Premise: Overdiagnosis of Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Problem Statement
Social workers are currently tasked with the challenge of finding placement for children with limited homes suitable for their trauma. Statistics show that nearly 1 Million children are potentially misdiagnosed in the United States hence leading to funds wastage as a lot of money is used on unnecessary medication as the children have to be provided with stimulants (Danielson et al., 2016). Without proper resolution, this issue of overdiagnosis leads to behavioral changes among the children, for example, depression, learning disabilities, and inattentiveness.
Studying the problem of overdiagnosis is significant to the professional practice of social work as it will help in assessing the extent of the issue among the children and adolescents and how the problem can be solved (Cesat, 1982). Research indicates that the effects of overdiagnosis among children are inevitable. In most of the cases, the children and adolescents are forced to live a different life, a life far from the lives they should have lived if the right diagnosis was made (Diener et al., 2018). If at all these cases exist, there is a need for great change, and if they do not exist, there is still a greater need for knowledge on the reason for this.
The experiences of the children and adolescents are mostly traumatic, and the treatment in later stages causes complications in their lives in one way or the other (Dovran et al, 2012). This further intensifies the need for research on the causes of this problem and how it can be brought to an end. This is a problem that has been in existence over the years and still will persist if a solution is not sought. The only way to deliver a solution to this is through unearthing the causes of overdiagnosis and from that point the means of coping with the challenge.
Theoretical Framework
According to Veblen’s theory of social change, one of the greatest determinants of social change is environment. The environment shapes the thinking patterns of the individual and therefore dictating the habits of the individual. If the wrong diagnosis is done on a child or an adolescent, it means that they have to be brought up in a different set of conditions. This will impact their habits and how they grow up. A solution to this is therefore detrimental in changing their lives.
Brief Overview of Methodology
Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) is going to be used in the study. This is a well-structured self-report diary tactic allowing to investigate each and every activity of an individual. Parents and guardians will be entrusted to keep diaries for their little children and those adolescents who are unable to record themselves. The ESM is a collection of questionnaires about moods, symptoms, irritability and reactions of individuals under a study (Conner et al.,2013). It will help to determine which patient has been wrongly diagnosed and which one has a real disorder.
References
Casat, C. D. (1982). The under-and over-diagnosis of mania in children and adolescents. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 23(6), 552-559.
Conner, et al (2013). A practical guide to experience-sampling procedures. Journal of Happiness Studies, 4, 53–78.
Danielson ML, Bitsko RH, Ghandour RM, Holbrook JR, Kogan MD, Blumberg SJ. Prevalence of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis and associated treatment among U.S. children and adolescents, 2016. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. 2018, 47:2, 199-212
Diener, E., Larsen, R. J., Levine, S., & Emmons, R. A. (2018). Intensity and frequency: Dimensions underlying positive and negative affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1253–1265.
Dovran, A., Winje, D., Arefjord, K., & Haugland, B. S. (2012). Traumatic events and posttraumatic reactions among children and adolescents in out-of-home placement: A 25-year systematic literature review. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 5(1), 16-32.