Diagnostic Code V
In regards to achieving a comprehensive diagnosis, stressors can go beyond environmental or physical concepts. It is possible for patients to be experiencing cultural or religious stressors. Thus, there are diagnostic codes that can be used to illustrate the patient's stress coming from such abstract and non-physical components. For example, in the DSM-IV, there is the diagnostic code V 62.89, which pertains to a religious or spiritual problem that the patient is experiencing.
Diagnostic code V 62.89 is related to a significant change in they way a patient practices religion or believes in some spiritual concept. Ultimately, it is defined as a "change in one's spiritual / religious orientation that substantially alters the participant's life" (Value Options, 2006). There could be a number of potential changes significant enough to create stress within the patient's life that could contribute to negative symptoms....
If a person raised Christian is converting to a significantly different religion, like Orthodox Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, or even Hinduism, there is going to be stressors that might impact their physical and mental health. Such alterations in a person's life could create a general "lack of desire to socialize or communicate with colleagues, neighbors, and family as frequently" as before the spiritual change (). Part of changing one's religion means adopting new practices that may not fall in line with the practices of one's older community. For example, certain daily activities or even traditions of dress and behavior may not be aligned with one's old networks which may cause one to start connecting with those networks less and less. Removing oneself from one's old community and…
