Mental health disorders are difficult to understand and diagnose on our own. Many individuals who need help may not seek it due to confusion over what to do or the fear of the social stigma attached to it. Many patients report that their loved ones were appalled when they expressed the desire to see a mental health professional.
Mental health disorders can be elusive for laypeople to understand. On one hand, we know neighbors who would casually throw around technical terms like depression and anxiety without fully understanding what those are or what they mean, thereby unknowingly getting the person in need more fearful about their problem. Then there are those who would avoid all discussions about mental health needs altogether. More mental health awareness is needed in our society, so that appropriate help and support is easily available to everyone.
Mental health is a very well researched scientific field that involves professionals from psychiatry, psychotherapy, counseling and social work who can help on the basis of the needs of the individual patients. Usually, a team of professionals works with an individual patient and a tailor-made approach is designed. Often, patients may need medical interventions from psychiatrists and therapeutic interventions from clinical psychologists.
These mental health professionals use standardized classifications in order to understand and diagnose disorders, or rule them out when there is no need for a diagnosis.
American Psychiatric Association (APA) publishes such a diagnostic tool called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This is often referred to as the gold standard in the field of mental health. The first DSM was published in 1952. It is currently in its 5th Edition. The APA employs a task force, research staff, editorial and coding consultants, and workgroups consisting of hundreds of professionals who are experts in the various disorders being studied. The DSM is revised after detailed proposals, field trials, public and professional review, and expert reviews.
DSM helps us classify and identify various mental disorders. It provides us with an approach to clinical case formulation, a list of symptoms (diagnostic criteria) that help us in diagnosis, its various subtypes, coding and reporting procedures.
The DSM 5 lists out more than 20 diagnosable disorders. Each of them has multiple subtypes and further details. Some of these broad disorder categories are:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Schizophrenic spectrum disorders.
- Bipolar and related disorders.
- Anxiety disorders.
- Depressive disorders.
- Obsessive compulsive and related disorders.
- Trauma and stressor related disorders.
- Sexual dysfunctions.
- Personality disorders.
- Sexual Dysfunctions.
If a person feels that they have problems that they are not being able to resolve on their own, and their loved ones are not able to help either, or when a problem has lasted a long time, they should definitely see a clinical psychologist. Then, a collaborative decision could be taken if medications are required or psychotherapy would be of more help or some combination of both. A psychotherapist is qualified to diagnose and understand the problem experienced, offer therapeutic help, and suggest an appropriate course of treatment. If medications are required, a psychiatrist can be asked to get on board.
Some words/phrases that a potential patient may relate to – I don’t know what is happening to me, I feel helpless, I feel hopeless, I don’t know what to do, nothing feels nice anymore, things have changed for the worse, I feel afraid, everybody has been complaining about me, others seem to have a problem with me, I hurt others, I hurt myself, I feel empty, I have problems in my relationships, I have problems at work, I don’t think I am strong enough etc.
If you think any of these phrases seem to apply to you, seek immediate help from a clinical psychologist. With regular therapeutic support, these problems can be resolved.
(Process/outcomes of psychotherapy to be explained in another blog)
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