mental condition before and after treatment, and often requires the use of "parallel forms" of psychological tests.
In the history of clinical psychology it is possible to allocate conditionally the following stages:
1. The origins of clinical psychology are viewed in the works of psychiatrists in the late nineteenth century. E. Kraepelin and E. Kretschmer, I., Breuer, Freud, J.-M. Charcot and P. Janet etc. marked by their desire with a natural position to understand the nature of mental pathology, describing its phenomenology and specific differences from the norm. Clinical psychology has evolved, combining the best traditions of classical psychiatry with innovative trends to experiment, and the opening unique possibilities of hypnosis as a method of penetration into the unconscious.
2. At this stage occurs the penetration of the experimental method in psychiatry and psychology (W. Wundt, Ebbinghaus, E. Ttcher, etc.) In large psychiatric hospitals in the late nineteenth century began to organize psychological laboratory by E. Kraepelin in Germany (1879), P. Janet in France (1890). A number of laboratories were organized in the United States and England.
3. The study of individual differences F. Galton, John. Kettela in England, A. Binet, F. Simon in France is the beginning of application of tests in the study of mental patients. After the Second World War, there is a shift in Western clinical psychology of interest to intelligence testing on individual characteristics. There is growing use of projective techniques in the clinic for a deeper, subtle understanding of the unconscious tendencies of the individual, their psychological meaning.
4. Within 60 years appears antipsychotic direction in clinical psychology, is the penetration of humanistic ideas in this area of expertise. Psychotherapy is the main form of professional activity of the psychologist in the clinic. Changing the term" clinic "to" clinic life ", i.e., includes the diversity problems, conflicts and existential problems. The boundaries of clinical psychology are expanding. Occurs social psychiatry, which contributes to the rapid spread of community-acquired forms of patient management, including group, family psychotherapy, psychological "counseling. The dominant approach to environmental focuses on the activation potential of the reserves and survival mechanisms that contribute to the harmonious interaction of it with society. (Trull & Prinstein, 2013)
The subject clinical psychology is the study of mechanisms and regularities of persistent non-adaptive conditions occurrence. All diagnostics used in clinical psychology is divided into positive and negative. Negative is a type of research used in the various States violations of both mental and physical health, the purpose of which is the diagnosis, identification of pathological mechanisms, accentuations, etc., their differentiation from other similar disorders and conditions. The negative results of the diagnostics used in psychiatry (large and small), neuropsychology, psychotherapy and many others. A positive diagnosis is used to identify personal (individual) features of the human psyche, the nature of the occurrence of certain mental functions. The data obtained in this type of diagnosis is applicable in many application areas (e.g. vocational examinations, individual and group counseling, etc.)
Conventionally, all kinds/types of diagnostics used within clinical psychology can be divided into:
Clinical
Structure diagnosis and severity of mental functions
Diagnostics of the personal characteristics of the patient
Diagnostics of anomalies of development in children
Examination
Medico-pedagogical
Rehabilitation
Psych correction. (Carr, 2012)
Because psychopathology represent an effective expression of hidden changes in complex brain processes, to disclose the nature of the underlying cerebral activity not only on the basis of the analysis of these occurrences. The consequence of this was the study of patterns of cerebral processes, structure and nature of mental illness and pathological States of the brain at all levels including and methods of psychology. Including experimental psychological research should answer questions like the disturbed flow (structure) themselves mental processes.
In the study of specific abnormalities of personality development and underdevelopment of the psyche of the main tasks of psychological research associated with the identification of those major components of mental activity, underdevelopment or abnormality which causes the formation of a pathological structure of the psyche. As a rule the psychological methods used to diagnose constitute the mental and practical tasks on offer to patients in the form of different combinations depending on the specific diagnostic purposes. (Trull & Prinstein, 2013) So, for the detection of fatigue using the account by Kraepelin, a method of identifying numbers for identifying pathology memory tests on memorizing words, numbers, mediated memorizing with the help of visual images and several others.
There are also many psychological and neuropsychological methods to the study of disorders of speech, perception, praxis and so on. All these methods are primarily focused on the identification of intellectual, speech, perceptual, etc. disorders, and the possibility of experimental detection of psychological symptoms change the properties of the individual (emotional, motivational, etc.) are more limited.
Along with the above problems, these techniques play an independent role in the recognition and diagnosis of a number of mental, neurological and somatic diseases. In this case, they are not a continuation and Supplement the clinical analysis of a mental or physical status of the patient and extend the capabilities of this analysis.
One of the main and most fruitful ways of development of clinical psychology is the experimental study of patterns of altered mental processes in various pathologies of the brain. This approach is characterized by the following criteria:
the experimental procedure is not standardized, and are designed to study disturbances of a certain kind of mental pathology (for example the method of formation of artificial concepts)
these methods are based on the principle of modeling certain situations that require the patient of performing tasks, in execution of which there are pathological phenomena which interest the experimenter (e.g. removal of objects). (Carr, 2012)
Along with the targeted use of diagnostic methods exist and a common approach based on the use of several standardized methods (questionnaires, tests, etc.). These methods are not associated with the study of the structures of mental processes, and are aimed at establishing and determining the severity of the properties and peculiarities of the psyche and several other characteristics.
References
Carr, A. (2012). Clinical psychology (1st ed.). New York: Routledge.
Trull, T. & Prinstein, M. (2013). The science and practice of clinical psychology (1st ed.). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
