The rapidly changing world requires special attention to the sphere of mental healthcare since now such problems are more relevant than ever. The attention raises numerous questions regarding the effectiveness of applied tools and practices, such as relying on diagnoses in treating individuals with mental problems. Some believe that “labeling” of mental conditions is inappropriate for treating as complex and diverse biological mechanisms as human brains, while others acknowledge the benefits of this instrument.
On the one hand, diagnoses are impersonal and may be misleading when applied to a specific case. False diagnoses can result in ineffective treatment or even harm the patient. The problem with diagnostic tools is their reliance on descriptive data from clinical observations and not on direct measurements of brain functions (Cooper, 2018). In other words, diagnosis is identified based on similarities of the present case and cases from the past, instead of using current brain data and applying neuroscience. As a result, it creates a potential danger of misdiagnosis, which is not optimal for the process of treatment.
On the other hand, if applied correctly, diagnosis helps clinicians communicate effectively, choose correct treatment and reduce patients’ fears. Firstly, diagnostic language is used by clinicians to deliver their message to the public and explain their actions to the patients. Secondly, proper identification of mental illness provides the clinician with options of effective treatment and brings relief to the patient by reducing the uncertainty of an unidentified disease. Finally, the reliability of diagnosis mainly depends on clinicians’ competence and not on the inadequacy of diagnostic tools (Hanganu-Bresch, Berkenkotter, 2019). In this regard, diagnosis proves to be quite beneficial for mental healthcare.
In conclusion, there are pros and cons to diagnosing patients. Misdiagnosis is always possible regarding the impersonal nature of diagnostic tools, and it can negatively affect the quality of treatment or even harm the patient. However, proper usage of diagnosis allows a clinician to choose effective treatment and communicate effectively. Moreover, it decreases patients’ stress by eliminating uncertainty about the unidentified illness.
References
Cooper, R. (2018). Diagnosing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition. Routledge.
Hanganu-Bresch, C., Berkenkotter, C. (2019). Diagnosing Madness: The Discursive Construction of the Psychiatric Patient. Univ of South Carolina Press.