Midterm Paper on Mental Disorder and Difference

Midterm Paper on Mental Disorder and Difference Name: Institution: Course: Instructor: Date: Midterm Paper on Mental Disorder and Difference Part 1 Definition of the Term Bias and Types of Bias Bias refers to a prejudice directed at an individual, a particular group of people, or an item based on some factors or reasons (Rogerson et al., 2022). Two types of biases are common in social work: implicit and explicit. Implicit bias, synonymously called implicit prejudice or implicit attitude, refers to a social worker's tendency to unconsciously direct a negative attitude toward a particular person or group (Rogerson et al., 2022). Usually, in implicit bias, the social worker is not aware of their action. On the other hand, explicit bias involves a social worker directing negative attitudes to an individual or group of people consciously based on stereotyping or as a result of subtle cues (Rogerson et al., 2022). Such biases affect assessments, diagnoses, and decisions on the interventions appropriate for these people. Explicit biases may be expressed through discrimination, beliefs, or attitudes expressed openly by the social worker to the individual or groups (Rogerson et al., 2022). Diagnostic Application Select a population group different from you that may result in a personal bias. Describe the potential assumptions and biases affecting your ability to apply DSM criteria to this selected population group. The population I chose was men with substance use disorder. My biases would be from my father; in my childhood, he had an alcohol use disorder, and due to the abuse we received from him, I formed a bias towards men that they are abusive and do not care about their kids. I believe this would make it hard for me to diagnose them due to my beliefs and assumptions developed from personal experience with my alcoholic father. My assumption would be that substance use disorder is an individual's decision since the person had to make a choice. Biologically, substance abuse results from synergistic interaction between biological, social, and psychological factors. The other assumption derived from the stereotypes about men with substance abuse is that they are immoral and lack goodwill toward those they interact with. Additionally, I will tend to overlook the co-occurring mental health issues as my point of attention will be merely substance abuse. I might also harbor the assumption that interventions that are effective on people who do not abuse drugs will be ineffective among people with substance use disorder. Social Work Strategies to Correct Bias Several strategies can be implemented to prevent or control implicit and explicit biases because uncontrolled biases will negatively impact the clients (Parker, 2014). One of the strategies is exercising cultural humility. Social workers ought to do frequent self-reflection and education to identify the biases and comprehend the clients' diversity and experiences (Parker, 2014). Additionally, social workers can adopt the intersectional approach of looking at the various aspects of the clients from the intersectional lens. The aspects to be considered are identity and demographic factors (age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and economic capability,...