...mental health reform put forth in the 19th century that sort to re-organize mental health asylums into health institutions throughout the world. It steady progress caught my interest, and coupled with an already developed interest in psychiatry as a career, I comfortably ventured into the profession. I have been a psychiatric nurse for well over 5 years and in all the days I have diligently served in my post only one specific day qualified as the best in my career to date. It was on the17th of December 2015, and on this specific day all the staff at the Grace the Hand Mental Institution got a chance to become part and parcel of a seminar that aimed to both empower and give light to all that practiced psychiatry on the essence of psychiatry. The seminar was to be held in the watch room of the institution and all practitioners were allowed to mingle with the patients during the entire session, however, patients that require special attention had psychiatric nurses assigned to them on a shift to shift basis. The seminar taught and shed light on a lot of things and these I have described as follows. First and foremost is the progression of psychiatry as a career, here, it was brought to our attention that only one key skill forged the foundation of psychiatry to what it is today and this is the one-one therapeutic relationship that exists between the psychiatrist and the patient. Despite acquiring knowledge on psychiatry’s progression, we got to identify the fact that as a specialty...
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...Psychiatry Diagnoses and Treatment Psychological diagnosing has been around for centuries. Before modern medicine most doctors tended to consider mental disorder related to religious reasoning. Later, in the 19th and 20th century, doctors moved more towards actual analysis of the ailing physical being such as lesions or disturbed nerves. Around that same time period Sigmund Freud developed the concept psychoanalysis. This is the process of observing the characteristics of a person to determine if they have a mental disorder and if so what type. This method of psychology has been the standard of treatment since, but with the addition of medication. In 1954 there was the development of the first psychiatric drug, Thorazine. Since then there has been an increase of psychotropic treatment. This is where the problem started. There are many cases of misdiagnoses which before psychotropic drugs would not have been such a dire issue, but with medication, it potentially could be fatal to be misdiagnosed. There are some that say the psychologist follow rigid enough criteria that the rate of failure would be very small. Then there are others who believe that doctors over diagnose disorders, such as bipolar or ADHD, and that they aren’t thorough enough in their studies. My topic of psychiatric diagnoses is controversial. Even though there are many who do not believe in the accuracy of psychiatrists, there are many who still do. During the 20th century there have been many medical...
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...A forensic psychologist views a client or defendant differently than a traditional clinical psychologist. Seeing a situation from a client’s point of view or empathizing with a patient is not something a forensic psychologist will do. Traditional psychological tests and interview procedures are usually not applicable when dealing with a forensic situation. In forensic evaluations it is important to assess the consistency of factual information. Forensic psychology is the application of psychology to the criminal justice system. This is however, different from forensic science. While a forensic psychology deals with legal issues, such as public policies, new laws, competency, and whether a person is sane at the time of a crime, they focus on the psychological perspectives involved in the legal system. Some examples of when forensic psychology is used in the criminal justice system are treating mentally ill offenders, consulting with attorneys, jury selection, serving as an expert witness, analyzing a criminal’s mind and intent, and criminal profiling. There are some forensic psychologists that choose to focus on research, which could range from the examination of eyewitness testimony, to improving interrogation methods. There are also forensic psychologists that focus on public policy, such as designing correctional facilities and prisons. In 1901 a man named William Stern studied memory by asking students to study a picture for forty-five seconds, and then...
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...Throughout history, the mentally ill have struggled to find morality within the world of psychiatry. During the 1960’s the increase in inhumane treatment for mentally ill patients and the growing number of patients forced into those treatments had individuals from all over the world making the decision to voice their opinions on this substantially growing issue. While the anti-psychiatry movement of the 60s can be known as a dark time in history, the influencers born from this movement created necessary change for patient care and their basic human rights. Anti-psychiatry first emerged in the 1960s and it is believed that this movement gained exceptional support due to people’s displeasure towards psychiatry, especially involving the unsubstantiated,...
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...ORIGINAL Afr J Psychiatry 2010;13:116-124 Mental Health Stigma: What is being done to raise awareness and reduce stigma in South Africa? 1 R Kakuma1,2,3, S Kleintjes3, C Lund3, N Drew4, A Green5, AJ Flisher3,6, MHaPP Research Programme Consortium7 Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada 2Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada 3Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa 4Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland 5Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development (NCIHD), University of Leeds, United Kingdom 6Research Centre for Health Promotion, University of Bergen, Norway 7The Mental Health and Poverty Project (MHaPP) is a Research Programme Consortium (RPC) funded by the UK Department for International Development (DfID)(RPC HD6 2005- 2010) for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of DfID. RPC members include Alan J. Flisher (Director) and Crick Lund (Co-ordinator) (University of Cape Town, Republic of South Africa (RSA)); Therese Agossou, Natalie Drew, Edwige Faydi and Michelle Funk (World Health Organization); Arvin Bhana (Human Sciences Research Council, RSA); Victor Doku (Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana); Andrew Green and Mayeh Omar (University of Leeds, UK); Fred Kigozi (Butabika Hospital, Uganda); Martin Knapp (University of London,...
