RE: SOCW6090: Discussion Response to 2 Students (WK2)
RE: SOCW6090: Discussion Response to 2 Students (WK2)
Respond to at least two colleagues who had a different position than your own in the following way: (Use 2 APA references and be deatiled in response)
- Explain why you agree or disagree with whether the client meets diagnostic criteria and should be told about a “tentative“ diagnosis, approach to diagnosis, or impact of diagnosis.
- Explain how the social worker could have worked with a supervisor to make an initial diagnosis.
Response to Lusine Manukyan
In the case study the symptoms or “red flags” that may be evaluated for a possible mental health disorder comprise of the following; hearing voices telling an individual that the world was going to be destroyed in the near future, hearing audible voices which keeps on repeating the same information. The above are the main symptoms which are described in the case study as the symptoms of mental disorder, even though these symptoms may not be applicable in all scenarios of mental disorder, generally we can say that symptoms of mental disorder may vary from one person to another depending on condition of the patient, the cause of the mental problem and any other factor which is likely to trigger such a problem (Wakefield, 2013)
In my opinion I don’t think the social worker should have shared this suspected diagnosis based on the limited assessment with Ms. Evans at this time. This because at this time the assessment is not very clear since she has not put into consideration factors such as genetics, psychological factors for instance; personality and strengths, and social factors for instance environment as well as culture. Therefore sharing the suspected diagnosis without considering all these factors is not good, it is recommendable to consider all these factors before sharing any suspected diagnosis, by considering all those factors you will be able to identify the exact problem and hence the patient’s problem will be handled at the right time and in the correct manner, sharing information at that stage could have eliminated common comparison point for different syndromes (Friedman, 2016).
This diagnosis may have various impacts immediately, for instance if the patient is misdiagnosed which is possible since the symptoms may be similar with other mental disorders then this may adversely affect the patient. This might make the patient responds rapidly with cognitive functions as well as the other symptoms increasing like unordered thinking, depression and hallucinations.
References
Friedman, M. J. (2016). Seeking the best bereavement-related diagnostic criteria. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 173(9), 864–865. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.16050580
Wakefield, J. C. (2013a). DSM-5 grief scorecard: Assessment and outcomes of proposals to pathologize grief [Letter to the editor]. World Psychiatry, 12(2), 171–173. doi:10.1002/wps.20053
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Response to Rhonda Whitacker
Red Flags
Ms. Evans is a 27-year female awaiting to be discharged from her military services in Iraq with the United States Navy. Ms. Evans had presented with symptoms of the following red flags for evaluations for a possible mental health disorder: Depression; fear; hallucinations; decreased functionality in self-care and military duties; and a positive toxicology screen for tetrahydrocannabinol.
Diagnosis Based on Limited Assessment
While Ms. Evans symptoms included depression, fear, hallucinations, decreased functionality and a positive toxicology for tetrahydrocannabinol, it is my belief that the social worker should not have shared the suspected diagnosis until she was able to conduct a thorough assessment of the client’s symptoms. The social worker errored when she failed to view the assessment with the understanding of the diagnosis being a hypothesis (Laureate Education, 2018). When assessing a client for mental illness, the family history is not considered a diagnostic tool. In addition, the client’s other presenting symptoms (i.e. hallucinations, depression, and decreased functionality) can be found within other disorders. Lastly, the positive toxicology for tetrahydrocannabinol should have warranted further research into the substance-related and addictive disorders.
Potential impact of Tentative/Misdiagnosis
When clients receive an accurate mental health diagnosis, it provides the individual with understanding and aids in the formulation of some form of treatment (Paris, 2015). However, false-positives can be harmful to individuals in that they can be put through the wrong medication trials and experience long periods of using ineffective medications (Laureate Education, 2018). Furthermore, a misdiagnosis can delay a client’s recovery in the treatment process, as well as expose the client to social stigmatization. (Laureate Education, 2018).
Reference
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018d). Impact of the DSM-5: Organization, Development, Strengths and Limitations [Audio podcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Paris, J. (2015). The intelligent clinician’s guide to the DSM-5 (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://se…
