“Social diagnosis was an attempt to describe the person and situation in relation to other people and social institutions” (Kutchins & Kirk, 215). Clinical diagnosis has been a prevalent component to mental health since the early 1900’s. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is commonly used to identify mental disorders was modified several times since its first publication in 1918. At that time, the Statistical Manual for the Use of Institutions for the Insane, contained twenty-two major diagnostic categories that derived from biological components, such as brain injuries or alcohol use. The overall purpose of the Statistical Manual for the Use of Institutions for the Insane was to instruct institutions on how …show more content…
Psychiatrists working with war veterans concluded that the biological approach to diagnosing had significant flaws. The Office of the Surgeon General discovered an alternate approach to classifying psychopathology. This was called Medical 203. This approach analyzed how psychodynamic therapies worked to help psychogenic disorders (Clegg, 365). Medical 203 had a significant impact with clinical diagnosis. In 1952, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual I (DSM- I) was published. According to Clegg (2012), much of the information that was written into the DSM-I was derived from Medical 203, despite being the successor of the Statistical Manual. The focus was on the disorder being characterized as the generic group and the reactions being the specific diagnosis (Clegg, 365). The DSM was modified in 1968 to become the DSM-II to promote the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Even though the fundamentals of diagnosis remained the same within the DSM-II, there was additional information provided. The DSM-II added new diagnostic categories, including a section on childhood disorders. In addition, the DSM-II changed names of diagnostic categories (Clegg, 255-256). These changes improved the quality of the DSM, however, there were more modifications …show more content…
Mental health professionals are not the only persons to utilize the DSM; insurance companies, government agencies and psychiatric researchers use the DSM (Kutchins & Kirk, 215). Kutchins and Kirk (1988) conducted a survey inquiring the reasons clinical social workers use the DSM. Their results showed that 81% of clinical social worker report for insurance purposes, 46% utilized the DSM under their agency’s requirements and 45% used the DSM to complete Medicaid paperwork (p. 217). Despite the fact that the DSM was being utilized, it was not for diagnosing clients. In fact, the percentage of clinicians using the DSM for diagnostic purposes was significantly low. Only 31% of clinicians found it important to utilize the DSM for treatment planning and reviewing cases. Finally, only 17% of clinicians found any importance in utilizing the DSM for determining the outcome of their client cases (Kutchins& Kirk, 217). This raises the question that if clinicians are not using the DSM for diagnosing their clients, what is the main source clinicians are using for their
A physician has an unenviable position; he is closest to man approaching a god-like stature. And despite the demise of 'doctor knows best', we still need to trust his diagnosis-something that is increasingly difficult in a world where information is widely available, and Google substitutes for a doctor. In the case of psychiatry the issue of trust is amplified since diagnosis is based on a patient's expressed thoughts and overt behaviours rather than solely on biological phenomena. And these thoughts and behaviours are influenced by the patient's environment-a mix of his social, cultural and technological experiences.
...s that the DSM can also falsely determine ones specific mental health, showing the struggle between diagnosing someone with genuine disorders and excessively diagnosing individuals.
The DSM has been found to be somewhat bias. There are some pros and cons to the DSM as well. Some have found that it leads to uniform and improved diagnosis, improves informed professional communication through uniformity, and provides the basis for a comprehensive educational tool. While others believe it can lead to diagnostic labels, by providing limited information on the relationship between environmental considerations and aspects of the mental health condition. Lastly, it does not describe intervention strategies (Wakefield,
The DSM-5 lists approximately 400 mental disorders, each one explains the criteria for diagnosing the disorder and key clinical features, and sometimes describes features that are often times not related to the disorder. The classification is further explained by the background information such as: research findings, age, culture, gender trends, and each disorder’s prevalence, risk, course, complications, predisposing factors, and family patterns (Comer, 2013, pp.100).... ... middle of paper ... ...
Kaplan, H. I., Sadock, B. J., & Grebb, J. A. (1994). Synopsis of psychiatry: behavioral sciences,
Frances, A., & Ross, R. (1996). DSM-IV case studies a clinical guide to differential diagnosis. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, Inc.
