Psychological Disorders

• Describe various diagnoses of psychological disorders

Scenario

At this point, Jamal feels enlightened (and empowered!) by how much he has learned about mental health during his time off between terms. He has learned about deinstitutionalization and its consequences for mental health and the public. Likewise, Jamal acknowledges how perspectives have changed regarding the duty of clinical professionals to provide treatment to those in need, as well as how social and cultural changes have influenced our conception of abnormality. In many cases, advancements in symptom classification and diagnostic assessment have caused us to question whether what we once viewed as disorders are actually disorders at all. Conversely, we now recognize new disorders that did not exist before.

Given his newfound interest in mental health advocacy, Jamal wants to be able to speak to the many changes that have occurred within the mental health paradigm over time and how those changes continue to forge progressive new pathways in mental health reform. Jamal has recently created a blog to highlight the many ways in which we can change the conversation about abnormal behavior.

For this project, you will first create a blog post that compares the diagnostic features and underlying biopsychosocial factors of various psychological disorders. Your post will outline the history of mental health disorders, the impact of deinstitutionalization, and the shared symptoms across various diagnoses. In addition, your post will provide perspectives, considerations, and awareness in an advocacy message that helps to change the conversation about a specific disorder.