Diagnosis of mental health in America is determined mainly by using criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). There are various reasons clients are given diagnoses. One reason is that “insurance companies allot specific numbers of sessions for each diagnostic category, often in defiance of a therapist’s judgement” (McWilliams, 2011, p. 7). Because insurance companies only cover treatment they deem necessary and determine the amount of sessions based off diagnoses, professionals have to incorporate diagnoses into treatment. While diagnoses are used to inform treatment, create treatment plans, and assist individuals in their mental health, an unfortunate reality is that sometimes diagnoses can be harmful. In …show more content…
One major reason diagnosis can be helpful is that it gives various clinicians and professionals common language. It can be difficult when individuals transfer to or see various providers. Having common language can assist all professionals involved in working with a client by having an understanding of what the individual is experiencing. Common language also makes it helpful when clients transfer geographic locations or chose to see a new professional. Diagnoses are also useful in treatment planning. It gives a way of thinking about patterns of symptoms, and provides diagnostic reliability. McWilliams lists five advantages of diagnosis: “(1) its usefulness for treatment planning, (2) its implications for prognosis, (3) its contribution to protecting consumers of mental health services, (4) its value in enabling the therapist to convey empathy, (5) its role in reducing the probability that certain easily frightened people will feel from treatment” (2011, p. …show more content…
As defined by the World Health Organization website. The ICD is “the standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management and clinical purposes. This includes the analysis of the general health situation of population groups. It is used to monitor the incidence and prevalence of diseases and other health problems, proving a picture of the general health situation of countries and populations” (2016). Each diagnosis in the ICD has a set of numbers and a code attached to it. The ICD tries to be compatible with the DSM but it too has a number of
...us advances in this field, while we still consider it a stigma even to be referred to a psychiatrist. Mental illness is just another biological or sociological problem, which needs to be dealt with on time, before it’s too late, by a specialist.
As a result, I am learning how to assist clients without labeling the client and developing a proper diagnosis. Assessing client problems should happen throughout the counseling process. In the beginning, counselors get background information on their clients to help the counselor develop a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Correct diagnosis of clients is vital to receive reimbursement from insurance companies for counseling services. Assessments help the counselor determine an appropriate treatment for the client. Assessments can help clients realize their strengths and weaknesses (Whiston, 2017). Helping the client understand their strengths can assist the client in building confidence, reach the clients counseling goal, and implement healthy choices in the client’s
Understanding psychological disorders are very important in human development, the first step is to define what is meant by a disorder. How do psychologists determine that there something is psychologically wrong with a person? What behaviours are abnormal? A psychological disorder, also known as a mental disorder, is a pattern of behavioural or psychological symptoms that impact multiple life areas and/or create distress for the person experiencing these symptoms. A clear sign of abnormal behaviour or mental state is when an individual's behaviour is destructive to themselves or their social group, such as family, friends. Above all psychological disorders create a maladaptive pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that lead to detriments in relationships and other life areas. There are several ethical issues in treating psychological disorders. There two ways of treating psychological disorders through; psychotherapy this form of treatment involves social interactions between a trained professional (therapist) and client. This is delivered on a one-to-one, face-to-face meeting. Another way of treating psychological disorder is through pharmacological treatments. This is the use of proactive drugs to treat certain disorders. This essay will aim to highlight the pros and cons of using pharmacological and psychological treatments.
...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.
All diseases and disorders are categorized by a set of symptoms, or signs that are indicative of certain diseases or disorders. Thus, symptoms are important when diagnosing a person. They serve as a communication tool between the clinical psychologist and the client. When detecting symptoms of a person, it allows the clinician to understand the client’s physical, emotional, and mental discomforts. Using the symptoms reported by the client, the clinician can then determine what the client’s clinical diagnosis is.
