Abstract
The following paper will describe the way in which individuals self-diagnose themselves when they are faced with any kind of ailment. It will mention the dangers of self-diagnoses is and medication and why it should be discouraged (Atkinson, 2006). It then will describe mental disorders and why it is important that they are diagnosed by a professional to avoid any kind of misdiagnosis. The various tools used in mental disorder diagnosis will be mentioned and finally it will show the best procedures to use when breaking information to a patient on whether or not they may be suffering from a mental disorder.
Self-diagnosis is the act of identifying or establishing that you as an individual may have a medical condition and take action by initiating self-care, deciding to seek medical attention or deciding the kind of tests to ask for to establish a concrete diagnosis (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). When an individual performs self-diagnosis on themselves they put their lives at risk. Self-diagnosis maybe assisted by internet resources, medical signs or recognition of symptoms in which a family member may have displayed, books, dictionaries and past experiences. Self-diagnosis is possible and is practiced by a lot of individuals today. Today more than any other time in history individuals have access to a lot of information. They can simply read on an ailment and if it matches what they may be feeling they self-medicate based on the drugs which are advised to cure such a condition (Atkinson, 2006). Individuals source information from books and the internet which they follow in medicating themselves. Self-diagnosis is very dangerous. This is because the individual who is self-medicating themselves may be prone to making an error which might cause them to cause more harm to themselves. It is also dangerous because if an individual makes a misdiagnosis they themselves are at more risk of getting worse rather than getting better. Self-diagnosis is associated with a lot of risk that is why medical professionals such as physicians, patient care organizations and governments discourage it. Physicians who happen to be medical professionals are also discouraged from self-diagnosing themselves even if they are experienced in the medical field. This is because physicians can also make mistakes in the process of diagnosing themselves (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). Self-diagnosis and medication has caused the growth of a lot individuals who overdose or take the wrong medicine as they self-medicate themselves. Individuals may also self-diagnose themselves but within their medical history it is observed that they might react in a bad way to conventional treatment. It is therefore best suited that when an individual is sick they should visit a healthcare center so that they are examined and treated appropriately to ensure they regain good health (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). Self-diagnosis is highly discouraged because the consequences of misdiagnosing yourself may result in an individual administering the wrong healthcare towards a specific ailment.
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If an individual is not suffering from a particular issue they usually become better on their own without any kind of medication. The human body has a strong immune system which has the ability to fight off some diseases and can help an individual regain good health. The immune system can be boosted and given strength to fight off these diseases by eating a healthy and balanced diet. In addition, an individual can eat fruits which gives them vitamins (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). These measures will give the immune system in a human body the needed strength to fight of these diseases. The immune system can make antibodies to fight of some diseases and an individual who was sick can regain good health without self-medication or self-diagnosis. When this happens it is believed that an individual has become better. Sometimes individuals feel sick but they are not suffering from any particular issue (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). In such a case it might be a normal syndrome which is affecting an individual such as stress or lack of sleep. Individuals can help themselves become better by engaging in less stressful work and sleeping for enough hours so that they are able to handle the day well.
A mental disorder which is also referred to as a psychiatric disorder or mental illness is a mental or behavioral pattern that affects an individual and causes them to have a hard or poor ability to effectively function in normal life (Perring, 2010). Mental disorders are usually identified and described when an individual displays signs and symptoms which are similar to a mental disorder. Mental disorders are usually relapse in an individual and are persistent. They can also occur as a single episode within an individual. A healthcare professional such as a doctor, clinician or nurse is the best individual to diagnose a mental disorder. The education and experience they have attained in their profession gives them the ability to carefully and correctly diagnose whether an individual maybe suffering from a mental disorder. A doctor or health professional should not be allowed to diagnose themselves in having a mental disorder. They should also seek the services of another health professional when they want to understand what they may be suffering from (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). An individual can be diagnosed to be having a mental disorder based on the signs and symptoms they may be displaying. The behavior, thoughts, feelings and the way in which an individual perceives things can determine if they may be suffering from a mental disorder. The health care professional can question and observe an individual to evaluate their mental capacity.
The tools which are used in mental disorder diagnosis are usually in the form of tests. The doctor usually carries out a physical exam which is meant to cancel out any physical problems that may result in the development of symptoms which are similar to a mental disorder. There are no specific lab tests which can be done to determine whether an individual may be suffering from a mental disorder. However, some lab tests can be carried out on the patient who is may show signs of having a mental disorder such as screening for alcohol in the body or thyroid function to ensure that the individual is okay health wise or if they may be faking the symptoms if they under the influence of alcohol (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). There is a standard manual that is utilized by medical experts to diagnose a patient who may display signs and symptoms of possessing a mental disorder. The American Psychiatric Association compiled the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual which helps them in diagnosing mental disorders. A doctor also performs a physical evaluation on an individual by talking to them about their feelings, thoughts, behavioral patterns and symptoms. The patient may also be requested to fill in a questionnaire (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). The information derived from this process will enable them to determine clearly whether or not the individual is suffering from a mental disorder. The budget and amount of time psychiatrists have while performing their duties of proper and comprehensive diagnosis of mental disorders is usually very limited. Presently it has been determined that most clinicians who have been tasked with carrying out mental disorder evaluations utilize open ended and unstructured approaches. Some of them also have very little training in evidence based evaluations methods of mental disorder diagnosis. It is therefore not surprising to find some cases where individuals have been diagnosed as mentally ill and yet they only display mild symptoms which do not warrant such a diagnosis. There are also individuals who poses more multiple disorders which can be confusing or hard in diagnosing.
We can be able to convince a patient that they are not suffering from a mental disorder by showing them examples of other individuals who may display the same behaviors and characteristics in which they have but live a normal life. In Countries such as Netherlands there are cities which have been created to accommodate patients with dementia. The cities are present to enable the patients to live within them and continue with normal life such as going for shopping without the risk of getting lost (Perring, 2010). If such places exist a patient with a mental disorder can be convinced that they are not suffering from any disorder because they will be going on with their normal lives. A patient may also not be suffering from a mental disorder but they are convinced that they are because of self-diagnosis. In such a case the best alternative is to test the patient for any signs or symptoms of a mental disorder. After this the doctor can inform the patient that they are not suffering from any mental disorder and warn them of the dangers of self-diagnosis.
A patient can be given the news that they are suffering from a mental disorder in a very professional manner. The initial stage should start with counselling of the patient. The patient should be treated as a normal person should so that they are open and they may feel safe in the environment in which they are in (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2004). During the counselling session the patient can be given information on the various types of mental disorders which are displayed in patients. The counselling should take an honest and supportive approach. As the counselling and tests continue through interviews and observation of the patient, the health practitioner can close in their sessions towards one particular mental disorder in which the patient is facing (Porter, 2002). Once the patient slowly understands the mental disorder they can be able to notice some similarities between themselves and the signs and symptoms accompanied by that mental disorder. The health practitioner can then break the news to the patient confirming they have been diagnosed with a specific mental disorder. This course of action is best when informing a patient, they may be suffering from a mental disorder (Perring, 2010). If a patient is simply told that they are suffering from a mental disorder without any kind of process such as counselling the patient can panic and become a hazard to themselves or the people around them.
References
Atkinson, J. (2006). Private and Public Protection: Civil Mental Health Legislation . St. Edinburgh: Dunedine Academic Press.
Hockenbury, D. & Hockenbury, S. (2004). Discovering Psychology. Worth Publishers.
Perring, C. (2010). Mental Illness. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Porter, R. (2002). Madness: a brief history . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
