Shari Aughtman 9/19/16
PSY 250 C. Taylor
Assignment # 1
The many disadvantages of labeling or diagnosing in mental health disorders are Clinicians may sometimes be influenced by false information given by others, and may not match symptoms to the patient. Improper diagnosis can make the patient worse, or damage them from the medication. When a patient is diagnosed with a label, that can initiate a stigma for them, and stereotype them. Labels can have a negative effect on a person’s view, and also the judgment of others. Society can view them as ¬bad, different, not normal, unstable and reject them with negativity. The diagnosis can be judged by a personal bias as well such as age, gender, race, background, and financial status. When someone is labeled with a mental disorder, they may start to believe they are sick, and it can be self-fulfilling. A patient may become obsessed with their behavior, and let the label define them. Once they are labeled they may have a hard time identifying
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Some patients are pleased when they learn about what they are experiencing and gain a sense of hope and control over the illness. They may find a sense of relief and communicate with other who have the same illness. Advantages of diagnosis can help them to learn to have a more positive outlook on life, be successful with their careers, and their relationships. A clients advantage in getting the treatment is helping them improve their behavior patterns, and regain their self-identity. Mental Health disorder treatment will give a client understanding of what has been happening, and help them cope with life more clearly.
The advantages of labeling or diagnosing mental health disorders is that the patient will receive the correct therapy and medical treatment to help function properly in
The strengths are that the right uses and medications is used to control the illnesses also behaviours that are different to normal are noticed and seen to. The limitations are that sometimes people are categorised in the inappropriately because the DSM-IV does not explain the causes of different psychological disorders
The labelling theory in relation to health and social care is very significant. Labels are used consistently within health and social care settings, whether this is through diagnosis, or a service user/providers background. If a service user was diagnosed with a mental health condition like schizophrenia, then this will provide them with a ‘label’. In some cases, labels can be an advantage as it helps aid recovery and treatment, even though it is stigmatising. Labels help service providers provide appropriate care. This can be a result of their own understanding of treatment or recovery paths that link in with this given ‘label’.
Many doctors and school officials believe that the diagnosis and labeling of these individuals is helpful so that they can be assisted with their struggles. The idea is that if a disorder goes undiagnosed it must go untreated
Furthermore, tremendous advances have been made in the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses in the recent decades. Nowadays, someone with a mental illness is treated with respect, just like every other person, because, in fact, everyone is equal. Society’s goals today are to treat and support the mentally ill individuals enough so they can live in
Almost half of the population in the US are affected by mental health conditions every year. A diagnosable mental illness affects about 43 percent of the U.S. population at some point in their lives. 75 percent of youth are left with no or insufficient treatment. If mental illness is recognized early on, it can help citizens avoid large medical bills down the road and could help lessen the amount of homelessness, unemployment, suicides, shootings, bad decision making, etc.
If access to care and more information about the benefits of receiving care were to make an appearance, more people would be inclined to seek treatment for their disorder. Treating mental illness will lead to a healthier and happier mind & body, help people make good life choices, and will create an overall better quality of life. If we want the effects of mental illness to decrease, something needs to be done to increase access to care so that everybody can get their mental illness treated.
The diagnostic label is the most positive outcome of the Rosenhan’s study because it advanced treatment patients and helped to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. Labels started being handled more carefully so that a patient is not just seen as their diagnosis, the patients can receive better care with an unbiased opinion toward their actions and past. The psychiatric diagnostic label also became apart of Dr. O.F. Wahl’s research about the effect of the stigma surrounding mental health. This research showed the detrimental results of stigma “urged public education as a means of reducing stigma.” (Hock,
Kroska, A. Harkness, S.K. (2008). Exploring the role of diagnosis in the modified labeling theory of mental illness. Social Psychology Quarterly, 71, 193-208
8. Mental Health and Mental Disorders- Improvement of mental health through prevention and by guaranteeing access to adequate and quality services. Mental conditions are described by changes
However, there are some drawbacks to the diagnosis of a mental illness there is benefit to it as well in such a way that it helps destigmatized and takes away labels from people who live with actual, severe mental illnesses. Diagnosis of a mental disorder also helps acknowledgement of a mental disorder from insurance companies and federal governments for coverage and funding respectively and helps people to get support and become aware that their behavioral problem is more than just a weak will or an odd behavior, at the same time diagnosis does not mean getting good treatment as well and in my opinion breaking down mental illnesses into
A way to find out how to use these things towards you as an advantage is by talking to a professional or someone that has used them in the past like a psychologist or a doctor. This is clearly affecting the world that we live in today by a long shot more than any other symptom out there. For example from the age 18 years and older 18% of the U.S populations have anxiety disorders, that’s 40 million people that are affected by this disorder known as anxiety. Only one-third of the of people anxiety disorders around the world are being treated yet this disease is highly treatable. This leads onto the fact that over $42 billion is spent on anxiety disorders out of the total $148 billion total that is spent on the mental health bill, that’s roughly one-third of the total payment. Therefore we can clearly tell by the statistics that over 40million people in the U.S have the anxiety disorder, only one-third of the people are being treated yet it is highly treatable and the fact that it has used over $42 billion in the U.S.
Awareness. Many people are unaware of the symptoms of mental illness and therefore are not able to spot them in themselves or others. Unfortunately, there is a problem when it comes to educating people on mental health. People don’t want to talk about mental health problems. They are afraid of mental illness and therefore avoid the topic. There is also a stigma in society that those with mental illness are in control of their disabilities so they are told to “change their thinking” rather than to seek medical help. This stigma and ignorance of mental illness symptoms often means that people struggling with mental health problems do not get help until they are at a point of crisis.
When people are mentally ill, they suffer social stigma, have higher health costs, and are at an increased risk of becoming poor. Every one out of five Americans is diagnosed with a mental illness. That 20 percent of the population can negatively influence the normal stresses of life, working productively and fruitfully, and being able to make a contribution the community. When humankind as a whole cannot recognize that mental illness is a serious issue, there is more harm being done than good. Any kind of mental illness can be caused merely by society, but also can worsen due to humanity not understanding how injustice can make a serious impact. The mental health problems that people face can be limited to society learning about the injustice of these illnesses.
While mental health professionals have had mixed feelings about the use of diagnostic labels in counseling, the diagnosis is another common outcome of the assessment process. Mears (2010) reports the advantage of diagnostic classifications as their usefulness in written and verbal interactions about the specific problems a client might experience. An example of this is when a diagnosis documented in a case conceptualization or treatment plan increases the ease of communication between clinicians or billing agencies.
The problem with the stigma of a psychological disorder is the understanding that the client or patient understands how society views those who have psychological