The Surgeon General of the US Public Health Service has focused the nation’s attention on important public health issues. The reports from this office have heightened America’s awareness of significant public health issues and have generated public health initiatives. The first Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health emphasizes that mental illness is a serious public health problem that must be addressed by the nation.
Review the report Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General ( https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/spotlight/nn/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101584932X120-doc ) – review the table of contents, read the first chapter – and reference others if needed.
Also read this blog on the DSM-5 controversy – Can DSM-5 Correct its Mistakes? ( https://www.huffpost.com/entry/can-dsm5-correct-its-mist_b_9299742 )
Submit your answers to the following questions, in your initial discussion post:
- Why is the diagnosis of mental disorders believed to be more difficult than the diagnosis of somatic, or general medical, disorders?
- How might the revisions in DSM-5 help promote more accurate diagnoses and provision of treatments?
- Discuss one controversial revision in DSM-5 – is there a potential danger associated with it?
