Accurate diagnosis of mental disorders ensures robust management of the illness and improves patient outcomes. Therefore, making a list of possible conditions aids in making a correct diagnosis of a mental disorder. For instance, Shamsie & Nelson (2017) posited that mental health practitioners should comprehensively investigate behavioral symptoms observed in patients with dementia to avert prescribing toxic psychotropic agents based on the inaccurate conclusions about worsening dementia. Therefore, the course has enabled me to consider differential diagnoses since discussing with peers has made me conclude that some clinical features are common in several mental disorders. For this reason, consideration of differential diagnosis is imperative for the best management of mental disorders.
Environmental interaction is essential for human survival. Moreover, individuals respond in various ways to stressors. The maladaptation to stressors such as medical conditions, life events, and economic hardships leads to mental disorders’ pathological processes. Therefore, it is incorrect to label behavioral manifestations of these disorders as pathological. In the course of our studies, I realized that the troubling characteristics of adolescents are due to transformation from the concrete operational stage to the formal operational stage (Ahmad et al., 2016). Consequently, they have egocentric tendencies and for this reason, the course has enabled me to pinpoint that these behavioral characteristics are not always pathological.
Mental health disorders are manageable like other health disorders like diabetes. Prior to studying the course, I believed that most mental illnesses are not treatable. However, the course has changed my view of the correct position that mental illnesses can be treated. Society often develops stigma toward mentally ill patients on account of stereotypical beliefs about mental illness causes. Therefore, this course’s knowledge and skills will enable me to educate society on the need for compassionate care for mentally ill patients.
References
Ahmad, S., Ch, A. H., Batool, A., Sittar, K., & Malik, M. (2016). Play and cognitive development: Formal operational perspective of Piaget’s theory. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(28), 72-79. Web.
Shamsie, D., & Nelson, D. L. (2017). Challenges of differential diagnosis. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 18(3), B3-B4. Web.