With knowledge comes power.....

Today I am off to school for a meeting and to g et my DSM-IV. Some say just anoother book. Not for me. I feel a great weight of responsibility as I venture off to get what is known as the "bible" of psychology. For herein lies the descriptions of all mental illness.

This prompted a discusson amonsgt myself and a colleague. Ethics. counsellors/psychologists have huge ethical responsibilities. We hold the hearts of our clients and have ben granted the privilege of entering into places in their lives, where the typical individual does not get invited. The honour of that leaves me in awe, most days. Yet our ethical standard does not stop there. Doctors have the hippocratic oath. We have one phrase that encompasses so much of everything "Do No Harm." It is the mandate by which we practice.

This too encompasses what we do with the DSM-IV. Many think that is is simply a book. But used unethically the DSM-IV in the wrong hands, can destroy people. An interesting debate that occurred recently in class was the pros and cons of labelling. Should we diagnose our clients,thus labelling them and perhaps trapping them into assuming that the diagnosis becomes their identity? Or do we diganose our clients, label them in order to bring freedom. For with knowledge comes power and once we understand the specifics of the issues a client is struggling with, we can then be proactive about their healing.

It is a fine line to walk........

Another ethical concern is the undergrad student. Oftentimes, when an undergrad student enters the program, out of some waylaid desire to help they end up entering into a time of self-diagnosing and diagnosing others around them. This has been known to destroy relationships.

Earlier I stated with knowledge comes power. That statement is not a stand alone statement, However, many people dismiss the follow up portion: "With power comes great responsibility"  As undergrads grow and mature with their program, they begin to understand the dangers of the misuse of the DSM-IV. They understand the destructive power of the knowledge they hold and one would hope that they would understand the great responsibility that they carry.

Which brings me to ethics. In my second to last semester, I am required to take an ethics course. I wonder at that. Not at the value of that for when you are holding a heart, being ethical is integral. I choose the word being as opposed to operating for if it is something that I "operate" in as opposed to "be" I am being unethical in my ethics. Considering the power of teh DSM-IV and the tendency of psych students to start diagnosing everyone within their vicinity once they enter grad school and/or undergrad, I wonder if this course is something that should be required earlier on, in order to set the bar higher for students to ensure that as they enter this field, they start to live in a manner of ethical responsibility.

With knowledge comes power, for ill or good. With power comes great responsibility, use it wisely.