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Social workers' views of the etiology of mental disorders: results of a national study
- Authors:
- WALSH Joseph, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 50(1), January 2005, pp.43-52.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Research on many mental disorders since the 1990s strongly suggests a biological component to etiology. These developments should inform the decisions clinical social workers make regarding interventions with clients. Several recent research reports have suggested that social workers may underestimate the influence of biological factors in some mental disorders. Presents the results of a US national study of social workers in which disorder-specific measures of mental illness were used to determine more clearly whether social workers are making research-based assessments of mental illness etiology. It was found that social workers attribute causality of 4 disorders in a manner consistent with current research.
A social work perspective on the adjustment disorders
- Authors:
- WALSH Joseph, CORCORAN Jacqueline
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 9(1-6), 2011, pp.107-121.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The adjustment disorders represent a client's problematic reaction to an environmental stress rather than assuming an internal functioning deficit. As a sole diagnosis, they account for 5-21% of voluntary mental health client consultations. However, they are controversial because of their relative lack of diagnostic validity and reliability. They may also be overused by social workers to avoid stigmatising clients. The purpose of this article is to explore the suitability of the adjustment disorders as clinical diagnoses, and to provide, through 2 case illustrations, intervention guidelines for social workers. Both illustrations provide example of assessment questions, risk and resilience considerations, and procedures for goal setting and treatment planning. The article argues that these diagnoses represent consistency with social work professional values in their focus on the interaction between persons and their environments, and in calling specific attentions to stressors that can be addressed during the intervention process. Social workers should therefore be encouraged to use these diagnoses when appropriate.
Clinical assessment and diagnosis in social work practice
- Authors:
- CORCORAN Jacqueline, WALSH Joseph
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 518p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Oxford
This user-friendly textbook not only guides social workers in developing competence in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) system of diagnosis, it also assists them in staying attuned during client assessment to social work values and principles: a focus on client strengths, concern for the worth and dignity of individuals, appreciation of environmental influences on behaviour, and a reliance on evidence-based approaches. The authors, seasoned practitioner-scholars, provide an in-depth exploration of fourteen major mental disorders that social workers commonly see in practice, integrating several perspectives in order to meet the challenges social workers face in client assessment. A risk and resilience framework helps social workers understand environmental influences on the emergence of mental disorders and the strengths that clients already possess. Social workers will also learn to apply critical thinking to the DSM when it is inconsistent with social work values and principles. Finally, the authors catalogue evidence-based assessment instruments and treatments so that social workers can intervene efficiently and effectively, using the best resources available. Students and practitioners alike will appreciate the wealth of case examples, evidence-based assessment instruments, and treatment plans that make this an essential guide to the assessment and diagnostic processes in social work practice.
Social workers as family educators about schizophrenia
- Author:
- WALSH Joseph
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 33(2), March 1988, pp.138-141.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
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Ethical dilemmas of practicing social workers around psychiatric medication: results of a national study
- Authors:
- WALSH Joseph, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 1(4), 2003, pp.91-105.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
It is acknowledged that social workers in mental health and other settings routinely experience client-related ethical dilemmas. Describes the results of a national survey of practicing social workers in the USA regarding the nature of ethical dilemmas they face related to their work with clients on medication issues. The results make it clear that social workers regularly confront a variety of ethical dilemmas in this type of practice. Many of these dilemmas are related to ambiguities around the knowledge base of practice, appropriate roles of providers, and basic personal and professional values. Presents implications of these findings for social work practice and further research. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).