There are mental health secrets that everyone should know, including how to prevent misdiagnosing. Since money is, the issue and insurance companies play a role in treatment a patient will often receive a series of diagnoses that conform to the standards laid out in health care coverage. This is only one area of problems in mental health. The DMS guide copyrighted by APA, who brilliantly stated that the manual was a guide to mental health, instead of claiming that the book was factual is another area of concern. Therapists often base their diagnoses on the codes listed in this manual. If the symptoms match the patients then this is what the patient gets. Another area of problem is when a patient receives a diagnose he or she is ‘labeled,’ which brings forth additional problems. Another area may sound ludicrous since we have so-called professionals in the field, but just like individuals in the world that are caught in a practice of interest for a short time and twisted with an exaggerated zeal, (craze-fad), professionals when they find a diagnose of interest that are overzealous burning their wheels to produce more material on the subject. Ever heard the saying, beating words down? Well, professionals in mental health will often beat down diagnoses. While one of the issues in mental health revolves around labeling, I have to disagree, since I feel the real problem stands between acceptances. If a person has a disorder, disease of the mind, or a chemical imbalance, then accepting is the first step in recovery. Some of the most helped people in the world attend alcoholic classes and the first thing they recognize is the problem, which allows them to move forward. There is not a person in his or her right frame of mind wants to understand that they have a series of symptoms and no reason behind it. It is ok to say I am a paranoid schizophrenia working toward recovery. It is not ok to say I am a misfit in society and cannot understand why I was chosen for torture. As you can see, we have a bunch of professionals contributing to the problem, since they are thinking they know what is best for the patients. Anyone that is suffering knows more than any professional does, since they are the ones living through the problems. The patients can tell you better than any counselor with a piece of paper and no experience what they survive. Another area of problem is many professionals are from different countries and they understand diagnoses one way or in another term, while the American Psychiatrist Society relates in other terms. Professionals also believe that patients will avoid the issues, and/or bury the real problems beneath. This is not always true, since the patient is there in the first place asking help to understand his or her disability. If they knew the answers, they would not be there in the first place. For example, Nikki goes to counseling explaining her many symptoms, as well as talks about the people around her that are contributing to the problem. She is trying to control her behavior but others are making it difficult since they center her out, bringing forth the issues of her disability every single day. First, we can see that others are a problem, since many people will center out individuals flaws first, before complimenting. Therefore, that problem can be resolved if we teach Nikki how to handles other people around her. The next issue is the symptoms. What symptoms do you have Nikki? Nikki says I am having night sweats, nightmares, flashbacks, impulsive outbursts, and so on. Well, why do you think this is happening Nikki? I do not know why it is happening. First, Nikki is illustrating symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, so it is apparent that she is a trauma patient. Therefore, Nikki is certain she was victimized, but uncertain of the emotions, feelings, and thought process she is enduring. Now Nikki may or may not be able to tell you the entire event that brought forth this disorder, but Nikki can tell you the surroundings of the event. This means the counselor needs to invoke talk therapy to find out the underlying source of her suffering. Does Nikki blame herself for the violence against her, or the violence she witnessed? Probably so, since she is in a battle of understanding the mind at a greater level than the so-called normal minds and Nikki will battle to find the source within that is haunting her dear soul and mind. The mind is a tricky thing, and to understand it, you must address it.
