RE: Psychology Addict # 52 | Mental Illness – A Straight-Forward Discussion about a Non Straight-Forward Topic.
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I'm so glad that you're back. I love it that I'm back to getting my weekly dose of psychology information from you!
I think that something else that makes the issue of mental health all the more challenging is that emotional states and clinical diagnoses often get intermixed together almost as if they are synonymous with each other, even though they are not necessarily the same thing. For instance, an individual may feel depressed but not actually meet the criteria for a clinical diagnoses of major depression. Mental disorders like major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, schizophrenia...etc have very specific definitions in the DSM-5 and they have a certain and specific criteria that needs to be present in the individual in order to be diagnosed with the disorder. The most important criteria in any disorder is that the symptoms must not be caused by substance use and they must cause significant distress or impediment to the individual's social life, occupational, or another important area of the individual's life. So basically, a person could feel very depressed (emotion) but still maintain employment and/or a social life (diagnostic criteria). I think this aspect makes the issue of mental health a little more confusing and convoluted as socuety tends to talk about mental health in terms of feelings and emotions.
An example of the confusion - I remember people in social media getting upset when there was discussion about adding "extreme video gaming" to the list of DSM5 disorders. Many people took that as - a person has a mental disorder if they play a lot of video games (so they were rightfully upset). However, they didn't seem to be aware that in order to meet that criteria the video gaming had to impede the individuals life in a significant way - i.e. the individual could not maintain employment and support themselves because of the gaming or they were experiencing severe physical health risks because they were forgetting to eat (or something).
Anyway, this is getting long winded - like most of my comments. Great article @abigaile-dantes as always. I always learn something from you.
Ow @leaky20, even if your comments were long-winded I wouldn't mind reading them again and again :) They are always very insightful, constructive and informative.
I see this as a consequence of us (society) having "technicalized" suffering, and turned sadness and fear into pathologies that necessarily need treatment. What Buddhists and existentialists say about this? I wonder.
I appreciate very much that you brought the DSM criteria to this discussion. I have come across many people who are just dead against it. I am not, and for the very reasons you pointed out here. For example criteria that highlights what should be carefully taken into account when a certain diagnosis is considered.
The diagnosis of mental illness is indeed a very delicate topic.
And the illustration you used here, the public frustration with a possible diagnosis for extreme video-gaming, just shows how concepts that regard and involve mental health are misunderstood. But what to expect when society is heading towards a place where all excesses (gaming, shopping, eating etc...) have just become the norm? Oh well ... :)
I am going to take the above remark away with me. It's a great, great one!
Thank you very much @leaky20 for always taking the time to stop by and share with us here your experience and knowledge. Thank you also for your humbling words and constant support.
All the best to you & your wife.
"Technicalized suffering"
That's interesting. I never thought of that part of it. Great point. Yeah it would be interesting to know what Buddhists think of that.
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