¶ … strengths associated with using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. One of the foremost among these is its widespread usage and lack of ambiguity in regards to terms, as well as its authority throughout the industry. As mentioned in John Marszalek's video, this manual provides a common language with which practitioners can communicate to one another, insurance professionals, as well as to clients (No date). As such, this manual and its terms enable a uniformity of perception that can be of immense benefit in a subject such as mental disorders, which may appear nebulous to those experiencing them. This benefit should not be underestimated, since the manual provides a scale by which clients can be judged and understood by one another -- which is excellence in terms of lucidity and conveying particular aspects of patients to those who need to be aware of them. Another fairly eminent strongpoint of this book in its role in assessment and...

Its multi-axial methodology encompasses virtually all of the eminent facets which may affect a person's mental state (APA, 2013, p. 27). It takes into consideration health and general medical conditions which may affect a person's cognition and mental state, as well as environmental and sociological concerns that can similarly affect the patient. It also examines a patient's history in terms of clinical disorders and personality disorders. If clinicians are shrewd in their assessments, there is room for virtually all of the most significant factors affecting a person's mind state in this particular manual.
One of the potential limitations of this manual, however, is the fact that some of its classifications and value judgments it forces clinicians to make seem a little rigid. In assessing mental health and overall factors affecting a person's behavior and mood, there is always room for doubt and uncertainty.…