DSM Summaries Assignment

Throughout your career as a therapist, you will be required to assess and diagnose clients. To engage in this practice in a competent manner, you will need to have a good working knowledge of the DSM-5 (or latest edition, DSM-5 TR) including general categories and the specific disorders that are contained in each category. This assignment will introduce you to the more common categories that you will encounter as a therapist intern with The Shea Center.

 

Instructions

  • You will write a one-page summary (minimum) for each of the following disorder sets.  

Set 1, due by 12am, September 27, 2023

  • Bipolar and Related Disorders

  • Depressive Disorders

  • Anxiety Disorders

 

Set 2, due by 12am, September 27, 2023

  • Substance-related and Addictive Disorders

  • Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

  • Obsessive-compulsive and Related Disorders

Overview: Summaries must include a brief overview of the general category. Identify the similar symptoms that all the disorders in the category share.

 

Disorders: List each disorder in the category and highlight at least one symptom that makes this disorder different than all the other disorders in this category (example: in the Depressive disorders, all the disorders are characterized by feelings of sadness. Highlight what makes each diagnosis different: time frames, severity, types of symptoms, etc.)

 

Risk and Prognostic Factors: Choose one disorder that you are particularly interested in and provide a brief summary of the risk and prognostic factors. Include what category the risk factors fall into: biological, psychological, social or spiritual.