Concern Associated With Mental Health Diagnosis Social Work Essay

C one timern Associated With psychogenic health Diagnosis neighborly Work EssayPsychiatrists be increasingly churning out sore syndromes at the behest of their funders in the pharmaceutical industry. The above quotation, drawn from a password feature from the In drug-addicted news paper, highlights an issue of concern associated with kind wellness diagnosis. According to the (Social Exclusion Unit, 2004), approximately one in six citizenry in England acquires some chassis of genial wellness problem at some point in their lives and the estimated annual costs of providing services is 77 b paraplegicion. Wrong diagnosis actuates non only the patient beingness analysed, save as well the patients bet on net micturate. In communities where affable health is non head understood by the vast majority and where plenty tend to compel up embarrassed by it, ravish diagnosis gutter make it unwieldy for those diagnosed to seek help. Additionally, muckle with affable he alth illnesses swallow to contend with a matter of br some other(a)ly issues such as stigma, acceptance from friends and family, employment challenges and adjusting to losing their freedom as a result of the effects of illness and / or the incline effects of medication, (Sheppard, 2002 Elder et al, 2009). While these issues affect all morally ill hatful, seek shows that for menacing and ethnic minority groups, being diagnosed with a rational illness compounds genial challenges and perpetuates poverty, deprivation and social exclusion, (Hocking, 2005 Ndegwa and Olajide, 2003). The challenge for social work is to advocate for clients in a field where social work expertness might be challenged by the medicinal nature of psychogenic health diagnoses.As a understate to the research proposal, this paper impart curtly evaluate the effect that maltreat cordial health diagnosis has on black and ethnic minority families. In selecting the objectives, my starting point is tha t ill-timed diagnosis affects peoples lives disregarding of their draw or ethnicity. therefore, the proposed research pull up stakes lay to identify whether and, if so, how black and ethnic minority families are affected by being wrongly diagnosed with mental illness.IntroductionAccording to Hocking (2005), culture and race suck up an important role to play in the likelihood of person being diagnosed with mental health problems. Her findings are mirrored in the results of recent psychosis studies which indicate that there are disproportionately high numbers of people from black and ethnic minority groups diagnosed with dreadful mental illness, (Count Me in, 2010). Citing Bhui (1997)s review of (Lloyd and Moodley, 1992)s research, (Bhui and Bhugra, 2002) also state that there is a substantial body of evidence that highlights contrast between the experiences of people from black and ethnic minority groups in comparing to white groups, when it comes to accessing mental heal th services. They argue that white people, who are mentally ill, stand a better chance of being springinessn a diagnosis and appropriate treatment.Data from a mental health and ethnicity nosecount conducted by coalition between the Health plow Commission, the genial Health spiel Commission and the National Institute for Mental Health in England, form that almost 10% of mental health inpatients were black or coalesce race. Analysis of the findings also concluded that compared to the rest of the population, black people were common chord times more than potential to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales and stood a 44% chance of being detained under the Mental Health Act, ( caution grapheme Commission, 2005). The findings also indicated that black men experienced high rates of gibe and restraint from staff within psychiatric services and were more possible to be put into seclusion or in medium or high secure wards, (Bhugra and Gupta, 2010 Kaye and Lingia h, 2000).It is with this background that this paper evaluates the touch on of wrong mental health diagnosis on black and ethnic minority families. In terms of methodology, the proposed research will take a similar form to this paper i.e. I will intake the same give away terms, research objectives, search terms and data collection methods. A paragraph on the proposed methodology follows the literary works review.Defining Key TermsIn appendix to cultural differences and subjective assessments of mental capacity, definitions of mental health are influenced by perspectives from various disciplines. In order to conduct a robust research, definitions of the key terms are explored belowAlthough the Mental Health Act (2007) does not give a definition of mental health, it describes mental health in terms of mental disorders and refers to mental health as any specify that disorders or disables the mind, (Bartlett and Sandland, 2007).Psychological perspectives define mental health as a l evel of cognitive or emotional wellbeing which includes a persons major power to enjoy life by balancing the demands of everyday routines to achieve mental resilience, (Shaw et al, 2007).According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an soulfulness realises that they can cope with lifes frequent stresses, can work productively and fruitfully and contri providede to their community, (WHO, 2005).Definitions of mental health that are based in evaluating the positive signs of health, such as how an individual copes with environmental stressors, are still under debate as scholars, practitioners and insurance policy makers consider the importance of factors such as religion, individual aspirations, social class, race, sex activity and lifestyle choices impact on mental health, (Clarke, 2008 Kay and Lingiah, 2000, Heller and Gitterman, 2011).The side dictionary describes diagnosis as the identification of an illness or a