· Standardised towards males, some symptoms only displayed by one gender e.g. periods stopping in women with anaeroxia
· Robins et al (1984) showed women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression and phobias due to gender stereotypes
· No difference in diagnosis rates from some disorders
· Ford and Wildiger (1989) found histrionic personality disorder was diagnosed more accurately in women
· Women aren’t used in many studies due to hormonal imbalances
· Females are underrepresented in diagnostic handguides
· May be due to real gender differences e.g. pregnancy
· Each gender handles mental illness differently, depression in women manifests as negative emotions, men often use distractions such as alcohol
· If it was a bias it should exist in EVERY medical condition, it doesn’t
· DCM and ICD are unreliable and invalid but still useful
· Need a more idiographic approach
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