Abuse and Client Diagnosis

Generally, abuse is a term used to describe harmful treatment toward a person. This term may include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, and neglect (OHA, 2012). Abuse may occur across the life span. Additionally, cases of abuse may not be unique to one particular race, gender, age, or economic class. As a result, the recognition of abuse might pose as challenging as the treatment. Psychologists may make assumptions about symptoms and patterns of abuse that may lead to errors in assessment and diagnosis.

For this Discussion, select a personal bias pertaining to the topic of abuse. As a future professional in the field, consider how personal biases may influence assessment and diagnosis.

Reference:
Oregon Health Authority (OHA). (2012). Definitions of abuse. Retrieved from http://www.oregon.gov/dhs/abuse/Pages/definitions.aspx

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a description of at least two personal biases you might have that may prevent you from accurately assessing and diagnosing cases of abuse and explain why. Finally, explain how you might address your personal bias to reduce errors in diagnosis. Justify your response with use of the Learning Resources and current literature.

Readings

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing
  • Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention
• Blasko, K. A., Winek, J. L., & Bieschke, K. J. (2007). Therapists’ prototypical assessment of domestic violence situations. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33(2), 258–269.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Owens, G. P., & Chard, K. M. (2003). Comorbidity and psychiatric diagnoses among women reporting child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27(9), 1075–1082.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Skowron, E. A., Kozlowski, J. M., & Pincus, A. L. (2010). Differentiation, self–other representations, and rupture–repair processes: Predicting child maltreatment risk. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(3), 304–316.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.