Strengths of DSM-5
The first notable strength associated with DSM-5 revolves around its standardization of diagnoses when dealing with a wide array of mental health conditions. American Psychiatric Association (2013) creates a list of some of the key mental conditions that can be diagnosed using DSM-5; thus, highlighting its value in promoting accuracy in the diagnoses. Secondly, DSM-5 is seen as being advantageous considering that it helps in eliminating much of the guesswork, especially in the area of treatment. The diagnostic criteria provided by DSM-5 acts as a form of guide map that would provide the professional involved with a quick frame of reference when embarking on treatment of the condition diagnosed (Huprich & Hopwood, 2014).
Limitations of DSM-5
The first key limitation associated with DSM-5 is that it creates a high risk of misdiagnosis or, in some cases, over-diagnosis. When using DSM-5, it becomes a possibility that an individual may be diagnosed with a mental disorder or condition simply attributed to the fact that his or her behaviors do not line up with the expected “ideal” (Hooley, Butcher, Nock, & Mineka, 2017). The second limitation of DSM-5 revolves around its oversimplification of mental conditions resulting in a situation where it becomes hard or challenging to determine the complexity of a condition. Although the use of DSM-5 is seen as being a viable approach to diagnosis and treatment, its oversimplification of mental conditions is considered as having negative impacts in trying to understand mental disorders.
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My Application of DSM-5
Personally, I believe that my application of DSM-5 will be solely when intending to diagnose individual patients suffering from mental disorders or conditions. I will make use of the guidelines presented by DSM-5 in trying to determine the exact mental disorder that a patient is suffering from, which will be of great value in paving the way for positive treatment. To help in circumventing the limitations, I will not rely wholly on the results from the DSM-5 regardless of its accuracy in diagnosis. Instead, I will use other diagnostic tools to help ensure that the diagnosis is accurate; thus, creating a possibility of positive health outcomes.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author.
Hooley, J. M., Butcher, J. N., Nock, M. K. & Mineka, S. (2017). Abnormal psychology (17th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Publishing.
Huprich, S. K., & Hopwood, C. J. (2014). Personality Assessment in the DSM-5 . New York, NY: Routledge.
