PCN 501 Grand Canyon Week 3 Discussion 2

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) provides diagnostic criteria for substance-related diagnoses. What problems can arise if a counselor relies solely on this criterion for diagnostic purposes? Support your answer with evidence.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

Introduction

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a book that lists different mental health disorders. It’s published by the American Psychiatric Association, and is used by professionals, families, and consumers to diagnose people with mental health problems. The DSM-5 was published in 2013, but has since been replaced by the DSM-6.

What is the DSM?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a guide to mental health diagnosis. It’s used by medical doctors, researchers and insurance companies to help them diagnose what kind of mental illness someone has.

The DSM has three parts: the first part contains the names of all disorders in the book; second part includes descriptions about each disorder; third part lists signs and symptoms for each disorder

. The DSM is updated every so often to make sure it’s accurate and up-to-date. Currently, the fifth edition is in use, which was published in 2013.

Why was the DSM first developed?

The DSM was developed to classify and diagnose mental disorders. It helps standardize the way mental health professionals diagnose patients, so they can provide care that is comparable across different hospitals and clinics.

It also helps people with mental health conditions receive treatment and care: by providing a common language, it reduces confusion among different healthcare providers who may treat different types of disorders differently.

The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and it’s updated every few years. The latest version is the fifth edition, also known as DSM-5.

Why is the DSM used?

The DSM is used to:

• Help clinicians diagnose mental disorders.

• Help researchers study mental disorders.

• Help policy makers and the public understand mental disorders.

For example, it can help people who have a mental illness get access to treatment that they need.

How does a new disorder get included in the DSM?

The process of adding new diagnoses to the DSM is complex and involves multiple steps. First, a committee of experts reviews all of the evidence in support of a new disorder. They consider both anecdotal reports and studies published in scientific journals. Next, they determine if there is enough evidence to warrant inclusion on the list of conditions recognized as legitimate mental illnesses by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Finally, after these three steps have been completed successfully, it’s time for Congress—the organization responsible for setting guidelines on what qualifies as “legitimate” or “known”—to review and approve or reject those recommendations made by their own committees before passing them along down line into legislation that affects our everyday lives through insurance coverage policies covering thousands upon thousands each year throughout America’s various states.”

How often is the DSM updated?

The DSM is updated every few years, which means that the new edition reflects changes in research and culture. For example, the DSM-V (published in 2013) contains updates to describe how people with autism spectrum disorders can be diagnosed, as well as new categories for anxiety disorders and other mental health issues.

The APA also publishes an annual series of guides called ” pocketbooks .” These pocketbooks include information on topics such as substance abuse and eating disorders that aren’t covered by the full DSM but are still important enough to warrant their own chapter within one of its larger volumes.

Conclusion

The DSM is a useful resource for clinicians and researchers, but it’s not the only one. There are other resources that can help you diagnose your patients or uncover their symptoms. If you don’t have access to the DSM, don’t worry—you can still find out what’s going on inside someone’s head. You just need some data on which to base your diagnosis!