Genetic Identification of Major Psychiatric Disorders Essay

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has a number of features. First of all, every disorder is identified using a name and a numerical code. In addition, the manual provides the criteria for diagnosing each disorder as well as establishes subtypes of a disorder and examples that would illustrate the disorder. The manual goes further by addressing the typical age of onset, culturally related information, gender-related information, prevalence of a disorder, typical clinical course of a disorder, typical predisposing factors of a disorder and genetic family patterns of a disease (Summers, 2009). The DSM-IV is a tool that is used by mental health practitioners and social service workers. As has been demonstrated

The DSM is used as a standard of reference for psychological diagnosis. The DSM was originally published in 1952 containing only 106 diagnoses; today the revised DSM-IV-TR contains 365 diagnoses. Throughout the history of the DSM, individuals in the mental health profession have relied on it for clarification of disorders, facilitating research, improving communication with other professionals and improving the collection of clinical information. With a new DSM-V underway, there has been a lot of issues surrounding the contents and classifications of the new DSM. There are

The categorisation of mental illness continues today with 2 main publications, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) created by the World Health Organisation and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by American Psychiatric Association. This form of categorisation facilities the process of medical treatment of the patient, by standardising the referral process between medical practioners and the diagnostic labels are primarily used as a, “convenient shorthand” among professionals and not for lay use”.

The DSM is a classified system used by psychiatrist and other clinical professions in order to diagnose clients and patients who show signs of some type of disorder. The two advantages of using this model or classification system ranges from the validity of an assessment used by clinicians and other health care professionals. Build around the concepts and purposes for the DSM model is that it supports a number of standard assessments of diagnosing different treatment providers. Furthermore, (Comer, J. 2016) suggest that the DSM-5 requires clinicians to provide both categorical and dimensional information which is part of being consistent in diagnosing. From a categorical perspective this refers to the name of a particular category of a disorder which is indicated on behalf of the client’s symptoms. From the dimensional perspective it is a rating of how the client symptoms and the severity of the dysfunction through various dimensions.

Many physicians presently believe ADHD is an inherited neurological disorder best treated with drugs. Smith addresses why children were first diagnosed with the disorder, why biological reasons became predominant, how influential drugs became the chosen treatment, and why alternative clarifications have failed to attain any validity. It’s important to note that hyperactive children are also a product of their social, cultural, and educational environment and Smith demonstrates how knowledge about the history of ADHD can lead to better decisions about its diagnosis and

The controversial issue of over-diagnosing ADHD and the subjective matter of psychiatry is a topic that is shrouded in misconception and lack of understanding within the American public. An apparent epidemic of ADHD overdiagnosis has increased the number of young children taking psychostimulants and this dramatic increase has been a cause for concern in the United States. ADHD is one of the most prominent mental illnesses in the United States and the effect to which it is diagnosed -especially in young children- has become a significant problem and raised the question about the credibility of psychiatry.

The evaluation of ADHD from a clinician standpoint is that ADHD is a disorder. ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Disorders occur from childhood to adulthood and with treatments for daily interactions, improvement of ADHD symptoms occur as a child ages and reaches adulthood. Disorders evaluated, by the following persons; behavioral neurologist, psychiatrist, clinical or educational psychologist, nurse practitioner, or clinical social worker. Genetics linked to ADHD, with additional research and study of other possible causes and risk factors, which may cause concern is publicized. Researchers suggest, that ADHD runs in families because of genetics or external factors due to smoking or

Four percent of all children in the United States Of America are diagnosed with ADHD (“When Will America Just Say No”). From 2008-2012 the rate of children diagnosed with ADHD went up 30 percent ( While there are this many diagnoses’ not all of them are correctly given. Some people pretend to have ADHD so that they can abuse the medicine with it. This is one of the reasons people are divided at giving their child the medication and not. Although some people think their diagnoses is correct, a lot of times it’s not and it could be solved by making the test more complex because we don’t want children on medication they don’t need, it can have harsh side effects, and pretty much anyone who wants it can get it for their own reasons.

It is widely agreed that ADHD is over diagnosed. According to the study, only 22 percent of 92 children referred to an ADHD clinic actually met the criteria. Furthermore, numerous arguments would urge the general public and the medical community that what has been proven is a large varying degree of severity of the condition. In turn, the symptoms may be expressed in every person, only with varying intensity. Although no conclusive evidence is currently available to prove the existence of the genetic disorder, no concrete evidence dispels its existence either. Still, the fact that the disorder has passed through a crowd of names, including organic drivenness, hyperkinetic syndrome, attention-deficit disorder and now ADHD provides evidence on

Scientists have begun to study the different causes and risk factors of ADHD to find a better way to manage symptoms and reduce the chances of a child having ADHD. Current research shows that genetics play a large part

DNA contains the genetic information that makes us who we are, from our genotype to our phenotype. Our genetic makeup can contribute to our behaviour and so much more. However, because we are very complex beings the ways in which our genes contribute to our behaviour also works in a complex manner (Nelson & Israel, 2015). Numerous studies have been conducted to examine the correlation between genetics and behavioral disorders such as ADHD. The purpose of this essay is to examine the role genetics plays in the development of ADHD, the ways in which ADHD can affect development, and the importance of understanding that ADHD has a dimensional nature of diagnosis and works in a continuum.

The National Institute of Mental Health argues that ADHD is a real and very common disorder in childhood. NIMH claims that some of the major causes of ADHD are genetics and the organization of the child’s brain. Environmental and social factors don’t cause the disorder, but they could exacerbate the problem. The genetics theory suggests that family members of the child could also have ADHD. Studies show that, of people diagnosed with ADHD, about 25% usually have a close relative with ADHD as well. NIMH’s studies on which treatment works more efficiently lead to the findings that

DSM-IV TR, which stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition), Text Revision was published by the American Psychiatric Association in 2000 and serves as a guide book for many health professionals to diagnose a patient with a mental disorder. It also helps health professionals to determine what types of treatment could be carried out to help the patient. The latest DSM is widely used, especially in the USA and many European countries.1However, it may not be completely followed by health professionals as they know that there are some weaknesses of the latest version of DSM as well. This essay will discuss the strengths and

was a study, called the ‘Danish Twin Study”(1), that explained that only ten percent of

Furthermore, twin studies in 1999 reported heritability estimates ranging from 41% to 87% (Cardno et al., 1999). More recently, a 2009