Ethical Dimensions of Diagnosing: Considerations for Clinical Mental Health Counselors

Abstract

There are numerous ethical considerations inherent within the process of assigning a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM‐IV‐TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) diagnosis. In this article, general ethics considerations such as informed consent and confidentiality, accuracy of diagnosis, and multiple relationships are examined as they relate to clinical mental health counselors' use of the DSM‐IV‐TR. The article concludes with the authors' suggestions for ethically sensitive diagnostic practices.

Development of an Evidence-Based Practical Diagnostic Checklist and Corresponding Clinical Exam for Low Back Pain

“…Using working diagnoses can potentially reduce patient isolation by facilitating social support through connection with others suffering from similar conditions. 28,29 Patient education about a condition can help reduce anxiety and excessive health care seeking while facilitating informed consent, self-efficacy, and self-management activities. [30][31][32] However, education is severely limited when diagnoses describe nothing more than symptoms (eg, nonspecific LBP, mechanical LBP).…”

“…[30][31][32] However, education is severely limited when diagnoses describe nothing more than symptoms (eg, nonspecific LBP, mechanical LBP). 28 There exists a large body of research reporting studies of in-office diagnostic methods for conditions causing LBP. 33 However, there are currently few practical tools that incorporate a synthesis of available evidence to guide practitioners in systematic clinical examination and in determining the relative strength of working diagnoses.…”

The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision Volume 6 Issue 2 Fall 2014

“…Researchers have described ethics codes as statements of professional identity and covenants with society (Ponton & Duba, 2009), noting that some professionals have faith in codes of ethics while some are skeptical (Fine & Teram, 2009). Researchers have examined ethics within the frameworks of diagnosis (Dougherty, 2005;Kress, Hoffman, & Eriksen, 2010), testing and assessment (Naugle, 2009), spirituality (Steen, Engles, & Thweatt, 2006), therapeutic prayer (Weld & Eriksen, 2007), and computer-based supervision (Vaccaro & Lambie, 2007). The literature also contains examples of ethics decision-making models and recommendations to assist professionals in navigating the complexities of ethics dilemmas (Barnett, Behnke, Rosenthal, & Koocher, 2007;Burkholder, Toth, Feisthamel, & Britton, 2010;Calley, 2009;Freeman & Francis, 2006;Foster & Black, 2007;Glosoff, Herlihy, & Spence, 2000).…”

Informed Consent, Confidentiality, and Diagnosing: Ethical Guidelines for Counselor Practice

“…The counselor's challenge is to find a balance between adequately explaining the potential harms associated with diagnosis and the benefits (see Hinkle, 1999, for a broader discussion of these issues; Kress et al, 2010). Because even trained counselors may struggle to do this, it is especially important to gain an objective view to help clients get an impartial picture of DSM advantages and disadvantages.…”

“…There is a need for context-specific applications of ethics related to informed consent, confidentiality, and the DSM (Eriksen & Kress, 2005;Kress, Hoffman, & Eriksen, 2010). A lack of professional exchange about this topic could give the impression that it is not of importance.…”