Psychological Diagnosis of Adolescents

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the difficulties of diagnosing adolescents for psychological problems, which includes the difficulties of sifting out the normal ups and downs of adolescence and the challenge of detecting co-morbid conditions accurately. It looks at how it is crucial for diagnosticians to be very familiar with the tools available in order to look at an adolescent's difficulties from several angles to make sure that diagnosis is both accurate and complete.

From the Paper:

"DSM gives very specific guidelines for diagnosis. For instance, for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), DSM lists three general areas of behavior with specific behaviors listed (inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity); the minimum number of specific behaviors that must be present; The number of general areas which must meet the criteria; and the need to do a differential diagnosis, which will ensure that AD/HD is the best explanation for the person's difficulties (APA, 1994). What it does not tell the diagnostician is how he or she is to determine whether the patient or client meets the criteria. The DSM does not list any specific tests or measures to do."

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• Analytical Essay # 130406 : "Child and Adolescent Counseling"

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