Short Answer Questions on Assessments and Treatments of Mental Disorders

The DSM IV-TR, published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the authoritative book for clinicians, psychiatrists, therapists and other healthcare professionals who diagnose mental disorders. It lists the diagnostic criteria and features, differential diagnoses, course and prevalence of the disease. It is the go-t

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of DSM-IV TR, as well as new changes for DSM-V.

While reading over the introduction to the DSM-5 I was impressed. I have never looked at any DSM or really any mental health disorders thus far in my studies. I was mostly impressed with the strive to continue making the DSM more useful and understanding. Some things that are in the introduction to the DSM-5 that caught my attention was that the Task Force was very involved in trying to find a balance between the different disorders without confusing them together (p. 5). Another point that I found important was that the overall goal for the DSM-5 was “the degree to which two clinicians could independently arrive at the same diagnosis for a given patient” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 7). This is a strong reasoning to improve the DSM and I am actually stocked that it took this long to change things because Robert Spritzer (a psychiatrist of the twentieth century who became have a strong part in developing the DSM-III and the DSM-IIIR), back in 1974 noticed the central issue being the problem of diagnosis and psychiatrists not being able to agree on the same disorders (Spiegel, 2005).

This diversity in the professions that contribute to the criteria found in the DSM-5 can only assist in assuring the validity of the disorders presented within it. The disorders contained in the manual all have a series of specific requirements that an individual must

The controversy and criticism surrounding the DSM -5 models has raised questions about its credibility and has raised concerns from the public on the reliability and effectiveness. Problems with this classification system is the attempt to promote preventive psychiatry by introducing how

The DSM has a lot of information pertaining to different and similar disorders. The DSM includes diagnostic criteria for mental disorders. The DSM has set criteria defined by experts for clinicians to make a diagnosis. The purpose of revising the DSM-5 was to improve diagnoses, treatment, and research. I am very impressed with the DSM-5. There are some conditions in the manual that I would have never thought were possible. However, they still have criteria and z codes to meet that diagnosis. Also, I am impressed that there are so many subtypes of disorders. For example, there are so many types of neurocognitive disorders listed in the DSM. A few of the neurocognitive disorders listed include NCD due to traumatic brain injury, HIV infection, Huntington's disease, another medical condition, and unspecified neurocognitive disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

The DSM itself states “diagnosis require clinical judgment (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 19) indicating the fact that two therapist may see things differently. This concept would have to be considered a weakness as consensus is key validity and reliability of diagnosis and subsequent treatment. The article goes on to discuss the idea that the diagnosis of mental illness is more of an art form than a scientific process (Zur & Nordmarken, 2016). Finally, the most harsh factor against the DSM-5 is the outcry by leading professionals. The article points out that the chairman of its predecessor the DSM-4 Dr. Allen Frances was a critic of the DSM-5 from the very beginning. Change on any level is difficult so for Dr. Frances to urge caution is one; however, for him to say “this is the saddest moment in a 45 year career” to the American Psychiatric Association’s approval of the DSM-5 is troubling. Dr. Frances is not alone is his objection to this text. The director of the National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Thomas Insel joined the opposition stating he will drive his organization’s research away from the DSM-5 (Zur & Nordmarken,

Each participant met with a psychiatrist for a complete mental health assessment regardless of the hospital conducting one. This assessment sets the baseline for that participant. After the initial psychiatric evaluation each participant filled out a questionnaire that was created by the psychiatrist. Having a psychiatrist create the questionnaire gave the study validity, because the psychiatrist is a professional and expert in the area that was studied. Validity is necessary for good science and research.

According to my research, (“Diagnostic and statistical,” 2016), “the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is the [newest] standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States” and the DSM IV-TR (Text Revision), is the version was last edited before. All DSM manuals will include a list the American Psychology Association deem a mental illness. One of the major difference between the two editions is the use/lack of use of the multiaxial or multidimensional approach to diagnosing. During the use of the DSM IV-TR, five major dimensions in the client’s life were to be considered when applying the correct diagnosis for the individual. According to an online review, the five axis that were previously used included: Clinical Syndromes, Developmental Disorders and Personality Disorders, Physical Conditions, Severity of Psychosocial Stressors, and Highest Level of Functioning (Heffner, C., 2016). Also Highlights of Changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5 (2013), offers a general outline of the revisions/differences that can be seen from changing DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5, some specifics that are mentioned include changing terminology that is used. For example, “the phrase ‘general medical condition’ is replaced in DSM-5 with ‘another medical condition’ where relevant across all disorders” (“Highlights of changes”, 2013, p. 1). Additional differences that arise between the editions include the amount to symptoms that are needed for diagnostic requirement. For example, when diagnosing for schizophrenia the DSM-5 included that the individual must display two (rather than one according to the DSM-IV) Criterion A symptoms to be schizophrenic and at least one of them have to include positive symptoms such as: delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech (“Highlights of changes, 2013, pp. 2-3). Many other tedious changes such as these have occurred in many other areas of diagnosing as well, but that

The identifying difference in the DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder would be the 2-3 out of the 11 symptoms is Mild, 4-5 is classified as moderate, and

It is believed in order to fully be able to offer aid to the client, the clinician must understand the client fully. This is important because the clinician has to first assess before diagnosing and coming up with a treatment. An assessment is “simply collecting relevant information in an effort to reach a conclusion” (97). When the client is fully assessed and the clinician fully understands, the clinician can ease into treatment. The DSM-5 is the current assessment method and “is judged by its reliability and validity (117).” The DSM-5 is focused on the reliability and validity because the previous versions were sought to be too vague and not reliable. When diagnosing a client there are certain number of symptoms that have to be met however, these symptoms have to last a certain amount of time and impede on the client's everyday life. When a client is diagnosed with a disorder there is a significant chance that they suffer another disorder. When a client is diagnosed with agoraphobia there is a chance they suffer from panic disorder as

that is passed down to each individual. The medical model defines mental illness as a biological disease that is caused by malfunctioning neurophysiological process. The DSM-5 is used in the medical model as a classification system of psychological disorders to help the clinician diagnosis and treat mental illnesses. There are strengths and limitations of focusing on the medical model and the use of the DSM when working with clients.

Being able to form a diagnosis properly for a client is a process that is wide-ranging and broad. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) supports recommendations and standards for identifying a diagnosis for a client. The procedure of diagnosing is more than skimming for symptoms in the DSM; one must assess, interview and identify issues, as well as refer to the DSM for a diagnosis.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as defined by the American Psychiatric Association is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States (American Psychiatric Association, 2014). The first

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