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This chapter addresses the identification, diagnosis, incidence, and treatment of psychopathology when it happens to affect deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Language and sociocultural differences not only complicate the identification and diagnosis of psychopathology, they can affect dramatically the psychotherapy process and outcome and even patterns of referral and treatment service utilization. For the most part, diagnosis and treatment planning flows from the observations made and conclusions drawn from the initial clinical interview, especially in the current fiscal and public policy climate favoring rapid diagnosis, disposition, and short-term treatment. The clinical interview should always seek information regarding communication and learning history, in both family and school contexts; the information is often relevant to current cognitive skills findings. The chapter focuses on topics pertaining to mental disorders in the adult deaf and hard-of-hearing populations. Such reports typically describe successful applications of existing treatment approaches to deaf patients, adapted to accommodate their communication needs.
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