The DSM-5 is a diagnostic tool. It has evolved over the decades, as have the classifications and criteria within its pages.
Assignment: Controversy Associated With Dissociative Disorders
The DSM-5 is a diagnostic tool. It has evolved over the decades, as have the classifications and criteria within its pages. It is used not just for diagnosis, however, but also for billing, access to services, and legal cases. Not all practitioners are in agreement with the content and structure of the DSM-5, and dissociative disorders are one such area. These disorders can be difficult to distinguish and diagnose. There is also controversy in the field over the legitimacy of certain dissociative disorders, such as dissociative identity disorder, which was formerly called multiple personality disorder.
In this Assignment, you will examine the controversy surrounding dissociative disorders. You will also explore clinical, ethical, and legal considerations pertinent to working with patients with these disorders.
To Prepare
- Review this week’s Learning Resources on dissociative disorders.
- Use the Walden Library to investigate the controversy regarding dissociative disorders. Locate at least three scholarly articles that you can use to support your Assignment.
The Assignment (2–3 pages)
- Explain the controversy that surrounds dissociative disorders.
- Explain your professional beliefs about dissociative disorders, supporting your rationale with at least three scholarly references from the literature.
- Explain strategies for maintaining the therapeutic relationship with a client that may present with a dissociative disorder.
- Finally, explain ethical and legal considerations related to dissociative disorders that you need to bring to your practice and why they are important.
Expert Answer and Explanation
Controversies Associated With Dissociative Disorders
The diagnosis of the psychiatric disorders including their treatment is marred by controversies, and this is particularly noticeable with the dissociative disorder (DDs). A person with these disorders exhibits various symptoms such as having distorted perceptions about others, and experiencing amnesia. People with history of trauma that particularly occurs early in one’s life, can expose them to the risk of developing these disorders (Subramanyam et al., 2020).
To effectively care for patients with DDs, a psychiatric should be aware of these controversies, adopt sound professional beliefs about the DDs, and embrace strategies that can help maintain therapeutic relationship with the client with a dissociative disorder as described in this paper.
The Controversy that surrounds Dissociative Disorder
Certain controversies are associated with the DDs. One of these controversies involves the tendency for people to see the manifestations as fake, and this is the reason why people would question whether these disorders represent the trend that individuals may want to associate with. The DDs are also mired in controversies because of their complex nature. In fact, one needs to conduct deep research to understand these disorders.
Unfortunately, peoples’ tendencies to dismiss the research on these disorders is the reason why there is limited understanding of the DDs among those affected by the disorders. Still, there are those who question the notion that trauma that occurs early in one’s life can cause the DDs because of the difficulty involved in proving the truthfulness of the memory of abuse.
My Professional Beliefs about Dissociative Disorders
My professional beliefs hinge on my knowledge about mental health, and these beliefs shape my interaction with a patient with a dissociative disorder (DD). I believe that DD is a mental condition like any other, and that the use of appropriate intervention, can help lessen the symptoms of this condition. I also believe that the evidence and psychiatric knowledge should inform the treatment of the DD.
My belief about the DD is informed by the fact that its manifestations affect one’s functioning (Meganck, 2017). It therefore, has the potential to exacerbate mental health issues ranging from depression to memory loss. Therefore, I don’t believe in the controversies linked to DD because they can affect my judgment, and cause poor diagnosis outcomes.
Strategies for maintaining Therapeutic Relationship with Client with Dissociative Disorder
As a therapist, I would maintain therapeutic relationship with a client with DD by avoiding skepticism that may affect how I perceive the client. This can also help me avoid judging the client which may cause them to feel I am stigmatizing them. Being empathetic to the client, and being clear in terms of how I share with them the information about their health, can make them feel comfortable. I would also try to ground them by introducing simple exercise (Agarwal, Sitholey, & Srivastava, 2019). An example is asking them to name the sounds as I play them.
Ethical and Legal Considerations related to Dissociative Disorders in Practice, and their Importance
The ethical considerations include administering treatment in a judicious manner, and ensuring that the treatment is safe or results to positive therapeutic outcomes for the client (Myrick et al., 2017). The main legal issue to consider is seeking the patient’s consent before sharing their information.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the controversies associated with the DDs can be attributed to lack of in-depth research concerning these disorders. As a physician, one’s professional beliefs should guide how they view any form of mental health disorder, be it the DD or any other psychiatric condition.
References
Agarwal, V., Sitholey, P., & Srivastava, C. (2019). Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of Dissociative disorders in children and adolescents. Indian journal of psychiatry, 61(Suppl 2), 247–253. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_493_18.
Meganck, R. (2017). Beyond the Impasse – Reflections on Dissociative Identity Disorder from a Freudian-Lacanian Perspective. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 789. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00789.
Myrick, A. C., Webermann, A. R., Langeland, W., Putnam, F. W., & Brand, B. L. (2017). Treatment of dissociative disorders and reported changes in inpatient and outpatient cost estimates. European journal of psychotraumatology, 8(1), 1375829. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2017.1375829.
Subramanyam, A. A., Somaiya, M., Shankar, S., Nasirabadi, M., Shah, H. R., Paul, I., & Ghildiyal, R. (2020). Psychological Interventions for Dissociative disorders. Indian journal of psychiatry, 62(Suppl 2), S280–S289. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_777_19.
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