The Basics
Does the DSM-5 focus more on a person's history or their current symptoms?
Current symptoms.
Why?
(It provides an insight of what is happening right now to help with diagnosis).
Can a diagnosis sometimes make a person feel "labeled" or "stuck"? Elaborate.
Answer: Yes.
This is called Stigma. The person might feel like they are the disorder instead of a human being.
Why should Creative Arts Therapists use the DSM regularly?
To ensure safety, understand the client’s condition, and communicate clearly with other professionals.
Name one common Eating Disorder.
Answer: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, or Binge-Eating Disorder.
What should a therapist build first with a client to support the work?
Trust
True or False: The DSM-5 is a "universal" book used all over the world.
False.
(While it’s a standard in North America, many other countries use the ICD-11).
What is one practical benefit of having a DSM code?
Answer: Access to Support.
(It helps people get insurance coverage, school accommodations, or specialized medical care).
Can an art intervention show something that a DSM code might miss?
Answer: Yes.
Art captures the person’s unique story, their culture, and their emotions, things a "code" cannot see.
What symptom shows how the body and mind disconnect during intense stress (feeling unreal or detached)?
Answer: Dissociation (depersonalization or derealization).
What is a "Diagnosis"?
Answer: A clinical identification based on a group of symptoms that helps understand a person’s mental health condition.
What is the main reason doctors and therapists use a "common language" like the DSM?
Answer: Communication and Safety.
(So every professional on a team understands exactly what the client needs).
Does the DSM-5 tell us "How" to treat a person?
Answer: No.
(It only identifies the symptoms. The therapist decides the best creative approach for treatment).
Why shouldn’t Creative Arts Therapists rely only on the DSM?
Answer: Because the DSM just gives a description of a diagnosis, but therapy can focus on the whole person.
What is "Gender Dysphoria"?
Answer: The distress caused by a mismatch between one’s experienced gender and the gender assigned at birth.
What is a "limitation" of labeling?
Answer: Stigma or "Self-fulfilling prophecy."
The patient might start to think they are the label instead of a person.
What does DSM stand for?
Answer:
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
What is one limitation of DSM diagnoses regarding culture?
Answer: It may not fully capture cultural differences in symptom expression.
What shows that creative arts therapy is effective beyond DSM diagnosis?
Answer: Research evidence.
What personality disorder most associated with higher risk of self-harm?
Answer: Border Personality Disorder.
What is an ethical risk in diagnosis?
Answer: Misdiagnosis or cultural bias.
Mention two physical symptoms of Panic Attack
What is “comorbidity”?
Answer: When a person meets criteria for more than one disorder at the same time.
What is one risk of ignoring DSM information in therapy planning?
Answer: Triggering distress or Retraumatization.
What is it called when someone uses food to cope with emotions?
Answer: Emotional eating or "binge eating".
Why is humility important in diagnosis?
Answer: Clinicians must acknowledge limits of their perspective.