Assignment task:
At this point, Jamal feels enlightened (and empowered!) by how much he has learned about mental health during his time off between terms. He has learned about deinstitutionalization and its consequences for mental health and the public. Likewise, Jamal acknowledges how perspectives have changed regarding the duty of clinical professionals to provide treatment to those in need, as well as how social and cultural changes have influenced our conception of abnormality. In many cases, advancements in symptom classification and diagnostic assessment have caused us to question whether what we once viewed as disorders are actually disorders at all. Conversely, we now recognize new disorders that did not exist before.
Given his newfound interest in mental health advocacy, Jamal wants to be able to speak to the many changes that have occurred within the mental health paradigm over time and how those changes continue to forge progressive new pathways in mental health reform. Jamal has recently created a blog to highlight the many ways in which we can change the conversation about abnormal behavior.
For this project, you will first create a blog post that compares the diagnostic features and underlying biopsychosocial factors of various psychological disorders. Your post will outline the history of mental health disorders, the impact of deinstitutionalization, and the shared symptoms across various diagnoses. In addition, your post will provide perspectives, considerations, and awareness in an advocacy message that helps to change the conversation about a specific disorder.
Part One:
After reviewing the scenario, use the Project One Template to complete your blog post. You will first review the various psychological disorders that you've learned about in the course and select 3 disorders from your textbook's "DSM-5 Quick Guide." Next, in a minimum of 3 to 5 sentences per bullet for each psychological disorder, respond to each of the rubric criteria below to structure your blog post. Support your answers with credible sources when appropriate.
- In your own words, identify and describe the main diagnostic features of each of the disorders selected.
- Consider biomedical factors: Describe what it means to characterize the disorders as "diseases of the nervous system and the body."
- Consider clinical factors: Describe the similarities between the disorders selected. In what ways might these similarities impact diagnosis and treatment?
- Consider historical factors: Describe the ways deinstitutionalization has impacted patient rights, levels of care, and access to treatment of the disorders over time.
- Consider sociocultural factors: Describe the social and cultural changes that have caused shifts in the public's perception of the disorders over time.
Part Two:
For Part Two, choose 1 disorder from the 3 you discussed in Part One. Respond to each of the three questions in a minimum of 3 to 5 sentences. Support your answers with credible sources when appropriate and address the rubric criteria.
- Consider the mind-body connection: Describe whether a discernible bidirectional relationship exists between the disorder and physical illness.
- Consider the impact of language and messaging: Describe how the words we use (e.g., in casual conversation, in media communications) when discussing a disorder influence our willingness or ability to manage the disorder.
- Consider the effect of lifestyle choices: Describe the small, but significant, changes in attitude/behavior we can make that could help us to manage the symptoms of the disorder.