According to the dictionary of literary terms, nosology is a term that is used to refer to a branch of medical science that deals with the classification of diseases and disorders, both physical and mental. However, in abnormal psychology, the term is used to refer to the identification and classification of abnormal behaviors, which include behavior patterns, emotions, and thought, which may and may not be as a result of a mental disorder (Kosson et al, 2006). Currently, there are different classification methods that can be used in the process of classifying abnormal behavior patterns in individual. However, to some scholars, psychiatrists, and psychologists the current efforts to classify diseases and disorders have not turned out well (Shorter, …show more content…
However, clinical psychologists have not waited for scholars and researchers in the field to come up with a resolution to their debate before naming, treating, and studying abnormal disorders. Most clinical psychologists follow the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM) from the American Psychiatric Association as their everyday guide for mental health conditions to perform assessments, conduct therapy, as well as conducting and executing research studies. Another major nosologic system for the classification of mental disorders is the International Classification of Diseases …show more content…
Lilienfeld & Landfield (2008) established that DSM-II was revision of DSM-I. The two versions contained only three broad categories of disorders: psychoses, a category that would today contain today's schizophrenia, character disorders (a category for today's personality disorders), and neuroses that would house today's major depression conditions, bipolar disorders, and anxiety disorders. Furthermore, in their article, Langenbucher & Nathan (2006) assert that the two nosology criteria for abnormal psychology contained definitions of disorders that were not scientifically or empirically based. Instead, both DSM-I and DSM-II represented an accumulated clinical wisdom of a portion of psychiatrists who comprised the DSM taskforce. Langenbucher and Nathan (2006) further argue that the two nosologies were products of psychiatrists with psychoanalytic orientation and that the descriptions of disorders in the two nosologies were simply prose - one paragraphed descriptions per disorder, which lacked specific symptoms or criteria of classification. As a results, DSM-I and DSM-II had very limited utility for clinical psychiatrists (Woo & Keatinge,
...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 ... ...
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) provides standard criteria for diagnosing mental disorders. It serves numerous purposes and delineates a common language for researchers, clinicians, educators and students. The APA released the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical manual of mental disorders in May 2013 after 12 years of research involving a diverse range of 400 experts from 12 countries worldwide (Kuhl, Kupfer, & Reiner, 2013). While the release of the new DSM 5 has caused much controversy in the field of psychiatry, specifically for its changes in specific diagnosis and new disorders, the structural changes that have been made seem to be an improvement from the previous DSM IV and will help clinicians diagnose and treat patients in a more straightforward and precise way.
Frances, A., & Ross, R. (1996). DSM-IV case studies a clinical guide to differential diagnosis. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, Inc.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-I) was published in 1952 by the American Psychiatric Association to define and classify mental disorders. It did not have much influence in classifying mental disorders during that time. Up until the late 1960s, when the system of nosology starts to have some real influence on mental health professionals, the American Psychiatric Association published DSM-II in 1968. DSM-I and DSM-II system lacked precise descriptions of the disorders and relied heavily on unproven and unpopular theories. Therefore, the third edition of the DSM was published in 1980 to make new reforms to its predecessors. One of the changes was more specific classification of the disorders and being more precise. For example, phobia
... J. H., & Manos, M. J. (2004). Abnormal Psychology: Current Perspectives 9th ed. In L. B. Alloy, J. H. Riskind, & M. J. Manos, The Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sociocultural Perspectives (pp. 75-104). New York: McGraw Hill.
There are multiple criteria that come into play when determining a psychological disorder. One reason is because, it is hard to know for sure if an action is abnormal or not. Something could be abnormal in our country, but a custom in another. According to Psychology in Action, “[r]ather than being fixed categories, both “abnormal” and “normal” behaviors exist along a continuum, and no single criterion is adequate for [i]dentifying all forms of abnormal behavior” (Huffman). There are four criteria used to determine whether a behavior is abnormal.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which can be abbreviated to the DSM-V, is the primary source for identifying and classifying mental disorders within people. Inside of the manual, all of the mental disorders are listed in categories depending upon the subject, making it easier to navigate through the book. In general, the DSM-V is the source most commonly used for identifying a mental disorder within a patient. While the DSM-V has its pros, there are also several cons when using the manual. Firstly, while the DSM-V lists criteria for all mental disorders, in order to be diagnosed, a patient must meet at least five of these specified traits or behaviors. While this can be helpful in understanding the basis of a patient's abnormal behavior,
Classification refers to the procedure in which ideas or objects are recognized, distinguished and understood. Currently, two leading systems are used for grouping of mental disorder namely International Classification of Disease (ICD) by World Health Organization (WHO) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders (DSM) by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Other classifications include Chinese classification of mental disorder, psycho-dynamic diagnostic manual, Latin American guide for psychiatric diagnosis etc. A survey of 205 psychiatrists, from 66 different countries across all continents, found that ICD-10 was more customarily used and more valued in clinical practice, while the DSM-IV was more valued for research [1].
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.
Originally published in 1952, the DSM has been through a number of revisions in its history. The original manual was the culmination of an extended journey of its own. According to Tartokovsky (2011), the DSM was born out of the need to minimize the confusion that had developed in the world of mental health care with regard to classifying disorders. Prior to this, there had been an initial attempt to create a system of classification that had emerged in 1917 known as the Statistical Manual for the Use of Institutions for the Insane. The manual was written by the early predecessor to the APA and wa...
Halgin, R. P., & Whitbourne, S. K. (2010). Abnormal psychology: clinical perspectives on psychological disorders (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
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
Barlow, D., Durand, V., & Stewart, S. (2009). Abnormal psychology an integrative apporach. (2nd ed.). United States of America: Wadsworth