A guide is followed to minimize errors in diagnosis, tests are performed and finally a treatment plan is written down with the type of therapy that could be used.
This Guide is called DSM 5that is, the diagnostic and statistical manual, and is used by therapists, counseling psychologists, clinical psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals.
Before speaking with a patient, an MSE (mental state examination) is performed. It is a structured way of observing and describing a patient’s current mental state, after which the patient’s physical and mental health history is recorded.
The patient also undergoes certain psychological tests.
Only after these observations, additional notes, and tests are the symptoms compared to what is mentioned in the DSM.
The treatment plan is then drawn up and sessions are provided.
As you scroll through social media, you will come across a lot of videos, especially on Instagram.
As a psychologist, the alarming videos that I have come across say, ‘Here are five reasons for anxiety’, ‘The 10 reasons why you have depression’, from so-called influencers, which is not in accordance with the manual of diagnosis.
Even if the symptoms coincide, the reasons behind them differ.
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