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...Mental health and personality disorders are a growing phenomena in the last 50 years those in opposition to the existence of these disorders have claimed psychiatry to be a pseudo science and that these issues may simply be solved by exercise and vitamins. While there is undeniable merit to the benefit of a healthy lifestyle that includes vitamins and exercise that is an insufficient course of treatment for mental health and mood disorders. Mood disorders and mental health issues are chemical faults and imbalances within our brains that cause a lack of control over they we feel, think and act, the severity of abnormal brain function is just cause for treatment that exceeds recommending a healthy lifestyle, the treatment that is warranted is...
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...What is clinical psychology? Clinical psychology is the “discipline that uses what is known about the principles of human behavior to help people with their numerous troubles and concerns they experience during the course of life in their relationships, emotions, and physical selves” (Plante, 2011). The paper will discuss the history and evolving nature of clinical psychology and how psychology is still changing overtime. Next, the paper will discuss the roles that research and statistics play into clinical psychology. Lastly, the paper will include the differences between clinical psychology and other types of health professions, such as clinical psychology versus social work, clinical psychology versus psychiatry, and clinically psychology versus school psychology. History and Evolving Nature of Clinical Psychology Clinical psychology has changed over the last 25 years. For starters the DSM-III was published as well as the APA standards were revised. The American Psychological Society was founded, as well as the APA published the findings from the Presidential Task force for evidence-practice. Two of the main evolved approaches would be the Cognitive-Behavioral Approach as well as the Humanistic Approach. The Cognitive-Behavioral Approach was popular in the 1970s and they were used for depression as well as “treatment focusing on changing thinking, feeling, and expectations became as important as the goal of changing overt behavior” (Plante, 2011). The Humanistic...
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...THE RELIABILITY OF PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that recognizes and treats mental illness. This science follows a medical model that is considered successful in classifying abnormal behavior. Psychiatrists need medical training in order to diagnose and treat mental disorders following the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, for more than two centuries, there has been an anti-psychiatry movement that questions the reliability and helpfulness of psychiatric treatments. Many psychiatrists such as Maurice Temerlin(1968) and David Rosenhan(1973) supported some of the objections and criticisms of the anti-psychiatry movement. Rosenhan questioned the reliability of psychiatric diagnoses and accused diagnostic labels of impairing medical judgement. David Rosenhan carried out the study “On Being Sane In Insane Places” through which he wanted to prove that psychiatric diagnoses are not reliable (Rosenhan, 1973). For the first part of the study, eight sane participants (pseudo-patients) pretended to have auditory hallucinations in order to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals in different states across the United States. Participants for the experiment included three psychologists, one psychiatrist, a graduate student, a housewife, a pediatrician, and a painter. The only false information given for admission was their name, job, and the claim of recent auditory hallucinations. All other details regarding their relationships...
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...Upon researching the background and the meaning behind the anti-psychiatry movement, which began in the 1960’s, I have come to the conclusion that the short stories encompassed within the book entitled Shrink Wrapped, should in fact be considered a part of this movement. Psychiatry has always had its fair share of opposition among the medical, religious and social fields, but this group of criticasters grew in the 60’s when the public was brought to awareness of the procedures and the treatment of patients in psychiatric hospitals around the country. While the field of psychology and psychiatry are very closely related, psychiatry is generally geared more towards the mental well-being and chemical imbalances with the patient as opposed to solely the thoughts and feelings of this same patient. Psychiatrists focus on the prevention and treatment of mental disorders which in and of...
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...defined as a severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality. Although this definition is generally accepted by both psychoanalysts and psychologists/psychiatrists alike, the way in which psychosis is diagnosed and treated differs dramatically. Psychoanalysis is very focussed on the development of psychosis and in moulding a persons life to accommodate for the symptoms of each individual patient. Psychiatry looks at psychosis more systematically diagnosing a disorder and then treating this disorder in the same way for every patient. Psychosis is a term that covers a large number of mental disorders and a few psychoanalytical structures and can be used to describe someone who is considered outside of discourse. The term psychosis designates mental illness in a broad sense. Within psychosis there are many different manifestations that are dealt with differently by psychoanalysis and psychiatry. The term psychosis was coined in 1841 by Karl Friedrich Canstatt, psychiatry was coined in 1808 by Johann Reil and psychoanalysis was coined by Sigmund Freud in 1896 (Lecture on psychosis, Australian Centre for Psychoanalysis, 10th of May 2014.) Freud produced the basis and model for the psychoanalytic understanding of the psychoses and the first theory of psychosis. The first theory of psychosis, which was presented in Freud's case study of Daniel Paul Schreber based on his memoirs, is that psychotics cannot engage in discourse...
