By: SOPHIA F. DZIEGIELEWSKI
Mental health practitioners must know how best to proceed with completing a comprehensive diagnostic assessment and evaluation. In mental health, all practitioners are expected to do so for all their clients.
For many professionals, the role of assessment
leading to diagnosis in mental health counseling can be a complicated
one; it can be particularly problematic for practitioners in solo practice who
do not have access to collaborative teams or
referral sources (Dziegielewski, 2013). Regardless
of the practice setting, all mental health
practitioners are being called on to be more knowledgeable and interactive and
to utilize evidence-based diagnostic tests to
support practice strategy (Dudley, 2014).
The role of the practitioner in
linking the client to environmental considerations is an essential one. As
well, all mental health practitioners need to be
keenly aware of updates in diagnostic criteria and act as advocates for the client throughout the diagnostic assessment and intervention process.
Equipped with a basic knowledge of the use and
misuse of the DSM-5 in the creation of a diagnostic impression, the mental health practitioner
can more constructively participate in the consultation
process. Knowledge of diagnostic impressions and
criteria can assist the practitioner in
enhancing the client’s overall functioning level.
Because mental health practitioners often have
regular and subsequent contacts with their clients, they can be essential in helping the
interdisciplinary team to reexamine or reformulate previous diagnostic impressions and the relationship
these original impressions can have on the client’s future treatment potential.
As a team member, the mental health practitioner is
aware of the environment and the importance of
building and maintaining therapeutic rapport with the client. This makes the practitioner’s input in understanding
the mental disorder an essential contribution to
intervention effectiveness. The mental health
practitioner remains in a key position to allay the client’s and his or her family’s fears and
to elicit their help and support (Dziegielewski, 2013).
Moreover, coordinated care continues to increase
the emphasis on behavior-based care with limited time frames for treatment (Dziegielewski,
2008, 2013). Use of the two supplemental chapters (21 and 22) of the DSM-5 is essential for documenting supportive
information and conditions not attributable to a mental disorder.
These circumstances and conditions are not attributable
to a mental disorder yet remain the focus of
clinical treatment. Because they historically
have not been considered reimbursable, some practitioners have avoided their
use. Nevertheless, the current practice emphasis
on brief time-limited treatment (Dziegielewski, 2008) makes understanding these conditions essential.
Information gathered must always extend beyond
the client. Special consideration should be given to the needs of family, significant others,
and the client’s identified support system. Family members not uncommonly have limited information about mental health diagnosis and treatment. Information gathered from outside sources such as the Internet can be misleading and biased, and family members may feel uncomfortable telling health care professionals that they believe another mode of treatment might be better.
The well-informed practitioner can
correct distortions and foster cooperation in the
treatment plan (Dziegielewski, 2013). When practitioners
are knowledgeable about different mental health
conditions, they can better serve their clients
and make the most appropriate treatment decisions and system linkages. With an
updated knowledge of mental health diagnosis and subsequent intervention, they can help prepare, as well
as educate, clients and family members about the responsible use and
expectations for psychiatric care.
Professional schools that train mental
health practitioners need to include course work
on how to complete a comprehensive diagnostic
assessment that focuses on identifying the principal
diagnosis and any supportive information that can affect the diagnosis. Because
practitioners are held accountable for their own
practice actions, they must strive to achieve the
highest standards of their profession (Reamer, 2009).
References
SOPHIA F.
DZIEGIELEWSK, 2015, DSM-5TM
in Action, by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Read Also
Documentation of diagnostic assessment of the mental health disorder
Puling It All Together in Completing the Diagnostic Assessment
WHODAS: Assessing Disability
Coding Medical Conditions
Brief History of the DSM
The Person-in-Environment Classification System (PIE)
The official nomenclature used in mental health and other health-related facilities
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
Professional Use: Who Can Use the DSM-5
Puling It All Together in Completing the Diagnostic Assessment
WHODAS: Assessing Disability
Coding Medical Conditions
Brief History of the DSM
The Person-in-Environment Classification System (PIE)
The official nomenclature used in mental health and other health-related facilities
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
Professional Use: Who Can Use the DSM-5
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