To critically react to your colleague's forum post, let's break down their approach and considerations in analyzing Sam's hypothetical case.

The DSM-5-TR in my opinion is just as essential to understand as the code of ethics of a social worker, so each of its chapters is of utmost importance to be able to understand them. Since this is a learning space and many times it does not go in a straight line, there are some that have been more difficult for me to understand than others. The chapter that was most difficult for me to understand was the one on Bipolar and Related Disorders because I find that bipolar disorders have specifiers that the characteristics can resemble each other. On the other hand, it is true that with any disorder you have to be careful when diagnosing and make sure you have the competence to do so. The differential diagnoses of bipolar disorders are various in each of the disorders in order to emphasize the importance of knowing the difference and the symptoms of each of them (APA, 2022).

Following the line of bipolar disorders, I find that the Peripartum Onset disorder should be studied more deeply in order to classify it as an individual disorder. Postpartum depression is not lacking in evidence, studies and data that identify it as a social problem that in most cases requires treatment with medication and behavioral therapy. The invisibility of issues involving women's reproductive health reaches a point where even in these advanced times it can be considered sufficient reason to overlook it.

The chapter in which I learned a lot was in the anxiety disorders. Apart from postpartum depression and my opinion in wanting to officially consider it an individual disorder, I find that anxiety has come a long way in the DSM-5-TR. Anxiety and its related disorders often show that there are symptoms that are only seen when you know the person and in public they can be camouflaged. After the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in people with symptoms of social anxiety and an increase in the sense of loneliness, so it is now very important to be able to diagnose them correctly based on their demand (Thompson, 2021).

References

Thompson, C., Mancebo, M. C., & Moitra, E. (2021). Changes in social anxiety symptoms and loneliness after increased isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry research, 298, 113834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113834Links to an external site. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders(5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787Links to an external site.