1A Psychology benefits from Psychiatry. Because of the Psychiatric field, Psychology has been remarked as a science.

Psychology has gained its authority and popularity. Because now that its related field is studied as a branch of medicine that has the objective of treating individuals, it had been inculcated to people that Psychology is a science that must not be overlooked. And that it is important for them to be concerned about their behavior and mental process. The field of Psychology is in continuous study of human behavior and mental processes. The theories proposed in the field of Psychology were now considered as the foundation of Psychiatry. These established theories have been the Psychiatrists tool for understanding normal and abnormal human behavior. These help them to know how they will approach their patients and treat them. Psychiatry has been criticized because of being a pseudoscience or false science. According to critics, there is no such thing as mental disorders and that only these Psychiatrists who aim to gain profit from prescribing drugs for these mental disorders make it. But because there have been many theories and studies in Psychology that can prove that there is such abnormal behaviors Psychology still cannot be regarded as a false science.

1B As a mental health professional, it is a responsibility to take all the possible actions that will help a patient to be cured. Because of all the disapproval of psychotropic drugs, for it was said that these cause rigorous side effects, this should be only used as an alternative. Meaning to say, I will only recommend psychiatric medications if all of the possible options of curing the patient had already been conducted and the patient still suffers from mental illness. In certain conditions or cases, psychiatric medications would be much helpful. For instance, the patient is uncooperative in the psychotherapy by which I do not see any chance that he/ she will participate, that is when I can consider prescribing medications. Another is when it comes to a point that the patient tend to have threaten me with his words and gestures lets say, I would choose to recommend drugs as a treatment.

Furthermore, I can decide to recommend medications in a case where in the patient or his/her family had already requested for it. As long as the mental health professional is inclined with his duty to cure and help patients be in their full potentials, it is not a sin to prescribed drugs. Though there had been too many criticisms with regards to psychotropic drugs, there should be cases by which it helps the patients be mentally healthy because if not, it will not be referred to as medications.

2. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders have been helpful to mental health professionals. For Psychologists, it helps them to distinguish normal from abnormal behaviors. For Psychometricians, it benefits them for it is a helpful reference for interpreting the results of the tests and identifying the mental disorder based on the results. For guidance counselors, it widens their horizons in understanding an individual. If there are unpleasant and unlikeable behaviors, they can refer to the manual and figure out if that person might be suffering from a mental disorder. The DSM has been the bible for Psychiatrists and Psychologists. It is an aid for easier and better diagnosis of an individual. It draws a line between what is normal and what is abnormal. Also, it ascertains the severity of a case. Moreover, it determines what treatment and approach is appropriate for a patient. There is as much possible harm as there are as many benefits. The DSM might apply to everyone at some point in their lives. For example, depression, I presume everyone experiences woe in the span of their lives. Another is generalized anxiety disorder, it may apply to many people because we all become anxious and many might have the difficulty to control it. Additionally, the three eating disorders, if we eat a lot and not eat at all, we therefore will be labeled as mentally ill. I knew a lot of people who are binge eaters, so this tends to mean that there is also a lot of people who have mental disorders. The social phobia and specific phobia are also considered as mental disorders. I bet more or less half of the population of our country has phobias. So does this mean that most of us are mentally ill?

Another possible harm is for children. What would be the effect if these children who are just starting to enjoy life and understand the world will be labeled as mentally ill at their very young age? These diagnoses might ruin their lives forever. They will be viewed negatively by their peers and inferiorly by the society. Besides, it is very difficult for parents to accept that their child has a mental disorder. This is a cruel torture for the parents of these very young people. The DSM is continuously studied by experts. This resulted in variations and addition of mental disorders. I am afraid that soon, as the number of mental disorders increases, there is one category that would fit me and had me labeled as mentally unhealthy. And if there would be a lot of mental disorders and it is continuously increasing what would be the chance that we will distinguish normal from abnormal behavior. Individuals have distinct ways of interpreting things. What if these Psychiatrists who interpret the DSM will also have different interpretations? This will result to the misdiagnosis of the patient. This misdiagnosis will then cause a wrong treatment to the patient. This problem will make the condition of the patient more dangerous and serious. The DSM is certainly one of the advances on the field of Psychiatry. This advancement must established progress in this branch of medicine, not destroy its authority as an essential science.

CASE STUDY

Submitted to:

Sir Dante Boac

Submitted by:

Charmaine Soriano BSP3-A