Saturday, June 15, 2019

There are a lot of pros and cons to using a diagnostic system for mental disorders. How can I choose one side or the other in the debate about the use of diagnostic labels in the mental health field and find at least one peer-reviewed article that weighs in on the debate in support of my personal position?

It would be great if you had included your own position on this topic as it is one that is worthy of conversation. Our society does seem to be moving to destigmatize mental health disorders in efforts to reach people who need help, but there is much work left to be accomplished.
In conveying a diagnosis, it is first important for the physicians involved to be careful in removing any of their own personal biases from that conversation. This will take some reflective introspection about personal values and even casual assumptions that each care provider holds in order to adequately address these biases so that no stigma is conveyed to the patient through the diagnosis.
In the end, diagnostic labels have more power to aid in the treatment of a patient than harm. It is important to remember that it is up to the patient and/or the patient's caregivers about how to share that diagnosis with people outside the realm of medical care—or not to share it at all. Therefore, the diagnostic label itself isn't the core issue; it is the way that label is perceived.
It is true that no two patients will present in any diagnosis with the exact same symptoms. A diagnostic label of Mild Intellectual Disability, for example, covers a wide range of cognitive and self-care skills which will vary significantly in presentation from patient to patient. However, providing this label for patients and their medical caregivers, for example, does allow for a different approach when gathering information or in personal interactions with patients. This doesn't have to be a negative association, either. By having a label that presents with typical and expected behaviors or symptoms, medical professionals are better equipped to navigate conversations with their patients.
Diagnostic labels also steer other medical treatment. Because some diagnoses typically involve other associated medical issues, patients can be more easily evaluated for other associated medical issues that could arise.
Maintaining professional training and striving to improve multicultural, multiability communication and treatment strategies is of fundamental importance for professionals working with patients. Providing these patients with the ability to recognize their own strengths despite the diagnostic label is also an important practice for health care providers to include in their work with patients diagnosed with mental disorders.
https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/2014/07/11/back-to-basics-using-the-dsm-5-to-benefit-clients/

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