Question

A newspaper editorialist argues that the use of dsm-iv-tr diagnostic labels is destructively antidemocratic, because it enables an elite corps of mental health professionals to subtly control the values and life-styles of the rest of society. explain what you might say to the editorialist about why psychologists use the medical model and the diagnostic labels in the dsm-iv-tr

Answer 1

Answer: The labels make it easier for psychiatrists to treat their patients.

Explanation: DSM stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and it is a publication for the classification of mental disorders using a common language and standard criteria. It is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is wildly used by researchers, psychiatric drug regulation agencies, health insurance providers, pharmaceutical companies, the legal system and policy makers.

Despite the risks that patients may take on their labelled disorders, the labels are a guide for what is wrong with patients and how to cure their condition, which actually makes it easier to prescribe medications to the patients who need them.