Video: What ’ s in a Label? Pros and Cons of the DSM

A recent proposal to remove transgender identity from the ICD, the World Health Organization’s manual of medical conditions, has reignited the debate over what should and shouldn’t be a mental health diagnosis. Many feel that classifying transgender identity as a disorder is unnecessarily stigmatizing. Others argue that leaving it as a recognized medical diagnosis has practical benefits. For example, as a New York Times article on the controversy points out, classifying transgender identity as a disorder has allowed inmates like Chelsea Manning to undergo hormone therapy. Transgender identity aside, there’s no doubt that a label can be more than just a label when it comes to mental health. Having a recognized condition with a name can make all the difference when you need your insurance to cover something or you want to seek accommodations you have a legal right to. It establishes your mental health diagnosis as something that deserves treatment as much as any other medical condition. That’s one of the main benefits of tools like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the book many mental health professionals in the United States use to diagnose and talk about mental health problems in a standardized way. There are some potential drawbacks as well, though, which is why the DSM seems to be constantly surrounded by debate. Many of these drawbacks have to do with the fact that while the DSM breaks down mental health conditions in...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Disorders History of Psychology Psychiatry Video Daniel J. Tomasulo Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders Dsm Dsm 5 icd Marie Hartwell-Walker Mental Health Source Type: blogs