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A Critical Examination of Its Practices and Public Perception
Introduction
In the last ten years, the need for mental health services has grown. More people are seeking help, and more people are providing it. This expansion is in line with the current society needs that is emphasis on mental health. There has been debate about industry practices in the future. This includes the authenticity of some diagnostics and the effectiveness of treatments offered. This article discusses these issues critically. It asks if the mental health industry helps society or adds to its misconceptions.
The Proliferation of Mental Health Diagnoses
The Psychiatry & quote; the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), now lists more mental disorders than ever. The first version came out in 1952. It listed 106 disorders. The recent fourth edition lists over 400 disorders. This expansion brings critical questions pertaining to medicalization of normal phases and behaviors in the human life cycle. Skeptics say that advocates are expanding the list of diseases. They claim this turns normal life challenges into medical issues. These issues then get medical treatment and make people feel like outcasts.
Book Review: Gallucci and De Luca (eds.), The Scientific Foundation of Psychological Practices
Psychology as a science aims at scientifically engaging behavioral and mental phenomena. The problem with mental health assessments is that they are subjective and therefore the diagnosis rates could vary. Research in this area shows that different therapists can give different diagnoses for the same patient. This explains why there is not enough consistency. This variability shows that we need to create universal diagnostic procedures. We also need to keep working on making these assessment tools more reliable.
Efficacy of Therapeutic Interventions
The usefulness of different therapeutic approaches is still a matter of discussion. Many people see improvements after using counseling and therapy. However, it is hard to measure how much these therapies help. Specific aspects to account for the results may include patient-provider relationships; personality characteristics; and placebos.
However, mental disorders are based on personal experiences. They cannot be diagnosed with lab tests. This makes it hard to assess the quality of treatment outcomes. Thus, the further identification and validation of specific successful treatment techniques is considered essential and warranted.
Drugs and medication and their limitations
Pharmacotherapy is used as the treatment option to treat different mental disorders. However the advancement in mental disorder medications has undergone some hurdles throughout the development processes. Most psychotropic drugs are non selective and can influence a number of neurotransmitter pathways other than those involved in the supposed disorder. It is for this reason that several treatments may be administered to patients without clear outcomes and a host of side effects result.
Moreover, professional advertising from pharmaceutical companies in selling some drugs has provoked controversies on the commercialization of mental health.
Why Neurodiversity is Important in Mental Health
Neurodiversity therefore extends information that regards cognition as naturally diverse and seeks to replace the notion where some patterns of human cognition are considered pathological. Some of the plaintive claims are that autism ad ADHD are not disorders, but differences in development. This approach fosters an approach that brings about acceptance of the patient than a desire of eradicating ‘abnormal’ cognitive patterns. Introducing the neurodiversity model into clinical work means changing how we think. This shift brings many challenges to diagnosis.
POPULAR OPINION AND THE RESEARCH ON MENTAL ILLNESS AND UTILIZATION OF MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
This is because more people are being diagnosed with mental illness. This leads to a greater need for psychological services. On one hand, it shows a positive trend to reduce the stigma around mental health. On the other hand, it may create new problems like overdiagnosis and the commercialization of mental health. The increased access to books, websites, and apps for self-care has created a new, uncontrolled sector. People can now connect with specialists online. Again consumers need to be careful and to seek services from the right personnel so as to received the deserved services.
In this chapter, you will learn from established guidelines the relevant ethical concerns that practitioners should uphold in mental health.
This means that as the industry grows there is need to raise standards of ethical conduct in the profession of mental health. Concerns about consent, privacy, and conflicts of interest can easily arise. This is especially true now that big pharma funds many research projects. These issues can lead to serious problems. Also, there is culture and individual restraint, meaning that the practitioner cannot just set the model and work on it. Finally, ethical practice also implies formulating policy calls for positive change for aspects of mental health including poverty, discrimination, and education.
