Psychology in the Workplace

Psychology in the Workplace

The most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5, was released in 2013 and published by the American Psychiatric Association that same year. The new version has simplified the categorization of disorders, which has a huge impact on the work of medical practitioners across various fields. For instance, DSM-IV is used to group disorders, but in the release of DSM-5, the categorization has been simplified to clarify relationships between different disorders (Aubrey Bailey, 2021). The DSM-5 was updated to include examples in criterion items to be easier to apply across the lifespan. Bipolar disorder was replaced with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, which is less likely to result in harmful over-treatment of children. The main change to DSM was the elimination of the multi-axial system. Advancements in clinical and neuroscience mainly informed this change. The multi-axial system was introduced in the DSM-III, and it organized mental disorders by their clinical features. However, it proved difficult to use clinically and for research purposes (Aubrey Bailey, 2021).

The DSM is a comprehensive handbook utilized by psychiatrists and other professionals in mental health programs in the United States to diagnose psychiatric disorders. Most of the time, clinicians use it as a reference guide to help them classify, diagnose, and identify conditions related to mental health. Published by the American Psychiatric Association, the DSM has helped healthcare professionals as an authoritative guide to mental disorder diagnosis. DSM is used among health care professionals because it has symptoms, descriptions, and criteria that can help diagnose mental disorders. DSM also helps clinicians communicate with patients to create reliable and consistent diagnoses for mental disorder research (Regier, Kuhl & Kupfer, 2013). The DSM can help researchers create future medications and interventions for patients. It can also be used to classify patients for billing purposes. Psychiatric professionals diagnose and recommend treatments for their patients use the DSM. The DSM is used in the United States but also in other countries.

When doing a clinical interview, you need to follow some important factors to structure the significant findings from the interview. This will help psychologists, researchers, and physicians diagnose various mental illnesses accurately. One example of why personal information is important is that it can help you develop significant information about your clients. The questions you ask must be structured to help you get the most important information from your patients. During the interview, important questions you need to ask the client include family and medical history of the illness, current complaints, nature of severity, and how long the patient has been experiencing these symptoms (Bartoli et al., 2015). The questions I have highlighted are important when conducting clinical interviews because they help determine whether the client is suffering from the symptom. Also, it is important because through the interview, as a practitioner, you can understand what exactly affects the clients; thus, as a therapist, determine a plan that can work in helping the client to heal. The DSM-5 was released in 2013 and has made some important changes. The most notable change is that the multi-axial system has been eliminated. 

DSM-5 is a helpful tool you can use to make accurate diagnoses of your patients. As a counselor, it is important to use DSM-5 to develop an accurate diagnosis of mental disorders. With the use of DSM-5, I will help meet the various diagnostic processes. For example, I will be able to communicate clinical information about patients, their families, and administrators in healthcare systems. As a counselor, it will be easier for me to tell the difference between mental disorders and non-disorders. This is important for the client’s treatment. The counselor can use DSM-5 to determine a differential diagnosis to know if a mental disorder is present, which will help inform treatment. Therefore, it is clear that using DSM as a counselor can help to assess a client and provide a diagnosis. By using DSM-5 as a counselor, I will be able to diagnose the client considering how much their signs and symptoms are related to mental disorders (Bartoli et al., 2015). As a counselor, it is important to identify mental disorders. Differential diagnoses need to be considered to determine the appropriate diagnosis. It is important to ask questions to avoid misdiagnosis, even if they seem unimportant. It is important to be careful and not careless when diagnosing a patient to make an accurate diagnosis. This includes considering different cultures that may affect how the client experiences or defines their problem. If this is not recognized, it can lead to misdiagnosis. Mental health professionals use the DSM to make a diagnosis. The DSM is important in making an accurate diagnosis because it includes information on specific symptoms associated with mental disorders. This can help counselors better understand their clients and develop a tailored treatment plan. The DSM also helps counselors to differentiate between mental disorders and non-disorders. This is important because if a counselor misdiagnoses a client, it can lead to ineffective treatment. 

References

Aubrey Bailey, P. T. (2021, August 30). What is the DSM-5? Very well health. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.verywellhealth.com/an-overview-of-the-dsm-5-5197607#:~:text=The%20DSM%2D5%20is%20a,most%20commonly%20use%20this%20resource.

Bartoli, F., Carrà, G., Crocamo, C., & Clerici, M. (2015). From DSM-IV to DSM-5 alcohol use disorder: an overview of epidemiological data. Addictive behaviors, 41, 46-50.

Regier, D. A., Kuhl, E. A., & Kupfer, D. J. (2013). The DSM‐5: Classification and criteria changes. World Psychiatry, 12(2), 92-98.