NURSING CARE: Reflection on DSM Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

This report reflects on the application of the DSM in diagnosing and treating mental health issues, particularly concerning substance use and co-occurring disorders. The student observed a case during a clinical placement, highlighting the importance of cultural competence in healthcare, especially when treating patients from diverse backgrounds facing social pressures and traumas. The report emphasizes the fluid nature of diagnostic criteria and the need for a holistic approach, considering linguistic heritage, lifestyle, and life circumstances. The student used the DSM to assess a patient's mental condition, addressing substance abuse and aggression while acknowledging the potential for bias in treatment. The report references key literature and stresses the importance of effective communication and understanding the root causes of mental health issues to provide appropriate care.

Running Head: NURSING CARE
SUBSTANCE USE AND CO-OCCURING DISEASE COUNSELLING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1NURSING CARE
When I was placed in a mental health care during the time of my clinical placement I
had observed that there are a number of patients who are suffering from drug abuse due to the
social pressure and atrocities that are being faced by them. It is very important that the
healthcare professionals support and incorporate cultural competence in their treatment
process. This will thus make the treatment a more holistic approach (Oral et al., 2016).
The patient who was admitted to the mental health care was under my control and I
was told to take care of his mental health as well as medicines and other daily activities. He
was a man of about 26 years old who came with his parents from Kenya to America when he
was 5 years old. After they came here they were isolated at first that made their survival
difficult on the country. They had to go through a lot of difficult times and this pushed the
patient more towards substance abuse during his growth years. This was further triggered by
the incidents faced by the patient when he was in his school. These events compelled him to
leave education and that pushed him into depression that caused mental illness.
After going through his medical history it is clear that the patient was admitted to a
number of healthcare facilities but could not receive proper treatment due to cultural and
regional biasness of some professionals (Barrera et al., 2013). Thus, I decided to start the
treatment process by communicating effectively with the patient. I tried to understand the
actual cause of depression that is prevalent in the patient. Then I was able to understand the
fact that the patient was also subjected to drug abuse that made the entire situation very
difficult for me to handle as he used to become very aggressive at times.
Thus, DSM is one of today's main instruments for diagnosing mental health. Yet the
diagnostic criteria are highly fluid and overlapping (First et al., 2018). A treatment is a
snapshot of an individual made at a given time through the lens of the mental health
professional who is making the assessment by collecting data on the thoughts and behavior of

2NURSING CARE
a person (Lewis-Fernández et al., 2014). Research has proved that the use of the culturally
sound approach in order to treat the mental disorders. It has also been seen that the mental
health practitioner are able to solve all the problems of their patients if they are able to
respond to the linguistic heritage, culture, lifestyle and the circumstances of the life. These
factors act as a preliminary need to decide the correct approach of treatment for the patient
(First et al., 2018).
Thus, I will use the DSM tool to assess and analyse the mental condition of the patient
that will help me to know the stage of mental illness of the patient and the proper treatment
that has to be applied for the patient.

3NURSING CARE
References
Barrera Jr, M., Castro, F. G., Strycker, L. A., & Toobert, D. J. (2013). Cultural adaptations of
behavioral health interventions: A progress report. Journal of consulting and clinical
psychology, 81(2), 196.
First, M. B., Rebello, T. J., Keeley, J. W., Bhargava, R., Dai, Y., Kulygina, M., … Reed, G.
M. (2018). Do mental health professionals use diagnostic classifications the way we
think they do? A global survey. World psychiatry : official journal of the World
Psychiatric Association (WPA), 17(2), 187–195. doi:10.1002/wps.20525
Lewis-Fernández, R., Aggarwal, N. K., Bäärnhielm, S., Rohlof, H., Kirmayer, L. J., Weiss,
M. G., ... & Groen, S. (2014). Culture and psychiatric evaluation: operationalizing
cultural formulation for DSM-5. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and biological
processes, 77(2), 130-154.
Oral, R., Ramirez, M., Coohey, C., Nakada, S., Walz, A., Kuntz, A., ... & Peek-Asa, C.
(2016). Adverse childhood experiences and trauma informed care: the future of health
care. Pediatric research, 79(1-2), 227.