Classifying Disorder Activity 12.1
It isnecessarythat psychologistshave a common way to classify and organize disorders in order to study them. When studying patients with similar symptoms, psychologists can compare family histories, thinking, and behavior in order to help identify causes of a disorder. Observing self-defeating thinking patterns ina majority of depressed patients, for example, the psychologist can then identify these patterns as a symptom of depression. The American Psychological Association, APA published a reference book, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM in 1952. Table 12.1 on page 566 of your text shows the DSM-IV-TR. In May of this year, the DSM was revised.The DSM-IV-TR that we were using has been replaced by the DSM-5.
The DSM provides common language and guidelines that are used by all psychologists to determine the nature and course of a particular psychological disorder. If a psychologist diagnosed a person with schizophrenia, then another psychologist using the DSM-5 would likely diagnose the same person as schizophrenic.
The DSM diagnostic criteria are important not only for doctors deciding what mental illness a person might have but also for health care for the mentally ill in general. Insurance companies require that mental ill diagnoses reference the DSM system in order to pay for services to treat the disorder. The use of the DSM by insurance providers makes changes to the DSM a very important concern for everyone.
This lesson will help you understand the importance of the DSM guidelines and identify the changes made in the latest edition and their impact on Health Care professionals, patients, and insurance companies.
What to do:
- Read pages 565-566 in your text. Take notes. (This can be done via the LOs and RBs.)
- Use the following links to read about the revisions and the criticisms. Take notes.DSM-5DSM DefinedDSM RevisionFinal DSM ChangesFuss Over DSM-5Criticism of DSM- 5DSM-5 Meyer's text
3.Then answer the following questions:
a. Identify five changes made in the DSM-5.
b. The DSM is not written by a single author, but a group of professionals. Whataresome of the criticismsof the DSM-5?
c. Discuss the potential dangers and benefits of using diagnostic labels.
This will be graded as an Alternative Assessment.