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Dsm-5 Essay

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While reading the DSM-5 section one chapter, I noticed several changes that took place over a 12-year span. In the text, it stated that all the efforts were directed toward the goal of enhancing the clinical usefulness of the DSM-5 as a guide in the diagnosis of mental disorders. This made me wonder how many clinicians agree with the changes made to the DSM-5, and if they find it to be useful or more of a burden than the previous version. I thought it was interesting that almost half of all Americans (46.4%) meet the criteria for a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder sometime during their lives. This statistic stood out to me because a diagnosis of a mental illness can often come with a stigma attached to it. It makes me wonder how …show more content…

Part of what I do at DCH Northport, is work with the babies in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). These babies may be born premature, with drugs in their system, hypoglycemic, or having drug withdrawals due to the mothers drug use. The book states that good physical health is a protective mechanism for many disorders and that complication during pregnancy and delivery may place individuals at risk for mental disorders, including ADHD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. The authors also state that a pregnant mother’s prenatal drug use, excessive alcohol intake, and malnutrition during pregnancy are risk influences for the onset of intellectual disability. These concerns are addressed with mothers who have babies in the NICU and they are provided information on early intervention programs to address the obstacles the newborns may face as they age. I was concerned when I read that frequent changes in residences while growing up are associated with poor outcomes in youth in terms of both attempted and completed suicide. This is because of repeated separations from peers and familiar activities, the stress of facing a new environment, and the potential unavailability of parents due to their own stress may overwhelm a youngster’s ability to cope. It made me think about military families and how they have to move from one base to

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