The Diagnostic Process in Mental Health - Essay Example

THE DIAGNOSTIC PROCESS IN MENTAL HEALTH By Department The Diagnostic Process in Mental Health According to (DSM, 2014, p.11), DSM Task Force proposes a new definition to the word mental disorder that state that it is a psychological syndrome that occur in an individual to reflect an underlying psychobiological dysfunction. The term psychobiological is an implication that mental disorders contain a biological component. The advancement of neuroscience can enhance one’s understanding in psychopathology. The current science in its form fails to support biological connection for the mental disorders. The national Institute of National Health announces the withdrawal of the current manual. The current manual lacks validity in diagnosis of the clinical symptoms. According to the British Psychological Society, some people find a diagnostic field beneficial. A diagnosis is the spurious promise to the benefits of clarity and validation (DSM, 2014, p.12). Some psychologists argue that diagnostic labels are less beneficial in comparison to a person’s problems to predict treatment response. DSM evidence in mental illness has the support of significant genetic study. According to the “Science of Mind,” people have different histories and backgrounds that they express differently since they associate feelings with diverse experiences. The experiences provide a psychiatrist with an ability to distinguish people encountering challenges in life and others that show evidence of a mental disorder or an abnormal behavior (The Science of Mind, 2011, p.96). This paper will discuss processes and methods involved in the assessment and diagnosis of a person having mental disorder as well as distinguish between abnormality and mental illness. An abnormal behavior tends to deviate from the normal or expected. Abnormal can also mean the perspective of a society that deems nonconformist since it fails to fit with the rules of morality. Abnormality refers to uncommon relative behavior significant in a minority group in a population. The Science of Mind, (2011, p.97) describes mental illness as a behavioral pattern that causes disability and psychological suffering where a person can harm self or others in the society. A mentally ill person cannot function properly such as take care of minors. Diagnosis is a Greek word that means to discern. In clinical perspective, a process determines whether person signs and symptoms fit a certain syndrome in a way to cause significant disability. The author makes a distinction in the words sign, symptom, and syndrome. A sign is an indication of mental disease such as slumped posture noticed by an external observer (The Science of Mind, 2011, p.97). A symptom is an uncomfortable sensation such as headache reported by a person. A syndrome entails a collection of symptoms and signs that occur in a specific pattern to suggest the existence of a disorder. Signs, symptoms, and syndromes will indicate a disorder if they cause significant psychological suffering to represent risk to self and others. Diagnostic practices are vital in the clinical practice and extensive research in mental health. In the clinical practice, diagnostic process will help in providing the best treatment. The failure of a certain treatment will help the clinicians make evaluations in the diagnostic process. Researchers and policymakers have the interest in providing an effective diagnosis to investigate the cause and progress of mental disorders. Assessment entails a series of steps and methods to gather and evaluate relevant information concerning a patient to enable the clinician formulate a diagnosis prior to providing treatment. In the assessment phase, a clinician has an opportunity of learning about a person while obtaining crucial information from the past and the present (The Science of Mind, 2011, p.98). A clinician interviews a patient while performing extensive medical and psychological tests to help the clinician address referral-procedures on the request of the general practitioner. A general practitioner can also imply a family doctor. Referral entails a case sent to mental health specialist for extensive investigation. An extensive test will help a clinician to discriminate any competing diagnoses. The objective of assessment and diagnosis process is to produce a case formulation that will present a theory of the patient’s current state. In United Kingdom, medical teams assess and diagnose mental health patients that include psychiatrists, social workers, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, and mental health nurses. The impact of a diagnosis in mental health has undergone different changes that will continue even in the future, to enable clinical psychologist have a greater understanding on the mental disorder and shifts in social norms. In the period of Classical Antiquity, Hippocrates introduced Humoral theory in 400 B.C (The Science of Mind, 2011, p.100). The theory proposes that the internal cavities of the human body consist of four basic humours that include black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm. The philosopher held the view that the imbalance of humours caused mental disorders. Some of the mental disorders described then included a state of sadness, a state of violent mental agitation, and irrational and tense fear. Hippocrates and Galen believe that humours affect people’s moods, emotions, and behaviors that will correspond to a different type of personality and temperament. The four types of temperament include melancholic, sanguine, choleric, and phlegmatic. Each of the temperaments has positive and negative qualities that tend to create humoral imbalances. For instance, a melancholic trait in an individual has excess black bile humuour. Western diagnostic systems coexist with the ancient systems such as Chinese and Ayurveda acupuncture. Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine that originates from India and applies to other parts of the world as a form of alternative medicine. The ancient system emphasizes on the prevention of disease, rejuvenation of body systems, and the extension of lifespan. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese technique that regulates the flow of energy in the body by inserting and manipulating thin needles into various points for therapeutic purpose and relieves pain. The humoral medicine remained popular in the West for nearly two millennia and it spread to the Roman and Muslim physicians. Different cultures abandon humoral medicine and embrace modern approaches to mental disorders. The 18th century has seen the clinical psychologist have an interest in the dissection and scrutiny of specific organs and tissues unlike in a humoral model where they studied holistic flows and fluid imbalances. Clinical psychologist in the eighteenth century uses a paradigm shift framework such as microscope to extend researchers sight and pave way for the germ theory as well as identification of the underlying causes of illness. The clinical psychologist believed that the entry of microbes into the body cause diseases. The study of illness concentrates on the biological and biochemical enquiry to detect specific and invisible germs that explain their causes. From that point, clinical psychologists adopt biomedical model that concentrates on curing a disease. The objective of the model is to distinguish between normal and pathological to focus on the disease. Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926) is a German psychiatrist that founded contemporary scientific psychiatry. Kraepelin suggests that both physical and mental disorders can fit in taxonomy. The new method enabled him to re-classify psychosis in two groups to discriminate between dementia praecox and manic-depressive psychosis. The author describes psychosis as a mental condition that entails loss of contact with reality where one is unable to distinguish real from illusion. The causes of psychosis are medical conditions, psychological conditions, or substance abuse. Schizophrenia is one type of psychosis where a person with that condition experiences different psychological conditions such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking. The people with the disorder claim that they hear voices believe other people read their minds, and can even plan to harm them. The psychosis condition has treatment while it has no laboratory tests and clinical psychologists are yet to establish its cause. Professionals contend that schizophrenia can develop due to the interplay of biological predisposition and the exposure of a person’s environment. Bipolar disorder is a disorder that causes shifts in energy levels, mood, and an ability to carry on daily activities. The symptoms of the manic-depressive illness are abnormal elevated and abnormal depressed state to interfere with normal functioning of a person. For instance, a person suffering from the disorder can believe that they have special powers than others. Bipolar disorder symptoms lead in damaged relationships, school performance, suicide, and poor job. In conclusion, DSM five axes that assess a patient’s behavior will improve how diagnosis is made in issues that relate with validity and reliability. The two terms remain central to assessment and diagnosis remains central to assessment and diagnosis since they enable the clinicians to make a reliable diagnostic opinion. In addition to that, researchers will have a high level of confidence to measure the mental phenomenon will all levels of objectivity. The outcome reveals that correct diagnosis is often given when no inclusion of the identifying information is included. Bibliography The science of the mind: Investigating mental health: Guide. (2nd ed.). (2011). Milton Keynes: Open University Download. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2014, from https://www.sendspace.com/file/b2ry8f Top of Form Bottom of Form DSM-V background and critical response. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2014, from http://speakoutagainstpsychiatry.org/dsm-v-background-and-critical-response. Read More