What are some of the pros and cons of a person receiving an official diagnosis social anxiety disorder
Added by Rachel R.
Step 1
--- Show more…
Show all steps
Your feedback will help us improve your experience
Dominador Tan and 82 other Psychology educators are ready to help you.
Ask a new question
Labs
Want to see this concept in action?
Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.
Key Concepts
Recommended Videos
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) provides clinicians and mental health practitioners with guidelines for the diagnosis of mental health disorders. The DSM offers categories of mental health problems based on clusters of co-occurring symptoms and suggests the salient criteria that must be fulfilled in order for a diagnosis to be endorsed. Importantly, the DSM is adopted throughout the world as a standard for mental health professionals. It promotes better communication and consistency of treatment between different professionals who are dealing with the same client. Szasz (1976) argued that such attempts to provide diagnostic categories for mental health issues are tantamount to 'witch hunts'. Szasz suggests that the classification of "problems of living" into mental health diagnoses enables the majority groups in society to dominate, control, and suppress individuals who are on the fringe or who do not "fit". Many argue that the guidelines unnecessarily stigmatize individuals, highlighting overly biased criteria and a lack of acknowledgment of the importance of social factors as precursors to mental health problems. What are the pros and cons of standardizing diagnostic categories of mental health disorders? What are the alternatives?
Dominador T.
In the video, Renee reports a number of symptoms that are consistent with anxiety disorders but may also be seen in other disorders, such as feeling guilty, ruminating, and having difficulty sleeping. What is the most common comorbid diagnosis for all anxiety disorders? How do you think this comorbidity affects recovery?
Adi S.
One of your authors once attended a training session where the instructor shared that they did not believe in the DSM or in using diagnoses. This person believed that diagnoses were much like rumors, that they had the potential to lead toward specific beliefs and assumptions about a person. And like rumors, they may also lead to negative biases. Rumors aside, what are some ways that psychological diagnoses may inadvertently lead to prejudice? In extreme cases, how might they lead to discrimination? Are there any specific diagnoses that may be more prone to negative biases, particularly by those not familiar with psychology?
Emily H.
Recommended Textbooks
Psychology Openstax
Myers' Psychology for AP
Psychology
Transcript
18,000,000+
Students on Numerade
Trusted by students at 8,000+ universities
Watch the video solution with this free unlock.
EMAIL
PASSWORD