There are wide ranges of social issues affecting mood, thinking, and behavior. What is considered normal in the United States of America, may perhaps not be normal to another. Being diagnose mentally ill requires train professionals to evaluate a person state of mind. Being normal in the United States of America is conforming to a standard, and standards can change within societal standards. Up to now the DSM-V shows the exact symptoms of mental disorders and thoroughly explains the type of illness. Yet abnormal behavior treatment is not the same, professionals who’ve master therapy skills should be aware that their knowledge has affect to client’s treatment. When clients interact amongst counselors, clients can explain their life experiences,
Star,S.A.(1955). The public’s ideas about mental illness. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Mental Health.
The disorder which is being treated is actually strengthened to the point of a serious mental illness. Similarly, in today’s society, medical and psychological advice may have the same effect. Medical technology and practice have progressed considerably since the time of the “Yellow Wallpaper.” This is not to say that today’s physicians are infallible. Perhaps some of today’s treatments are the “Yellow Wallpaper” of the future.
Kendell, R. and Jablensky, A. (2003), Distinguishing between the validity and utility of psychiatric diagnoses, American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 160, No. 1, pp. 4-12.
Maher, B. A., & Maher, W. B. (1985). Psychopathology: I. From ancient times to the eighteenth
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been used for decades as a guidebook for the diagnosis of mental disorders in clinical settings. As disorders and diagnoses evolve, new versions of the manual are published. This tends to happen every 10 years or so with the first manual (DSM-I) having been published in 1952. For the purpose of this discussion, we will look at the DSM-IV, which was published originally in 1994, and the latest version, DSM-5, that was published in May of 2013. Each version of the DSM contains “three major components: the diagnostic classification, the diagnostic criteria sets, and the descriptive text” (American Psychiatric Association, 2012). Within the diagnostic classification you will find a list of disorders and codes which professionals in the health care field use when a diagnosis is made. The diagnostic criteria will list symptoms of disorders and inform practitioners how long a patient should display those symptoms in order to meet the criteria for diagnosis of a disorder. Lastly, the descriptive text will describe disorders in detail, including topics such as “Prevalence” and “Differential Diagnosis” (APA, 2012). The recent update of the DSM from version IV-TR to 5 has been controversial for many reasons. Some of these reasons include the overall structure of the DSM to the removal of certain disorders from the manual.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the comprehensive guide to diagnosing psychological disorders. This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and is currently in its fifth revision. Moreover, the manual is utilized by a multitude of mental health care professionals around the world in the process of identifying individuals with disorders and provides a comprehensive list of the various disorders that have been identified. The DSM serves as the essential resource for diagnosis of mental disorders based off of the various signs and symptoms displayed by individuals while also providing a basic reference point for the treatment of the different disorders. The manual attempts to remain scientific in its approach to identifying the underlying symptoms of each disorder while meeting the needs of the different psychological perspectives and the various mental health fields. The DSM has recently gone through a major revision from the DSM-IV-TR to the DSM-5 and contains many significant changes in both the diagnosis of mental disorders and their classifications.
As humans when we are faced with any psychological or emotional problems, our initial thought is to turn to a therapist, doctor or any other health practitioners. Our initial thought when we are faced with problems regarding our health is to turn to a health professional because for ages that’s how it has been. When it comes to our health, health professionals nowadays do more harm than help. Many might disagree, but often patients are misdiagnosed with mental illnesses they do not have. Misdiagnosis occurs when a therapist or other health practitioners decide that a patient is suffering from a condition that he or she may not be suffering with. When misdiagnosed, patients are given unnecessary treatment, which could potentially
I agree with the therapist that cares little for the DSM lV. The DSM lV keeps individuals stuck in their own world. It gives those excuses and reasoning on why they act the way they act in society. Giving a person a diagnose from the DSM lV cause confusion and isolation between the client and the therapist. Looking though a book to diagnose a problem instead of understanding the situation can cause friction in the