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...Mentally Ill and Handicapped in Corrections "Corrections is the variety of programs, services, facilities, and organizations responsible for the management of individuals who have been accused or convicted of criminal offenses" (pg 8). The goals of corrections are fair punishment and community protection. These goals not only define the purpose of corrections but also serve as the criteria by which we evaluate correctional work. "Corrections can be viewed as a series of processes: sentencing, classification, supervision, programming, and revocation" (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, pg. 9). While criminals are being processed, the correctional agencies have to deal with the pressure of public opinion, fiscal constraints, and the law. This may lead to actions not seen best suited for achieving fairness or public protection. "The American corrections system today employs over seven hundred thousand administrators, psychologists, officers, counselors, social workers, and others. The federal government, the 50 states, over three thousand counties, and uncounted municipalities and public and private organizations administer corrections at an average annual cost of over $60 billion" (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, pg.13). Corrections contain many subunits, each have their own functions and responsibilities. These subunits are probation officers, halfway houses, prisons, and others. Theses subunits vary in size, goals, clientele, and organizational structure.They are either administered in institutions...
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...Psychosis (Psyche – Greek for the mind or soul; -osis referring to abnormal condition) is a general umbrella term for mental states traditionally characterised by a loss of contact with reality, during which sufferers may experience episodes of hallucinations and delusional thinking, distorted thoughts or behaviours, even personality changes. Current criteria for diagnosis includes experiencing one or more symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized or catatonic behaviour, negative symptoms; disturbed social cognition and functioning, bizarre behaviour, emotional labiality (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Traditionally treatment and conceptualisation of psychotic symptoms has been more the domain of psychiatry. The use of ‘psychosis’ as a term first emerged towards the end of the 1800’s as a new label for ‘madness’ and as a way of classifying illness of the mind. It wasn’t until the mid 1900’s there was a shift in the perception of psychosis and possible psychological processes contributing to psychotic experiences. Bentall (1993) further supported this by writing about understanding psychotic symptoms based on an individuals’ presenting distress/ difficulties rather than focusing on a medical model of psychosis treatment. Though Aaron Beck in the development of the cognitive approach to emotional disorders did explore the idea of adapting a cognitive model to psychosis in a paper in 1952, “Successful outpatient psychotherapy of a chronic...
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...professions, there are also many important differences. Because psychiatrists hold a medical degree and are trained in the practice of psychiatry, they are one of the few professionals in the mental health field able to prescribe medications to treat psychological disorders. Much like a general practice physician, a psychiatrist may also perform physical exams and order diagnostic tests in addition to practicing psychotherapy. Psychiatrists may also work as part of a mental health team, often consulting with primary care physicians, social workers, and psychologists. Job Description of a Psychiatrist The Occupational Outlook Handbook offers the following description: "Psychiatrists are the primary mental health-care givers. They assess and treat mental illnesses through a combination of psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, hospitalization, and medication. Psychotherapy involves regular discussions with patients about their problems; the psychiatrist helps them find solutions through changes in their behavioral patterns, the exploration of their past experiences, or group and family therapy sessions. Psychoanalysis involves long-term psychotherapy and counseling for patients. In many cases, medications are administered to correct chemical imbalances that cause emotional problems." Types of Psychiatrists There are a number of different specialty areas in psychiatry. Some different types of specialized psychiatrists include: * Addiction psychiatrist – Works with people suffering from addiction...
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...After the proper treatment, in 11 out of 12 cases, pseudopatients were diagnosed with schizophrenia “in remission". The condition of one more participant was described as "schizophrenia". Despite the fact that in the records of hospital staff about the patients who received only extremely positive characteristics that indicated a high willingness to interact with doctors, friendliness, and absence of symptoms of unhealthy behavior, none of the members of Rosenhan's team was exposed. Furthermore, Rosenhan made his next step in order to confirm his theory. The second part of the study did not involve the participation of Rosenhan’s pseudo patients. The doctor invited the staff of one hospital, whose specialization was also psychiatry, to find among its patients, the deceivers, whom he allegedly sent there. In fact, there were no false patients this time, however, the institution's employees counted at least 41 pseudo patients out of 193 who came for treatment at that...
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...Examination of Clinical Psychology PSY/480 Examination of Clinical Psychology Clinical psychology is a profession that focuses on helping individuals with various troubles and concerns they experience during their relationships, emotions, and physical selves. One example of what a clinical psychologist can do is to see if a child has a learning disability or an attention problem that might contribute to poor school performance by using intellectual and educational tests (Plante, 2011). In this paper, the history of clinical psychology will be examined as well as its role of research and statistics. In addition, clinical psychology will be furthered examined and how it differs from other mental professions such as social work, psychiatry, and school psychology. The field of clinical psychology was founded in 1896 by Lightner Witmer (1867–1956) who opened the first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1888, Witmer completed his undergraduate studies and earned his PhD in psychology at the University of Leipzig (Plante, 2011). Further he returned to the University of Pennsylvania to become director of their psychology laboratory. He applied his principles of human behavior to help a student that was not performing well in school and as a result, found out he had trouble in spelling, reading, and memory, and recommended tutoring, which later proved to be a successful intervention (Plante, 2011). He focused on assisting children with primarily school-related...
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