In this episode, Wendy who is an accredited CBT and EMDR therapist, talks about a controversial subject – whether a mental health diagnosis is helpful or harmful for the patient.
The short answer is – it can be both. A diagnosis can fast-track access to appropriate care, provide a shared language for treatment, and validate personal experiences. However, it can also lead to stigma, mislabelling, and too narrow a treatment focus. That is why diagnosis is only a starting point. It needs to be paired with a personalized, compassionate understanding and a flexible treatment plan tailored to the individual’s unique needs.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A mental health diagnosis can act as a map. It can point out the best road to recovery for you.
Having a diagnosis can fast-track access to the right treatment. But if you don´t fit neatly into a diagnosis it can have the opposite effect and lead to the wrong treatment,
A diagnosis can be validating and comforting for the sufferer.
Once you have a label it becomes more likely that people will see you differently. Often there is some stigma.
Focusing on skills training e.g. Emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and self-understanding are often more effective than relying solely on only providing the treatments for the diagnosis.
BEST MOMENTS
“A diagnosis can help reduce feelings of self-blame, shame, self-criticism, and actually encourage the individual to go and seek help. .”
“It (a diagnosis) might affect legal forms; it might affect risk assessments. Sometimes labels change how systems respond to people.”
“Sometimes the diagnosis is wrong.”
“Diagnosis tends to tell us what tends to happen. Formulation tells us why it's happening for you.”
VALUABLE RESOURCES
www.wendycastelino.com
https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/
https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798
https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino
ABOUT THE HOST
Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.
Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.
Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.
Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
