Comment
The Spiegel article on The Dictionary of Disorder partly discusses the major developments that took place from the moment the earliest version of Robert Spitzer’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). He brings forth the major development that DSM has had since its inception. He also talks about the revolution that Spitzer created in the field of psychological disorders but does it mean that Spitzer has exhausted everything that needs to be known in this field. Are his findings final?
Question 1
I do believe that the DSM, more so the early versions did not contain much that could offer solutions in solving problems that surrounded people with psychological disorders. This is so because all that the DSM does is identify a problem and label it. When this is the case, a preconditioned treatment is offered without necessarily looking at the problem keenly. This means that a labeled conditioned can be treated when a patient is suffering from something else or a combination of many problems. The early versions even had descriptions of mental disorders and who knows they were the right descriptions. With such a background about it, it was or still is definitely the best king of treatment that is recommended because, mental illnesses are of different levels and their causes different and giving these illnesses a standardized form of treatment means doing the patient more harm than good.
Question 2
Diagnosis of any mental disorder is very good. In fact it is through diagnosis that a person is evaluated in an effort to establish their problem. Diagnosis also helps in identifying the causes of mental disorders whether genetical or environmental after which the best treatment mechanism is employed. When proper diagnosis is done, it becomes easier to put in place the best kind of mechanisms that will enable the patient get the best attention and treatment.
Question 3
When personality problems are being diagnosed, a psychological evaluation of a person is done to assess the severity of the problem so as to identify the symptoms that need to be addressed. This is one of the major reasons why diagnosis is crucial in the treatment of a personality problem. Diagnosis is therefore is helpful and need to be done because it is the one that leads to identifying the problem and administration of proper treatment.
