A psychiatric diagnosis is a classification of a mental health condition that is used to describe the symptoms and characteristics of a person’s mental illness. Psychiatric diagnoses are made by mental health professionals, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses, based on the patient’s reported symptoms, behaviors, and medical history.
The process of making a psychiatric diagnosis typically involves:
Obtaining a thorough medical and mental health history: This includes asking the patient about their symptoms, when they started, how long they have been present, and how they have impacted the patient’s daily life.
Conducting a mental health assessment: This may include various tests and assessments to evaluate the patient’s mental state and functioning.
Making a diagnosis: Based on the information gathered during the assessment, the mental health professional will determine a diagnosis that best fits the patient’s symptoms and characteristics.
Developing a treatment plan: Once a diagnosis has been made, the mental health professional will work with the patient to develop a treatment plan that is tailored to their specific needs and goals.
It is important to note that psychiatric diagnoses are not meant to be static or definitive, and they may change over time as the patient’s symptoms and needs evolve.
Sample Assignment:
Psychiatric Diagnosis
For this assignment, students will investigate and propose a psychiatric diagnosis based on the case study from the Gorenstein and Comer (2015) textbook Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology, chosen in the Week One “Initial Call” discussion or the Week Two “Initial Assessment” discussion. This paper will include an in-depth overview of the disorder(s) within the diagnosis, treatment options for the diagnosis, and a sound rationale that explains why this diagnosis was made. Note that the diagnosis may include more than one psychiatric disorder.
The paper must present a thorough overview of each disorder within the diagnosis. Assume the audience has no prior knowledge of the disorder(s) within the diagnosis, and provide relevant and easy to understand explanations of each for the readers. When writing the paper, it is critical to convey all the necessary information in a straightforward manner using non-technical language. (Reference the Professional Voice and Writing Links to an external site.resource provided by the Writing Center for Helpance.) Support the analysis with at least five peer-reviewed sources published within the last ten years in addition to the course text.
The Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper must include the following:
• Explain psychological concepts in the patient’s presentation using professional terminology. Identify symptoms and behaviors exhibited by the patient in the chosen case study.
• Match the identified symptoms to potential disorders in the DSM-5 diagnostic manual.
• Propose a diagnosis based on the patient’s symptoms and the criteria listed for the disorder(s) in the DSM-5 diagnostic manual.
• Analyze and explain how the patient meets criteria for the disorder(s) according to the patient’s symptoms and the criteria outlined in the DSM-5 diagnostic manual.
• Justify the use of the chosen DSM-5 diagnostic manual (i.e., What evidence supports the validity of this manual? What are limitations of this manual?).
• Summarize general views of the diagnosis from at least three theoretical orientations (g., cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, biological, sociocultural, evolutionary, psychoanalytic, integrative, etc.). NOTE: Be clear that you are writing about theoretical orientations and using the theoretical orientations to explain the diagnosis. Do not use the theoretical orientations to discuss any therapy or treatment approaches. Your application of the theoretical orientations should answer the question: What causes this diagnosis? For example, “Based on the cognitive perspective, what causes this diagnosis?” “Based on the humanisitic perspective, what causes this diagnosis?” Etc. In addition, you may include a historical perspective on the diagnosis, but this is not required. Also note that here you are summarizing views of the overall diagnosis, not specific individual symptoms.
• Include a discussion on comorbidity if the diagnosis includes more than one disorder.
• Evaluate symptoms within the context of an appropriate theoretical orientation for this diagnosis (e.g., cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, biological, sociocultural, evolutionary, psychoanalytic, integrative, etc.). NOTE: Here you are evaluating specific symptoms, not the overall diagnosis.
• Use at least two peer-reviewed articles to assess the validity of this diagnosis, and describe which demographics are at a higher risk of developing the disorder or receiving the diagnosis based on age, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Provide a brief Assessment of the scientific merit of these peer-reviewed sources in the validity assessment.
• Summarize the risk factors (i.e., biological, psychological, environmental, and/or social) for the diagnosi If one of the categories is not relevant, address this within the summary.
• Compare evidence-based and non-evidence-based treatment options for the diagnosi
• Evaluate well-established treatments for the diagnosis, and describe the likelihood of success or possible outcomes for each treatment.
• Create an annotated bibliography of five peer-reviewed references published within the last ten years to inform the diagnosis and treatment recommendati In the annotated bibliography, write a two- to three- sentence Assessment of the scientific merit of each of these references. For additional Helpance with this portion of the assignment, access the Writing Center’s Sample Annotated Bibliography.Links to an external site.
Attention Students: The Masters of Arts in Psychology program is utilizing the Folio portfolio tool as a repository for student scholarly work in the form of signature assignments completed within the program. After receiving feedback for this Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper, please implement any changes recommended by the instructor, go to your Folio account and upload the revised Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper to the portfolio. (Use the Setting Up and Using Folio Links to an external site.to create an account if you do not already have one.) The upload of signature assignments will take place after completing each course. Be certain to upload revised signature assignments throughout the program as the portfolio and its contents will be used in other courses and may be used by individual students as a professional resource tool.
The Psychiatric Diagnosis
• Must be 8 to 15 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center Links to an external site..
• Must use at least five peer-reviewed sources published within the last 10 years in addition to the course text.
• Must include a separate annotated bibliography page.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.