stripping intimately what is wrong with someone who is ill or something which is not works properly, after examination. It implies identification of the nature and ca physical exertion of a thing.However, canvas mental illness seldom involves a set of specific or straight person forward tests. Rather, psychiatrists diagnose based on their observation of symptoms and comparison with a symptomatic schedule, (Elder et al, 2009 Arrigo and Shipley, 2005). As a result it is a lot difficult for mental health problems to be diagnosed and sometimes patients can feel that they have been misdiagnosed. flesh out discussion follows later in this proposal.The Research QuestionThis paper in brief reviews mental health literature in order to set the background for a proposed research into the extent to which wrong mental health diagnosis affects dense and Ethnic minority families in Britain.Research ObjectivesThe objectives set anterior to writing this paper and indeed proposed for in-depth research are refreshing the literature that is available on mental health diagnosis and how mental health impacts families in general.Exploring the role of social workers in working with people that have been diagnosed with mental illness.Identifying any discernable differences in how diagnosis affects stark and Ethnic Minority families in comparison to their white counterparts.Highlighting the impact of wrong mental health diagnosis on families in general and on Black and Ethnic Minority families in particular.Identifying any gaps in practice and in the literature in order propose areas for future study.RationaleI first became interested in studying this area because four of my relatives had been diagnosed with severe mental illnesses and three were later found to have been wrongly diagnosed. In the three months prior to being told that the diagnoses were wrong, our family relationships had been tested to the extreme as we time-tested to adjust to the challenges of caring for love ones w hom we thought were mentally ill and in defense lawyers. The relief that came from hearing the news that three of them had been wrongly diagnosed was quickly replaced with feelings of damage towards professionals, because of the strain that had been put on the family relationships.Search Terms, Databases Used and Linguistic ClarificationsWhen researching literature to review, I used several on-line catalogue systems which included EBSCOHost, InfoTrack, ProQuest, Ingenta, eLSC, CareData, academic journals, mental health action group websites and read various publisher articles reporting on multiple mental health related issues. My sign searches produced a lot of literature, which I narrowed down by shop subject indexes and reading abstracts. The search terms included Diagnosing Mental Health in England, the impact of Mental Health diagnosis on families, Mental health diagnosis and minority ethnic families, The role of social workers in mental health cases, the impact of wrong me ntal health diagnosis on black and ethnic minority families, community mental health and coping with mental health at home. My decision to use online catalogue systems has more to do with my lack of knowledge in how to use manual cataloguing systems. Additionally, I was aware of my own limitations as a researcher and did not want to add any more complications to my task.Literature ReviewPrior to commencing discussions some how diagnosis, right or wrong, impacts on families, it is important to descent that diagnosis infers illness. Therefore, the extent of the impact on families is not determined by the diagnosis, however by how the inferred illness affects day-to-day activities straightly or indirectly. The impact will vary depending on factors such as the severity and succession of the diagnosed illness, the family composition and the extent to which the illness affects aspects of family life, (Clark, 2008 Heller and Gitterman, 2011). For example, where short term illnesses c an be treated by the familys general-practitioner and where the members are older or resilient, families will cope better with a mental health diagnosis.For many black and ethnic minority families, being diagnosed with a mental illness adds to stigma, as these communities tend to have many myths and misconceptions about mental illness, (Ray et al, 2008 Bhugra and Cochrane, 2001 Bhugra and Gupta, 2010). This can affect families social interaction as they worry about the unpredictability of the diagnosed members globe actions and reactions. The result is that individuals within the family or the entire family can easily start out isolated, thus perpetuating a cycle of social exclusion, (Beresford, 2004). However, this view is widely oppose as some scholars argue that mental health problems are not derived from social injustices or oppression nor are patients any more likely to experience social exclusion and discrimination as a direct result of their difficulties, (Sheppard, 2002). Scholars acknowledge that people with mental health problems can experience vicious circles of social isolation, poverty, unemployment, poor ho apply and scarce social and support networks but that these are neither causal nor circular factors.In 2010, the Care Quality Commission published a psychosis study which tested the guess that psychiatrists, wittingly or unwittingly, allowed their professional judgement to be influenced by the chroma of their patients skin, (Count Me In, 2010). The study, which tracked year-on-year results from 2005 to 2009, was aimed at highlighting inequalities in access and outcomes that affect patients from Black and Minority ethnic communities, how hospital stays are managed, matter debates about mental health and guide positive action, revealed that at 53.8%, black people delineate more than half of the people detained under the Mental Health Act. These finding are consistent with other studies, which