As science has evolved, so have treatments for mental illnesses have over time. The medical model is described as the view that psychological disorders are medical diseases with a biological origin (King, 2010, pg. 413). Abnormal behavior that categorizes some disorders can be impacted by biological factors such as genes, psychological factors such as childhood experiences, and even sociocultural factors such as gender and race (King, 2010). Treatments such as psychosurgery (lobotomy) , drug therapy (pharmaceuticals), electroconclusive therapy, and psychoanalysis are used to treat a wide range of psychological disorders. Back then, the public’s negative views on mental illnesses also went as far to associate with the people who treated it; psychiatrists. “Nunnally (1961) found that the public evaluated professionals who treated mental disorders significantly more negatively than those who treat physical disorders,” (Phelan, Link, Stueve, & Pescosolido, 2000, pg. 189). People back then didn’t see the point in “paying to be told that they were crazy”. However, in today’s society, it is now acceptable to seek help from psychiatric professionals; we are seeing more and more people seek mental health treatment. “In terms of facility-based records of utilization (Manderscheid and Henderson 1998), the data suggest that the rate of utilization of professional mental health services has at least doubled and maybe tripled, between the 1950’s and today,” (Phelan, Link, Stueve, & Pescosolido, 2000, pg. 189). In the 1950’s, neuroleptic drugs like Thorazine were introduced to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia. These drugs block a neurotransmitter called dopamine from getting to the brain, which in turn reduce schizophrenic symptoms, however there are some side effects such as substantial twitching of the neck, arms, and legs, and even dysphoria or lack of pleasure. (King, 2010, pg.
Mental healthcare has a long and murky past in the United States. In the early 1900s, patients could live in institutions for many years. The treatments and conditions were, at times, inhumane. Legislation in the 1980s and 1990s created programs to protect this vulnerable population from abuse and discrimination. In the last 20 years, mental health advocacy groups and legislators have made gains in bringing attention to the disparity between physical and mental health programs. However, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses continues to be less than optimal. Mental health disparities continue to exist in all areas of the world.
In today’s society, the stigma around mental health has caused many people to fear seeking medical treatment for problems they are dealing with. With an abundance of hateful outlooks and stereotypical labels such as: crazy, psycho, and dangerous, it is clear that people with a mental illness have a genuine reason to avoid pursuing medical treatments. Along with mental health stigma, psychiatric facilities that patients with a mental health issue attend in order to receive treatment obtain an excessive amount of unfavorable stereotypes.
Schildkrout, Barbara. “Unmasking Psychological Symptoms: How Therapists Can Learn To Recognize The Psychological Presentation Of Medical Disorders”. n.p.: Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, c2011., 2011. USMAI Catalog. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
Cultural differences can conflict with diagnosing in different countries mental health disorders aren’t even recognised and there is also a stigma attached to mental health problems making people resistant to seek help or treatment. Diagnosing can also be difficult due to problems such as in one culture hearing voices can be totally normal yet in others this could mean your schizophrenic. (Hayes,2000)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), mental illness refers collectively to all diagnosable mental disorders. A study has shown that about one in four adults, which is 61.5 million Americans, experience mental illness each year. In addition, one in seventeen Americans lives with serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder, (National Alliance of Mental Illness, 2013). The causes of mental disorders can stem from genetics and family history, life experience...
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.
The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America. Retrieved February 13, 2011, from National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov. Weiten, W., & Lloyd, M. A. a. The adage of the adage of the adage of the Psychology of Applied Modern Life. Canada: Thomson and Wadsworth, Inc.
People sometimes have symptoms of mental disorders, but they usually do not meet the criteria or are not clinically significant, severe enough to necessitate treatment. Before a person can be diagnosed with a mental disorder, his or her problematic thoughts, feelings, and actions must meet the criteria for the mental disorder and must prevent adequate social, occupation, or other forms of functioning.
Physical illness are much easier to see, for instance if someone had Chicken Pox, a doctor would probably be able to tell right away. But if someone with depression came in, there are usually no physical sign and it would be much harder for a doctor to tell it was depression. Alison Cuellar, a professor at George Mason University, has said that symptoms of mental disorders are much harder to detect and recognize than physical disorders (Cuellar). Since mental illnesses are causing damage inside the body rather than the outside, it is much harder for doctors to suspect a mental illness. Diagnosing mental disorders requires more in depth tests, this often costs a lot of money. Insurance may cover the costs of diagnosing mental illnesses, but it is not common. In order to diagnosis a mental illnesses, professional help is needed, but as Cuellar pointed out “Health insurance often doesn’t cover the time that health-care providers spend interacting with schools and community service agencies” (Cuellar). It is important that mental illnesses are detected at a young age, but if insurance doesn’t cover what they need, help is less likely to be