The Risks and Benefits of Diagnosis
Understanding the definitions and conceptualizations of various psychopathologies is imperative when practicing as a social worker. As part of a multidisciplinary team, a social worker needs to be able to recognize patterns of illness and discuss a client’s diagnosis. Social workers in clinical settings also need to understand how a diagnosis should be developed and applied in an ethical, professional, and client-centered manner.
While cultures vary widely in their approach to mental health and to different mental disorders, there are many common barriers to help-seeking and to accurate diagnosis. Chief among those barriers, across nations and cultures, is the stigma associated with receiving a diagnostic label. Two different types of stigma are public stigma (consisting of stereotypes; allegiance to mistaken beliefs; and reactive, discriminating behaviors) and self-stigma (the internalized beliefs that result from repeated stigmatizing thoughts).
This week you consider the impact of both types of stigma and the risks and benefits of using any diagnostic label.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze use of diagnostic labels in professional and lay environments
- Analyze influence of stigma on experience with and treatment of mental illness
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Paris, J. (2015). The intelligent clinician’s guide to the DSM-5 (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press
Chapter 4, “What Is (and Is Not) a Mental Disorder” (pp. 54–69)
Pillay, S. (2010, May 3). The dangers of self-diagnosis: How self-diagnosis can lead you down the wrong path [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/debunking-myths-the-mind/201005/the-dangers-self-diagnosis
Campbell, R. D., & Mowbray, O. (2016). The stigma of depression: Black American experiences. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 25(4), 153–269. doi:10.1080/15313204.2016.1187101
Corrigan, P. W., & Rao, D. (2012). On the self-stigma of mental illness: Stages, disclosure, and strategies for change. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 57(8), 464–469. doi:10.1177/070674371205700804
Document: How to Upload a Video and a Transcript (PDF)
Required Media
Accessible player –Downloads–Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload TranscriptLaureate Education (Producer). (2018a). Psychopathology and diagnosis for social work practice podcast: Diagnosis, self-stigma, and mental health [Audio podcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
TED Conferences, LLC (Producer). (2017). There’s no shame in taking care of your mental health [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/sangu_delle_there_s_no_shame_in_taking_care_of_your_mental_health
Optional Resources
Corrigan, P. W. (2007) How clinical diagnosis might exacerbate the stigma of mental illness. Social Work, 52(1), 31–39. doi:10.1093/sw/52.1.31
Johnson, J. L., Oliffe, J. L., Kelly, M. T., Galdas, P., & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2012). Men’s discourses of help‐seeking in the context of depression. Sociology of Health & Illness, 34(3), 345–361. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01372.x
Muralidharan, A., Lucksted, A., Medoff, D., Fang, L. J., & Dixon, L. (2016). Stigma: A unique source of distress for family members of individuals with mental illness. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 43(3), 484–493. doi:10.1007/s11414-014-9437-4
Tsang, H. W. H., Ching, S. C., Tang, K. H., Lam, H. T., Law, P. Y. Y., & Wan, C. N. (2016). Therapeutic intervention for internalized stigma of severe mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Research. 173(1-2), 45–53. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2016.02.013
Document: Suggested Further Reading for SOCW 6090 (PDF)
