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Axis III is the medical conditions the patient has.
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Axis IV is the environmental and psychosocial factors that might be contributory.
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Axis V is the global assessment of functioning.
The DSM-5 was published in 2013. There were extensive revisions and broader diagnostic definitions in many cases. Subtypes of schizophrenia no longer existed in this manual as well as the subtypes of autism spectrum disorder. Over time, many of the different changes in the DSM have been made in order to have a manual that was reliable enough that two different psychologists would make the same diagnosis if given the same patient and his or set of symptoms. The problem is that, even with improvements, this kind of reliability does not exist to the extent that it should be. The DSM also focuses on symptoms while avoiding issues like a person’s genetics or other testing that might be just as important as the different symptoms. Overall, the biggest issue was related to reliability, which is actually quite low when comparing the diagnosis given by different clinicians examining the same patient. Other issues less commonly argued are that the DSM causes the overdiagnosis of mental disorders and that the division between two diagnoses is somewhat arbitrary. The degree of impairment is also not addressed in every diagnosis and there may also be a cultural bias based on European and American thought processes and approaches.
DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL PARADIGMS There are different possible approaches to how to describe human thoughts and behavior. There are perspectives that address the biological issues related to mental illness, while others have a more psychosocial approach. As you have learned, there have been different accepted paradigms over the course of history that have attempted to explain psychological disorders. Nowadays, there are different perspectives or paradigms used to talk about mental illness. Let’s look at what these are: The psychodynamic perspective started with Sigmund Freud and emphasizes the subconscious or unconscious in mental illnesses. It also looks at early childhood experiences and relationships a person has with others. Those who use this perspective
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