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Diagnosis And Classifying Disorders: The Rosenhan Study

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Diagnosis and assessment are critical in the first steps of the study and treatment of mental health (Kring, et al., 2014). Through the use of different perspectives, diagnosis can be used to identify disorders. This essay will discuss why diagnosis should not be used, by bringing attention to the flaws that have been noted by theorists. It will subsequently counter argue this, and recognize the importance of diagnosis in recognizing disorders.

Diagnosis has been central in identifying, classifying, and treating disorders since as early as 1883, when Emil Kraepelin published his book on psychiatry. (Kring et al., 2014, p.67). Through identifying criticisms and expanding the diagnosis, the DSM has developed extensively …show more content…

Once admitted, they were then grouped as patients with disorders. When the patients stopped showing any signs of disorders, they were still classified as having a disorder. (Polak, 1977). This flaw further supports the unreliability of diagnosis. A sixth reason to cease the use of diagnosis is because of the differences in ethnic and cultural understandings of what the symptoms may be a sign of,
‘..there are many different cultural influences on the risk factors for mental illness, the types of symptoms experienced, the willingness to seek help, and the treatments available.’(Kring et al., 2014, p.71).
Also, different language is used in different cultures to describe the symptoms, eg.
‘It is common to describe grief or anxiety in physical terms- ‘I am sick to my stomach’ or ‘my heart is heavy’ rather than psychological terms.’ (Kring et al., 2014, p.72)
This can lead to inconsistency or variations in the understanding of the relationship between symptoms and …show more content…

M. G. (2011) ''Now my 'old self' is thin': Stigma Exits after Weight Loss' Social Psychology Quarterly [Online] 74, (1) 29-52. Available at http://Www.asanet.org [Accessed 26 October 2014]

Kring, N. M. K., Johnson, S. L. J., Davison, G. D., & Neal, J. N. (2014) Abnormal Psychology. 12th ed. New Jersey: Wiley.

Glassman, W. E., & Hadad, M. (2009). Approaches to Psychology. 5th ed. Berkshire: McGraw Hill Education.

McKenzie, K. 1999, "Moving the misdiagnosis debate forward", International Review of Psychiatry, vol. 11, no. 2-3, pp. 153-161. Available at ebscohost [Accessed 28 October 2014]

Miller, R.. (2010) Diagnosis: Schizophrenia: A Comprehensive Resource for Consumers, Families, and Helping Professionals [Online]. New York: Columbia University Press. Available at http://Http://0-site.ebrary.com.mislibsrv.lit.ie/lib/limerickit/reader.action?docID=10435887&ppg=6 [Accessed 3November 2014].

Miller, R, & Mason, SE 2010, Diagnosis: Schizophrenia : A Comprehensive Resource for Consumers, Families, and Helping Professionals (2nd Edition), Columbia University Press, New York, NY, USA. Available from: ProQuest ebrary. [3 November

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