Question

Properly poised and magnificently coiffed, Michelle entertains the room. After taking one last spoonful of soup, she politely excuses herself from the dinner table and retreats to the bathroom. Uncovering a toothbrush concealed in her purse, she pushes the toothbrush down her throat and gags. With this behavior, Michelle conceals much more than a toothbrush.

Patterns of mental illness might be concealed all too well by external variables, such as a successful lifestyle, a well-groomed appearance, or a dynamic personality. At times, those suffering with mental illness may be able to control external variables, thus hiding any signs and symptoms. As a result, the differentiation between mental health and mental illness is not always so clear. As a future professional in the field of psychology, you must consider how mental health differs from mental illness for an accurate diagnosis on the basis of the DSM.

For this Discussion, consider the different ways to conceptualize mental health and mental illness in the field of psychology. Think about how this conceptualization may influence your assessment and diagnosis of a client.

With these thoughts in mind:

A brief explanation of the different ways in which mental health and mental illness may be conceptualized in the field of psychology. Then explain at least two ways in which this conceptualization may influence your assessment and diagnosis of a client. Provide examples based on current literature and Learning Resources.

Resources

· Paris, J. (2015). The intelligent clinician’s guide to the DSM-5 (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from the Walden Library.

Chapter 2, “The History of Diagnosis in Psychiatry”

Chapter 4, “What Is (and Is Not) a Mental Disorder”

· Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20–28.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

· Davydov, D. M., Stewart, R., Ritchie, K., & Chaudieu, I. (2010). Resilience and mental health. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(5), 479–495.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

· Payton, A. R. (2009). Mental health, mental illness, and psychological distress: Same continuum or distinct phenomena? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50(2), 213–227.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

· Pierre, J. M. (2012). Mental illness and mental health: Is the glass half empty or half full? Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 57(11), 651–658. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Answer 1

A brief explanation of the different ways in which mental health and mental illness may be conceptualized in the field of psychology.
Mental health and mental illness can be conceptualized, meaning they can be given a mental picture of how they have been constructed. This is essentially the story of the client's mental illness progression.

Two common ways,

1. Start-to-finish methodology (From origins through problems till cognitive and behavioral mechanisms)
2. Inverted pyramid methodology (From cognitive and behavioral mechanisms through problems till origins)

Then explain at least two ways in which this conceptualization may influence your assessment and diagnosis of a client.

1. Conceptualizing allows the therapist or psychologist to have a clear picture of the symptoms, occurrence, recurrence and even the cause of the illness.
2. Conceptualization allows the therapist or psychologist plenty of sessions to learn more about the patient in order to provide a better, clear and well-learned assessment of the patient thereby leading to an almost perfect diagnosis of the illness.

Provide examples based on current literature and Learning Resources.

Example 1:

• Subject A has a bitter experience in the school of being bullied by classmates for her appearance (origins)
• Subject A is repeatedly reminded of her body and shamed for it (origins)
• Subject A develops an aversion to eating and if food is consumed, makes sure that it is ejected forcefully (behavioral mechanism)
• Subject A stays away from social events owing to this (behavioral mechanism)
• Subject A has poor self-esteem (cognitive mechanism) and poor eating practices such as near starvation (problem)

Example 2:

• Subject B has a stutter and is made fun of by his schoolmates (origins)
• Subject B is picked on due to this quality (problem)
• Subject B avoids presentations and social events (behavioral mechanism)
• Subject B is anxious to face people (cognitive mechanism)
• Subject B stays indoors to avoid contact with people (behavioral mechanism)