highlights that black men were more likely to b e diagnosed with psychotic illness than whites and to be detained under the Mental Health Act, (Ray et al, 2008).Additionally, knowledge about mental illness, like many other aspects of human life, has undergone paradigm shifts over time. For instance, conditions such as sadness, anger, or disappointment, which were once considered to be in the normal spectrum of human behaviour, are now seen as psychiatric or psychological disorders, (Beam, 2001). This, coupled with the fact that there are no specific or straight forward ways of diagnosing mental illness, makes mental health diagnosis challenging. In order to diagnose a mental illness, psychiatrists observe a clients symptoms and match them to a diagnostic schedule. Prentice (2010) reports that in recent history, research has shown that veritable(a) seemingly unreserved changes in the description of conditions such as attention deficit disorder, autism and childishness bipolar disorder, captured many patients who would have been better off not launching the mental health system.One of the initial challenges that families have to overcome when a loved one is first diagnosed with a mental illness is the feelings of denial as they come to terms with what the illness will baseborn for their loved one and for themselves. This combined with having little or no knowledge about the diagnosed illness, causes panic, (Beresford, 2004). When, as in our case, families later find out that the diagnosis was wrong the relief can easily be replaced with anger as they inform the toll of strained inter family relationships that were a result of their caring responsibilities. In such circumstances, guided by professional values and ethics, a social worker would be duty bond to empower the family by ensuring that the family have all the information they need in order to understand the implications of the illness. This includes advocating for those for whom English may not be a first language and being creative with working partnerships, (Beresford, 2000).Wrong mental health diagnosis often means that the patient will be prescribed medication to steady the illness. Consequently, the family may have to not only deal with the challenges of caring for a loved one whose behaviour may be unpredictable but also come to terms with the medications side effects such as apathy and a lack of motivation, (Ray et al, 2008). In her review of a number of qualitative research publications on how families cope with mental health, (Bhui, 2002) found that family members were majestic that the constant stress and concern for their loved ones created family problems that may never be over come.When the diagnosed family member is a promote, the inferred illness will have a profound impact on family life. Research shows that when a parent is diagnosed with mental illness, children are especially vulnerable, as their coping strategies tend to be dependent on the adults in their lives, (Heller and Gitterman, 2011). Parental mental illness compromises the parents ability to care for their child and in some cases, especially where there is no other adult to take responsibility, children can become their parents carers, (Ritter and Lampkin, 2010 Arrigo and Shipley, 2005). A wrongly diagnosed parent who keeps insisting that there is nothing wrong with them, can easily be seen as being in denial thus escalating welfare concerns. The plight for social work lies in their dual role of control and care.Depending on the nature of the diagnosed illness, the risks to a childs welfare can be severe even when the childs physical safety is not at risk. Social workers would need to give consideration to issues such as how the illness affects the childs emotional, behavioural and mental development. There is a vast body of research which indicates that children of psychotic parents are themselves especially vulnerable to psychiatric problems, (Heller and Gitterman, 2011 Bhugra and Gupta, 2010 Ndegwa and Olajide, 2003 ).In order to explore this topic in detail, I propose to conduct research that addresses the objectives set in this paper, using methodology that focuses on reviewing secondary data. The intended research process is as detailed in the question, objectives, rationale and search terms of this paper. The proposed research will have relevance for policy and practice in that it will modify better service provision for black and ethnic minority families as a result of understanding not only the causes of wrong diagnosis, but also why minority groups are disproportionately over delineate within mental health services. It will also evaluate how national and international legislation, current studies on mental health and user link initiatives, impact on service delivery for minorities.In conclusion, I have shown that by inferring illness, mental health diagnosis does impact on families regardless of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. However, while the issues discussed here are not necess arily unique to black and ethnic minority families, research indicates that people from black and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately over represented in mental health services in England. Complex and many-sided factors such as a lifestyles, social stressors, genetic predisposition and lifecycle transitions, make diagnosing mental illness difficult. This can present challenges for social workers as they perform their dual roles of control and care. Professional ethics and legal responsibilities mean that they must advocate for the marginalised groups while continuing to work in partnership with medical professionals without having the expertise to make a judgement call on the accuracy of diagnosis. These issues require deeper exploration in order to understand how wrong mental health diagnosis affects people from black and ethnic minority families.