7 ms·

All I'm saying is that we pathologize people who could lead a normal, happy life. By pathologizing them, we reinforce the perception in them that something is w

by Kenji 11y ago

All I'm saying is that we pathologize people who could lead a normal, happy life. By pathologizing them, we reinforce the perception in them that something is wrong with them. Which in turn reinforces worries and social paralysis. A vicious cycle. Please be aware that almost all diagnoses of psychological disorders are entirely symptom-based and thus extremely subjective. The trend of giving young kids strong psychoactive drugs during one of the most important periods of brain-development is disgusting me.

overgryphon 11y ago
Many people lead normal happy lives with a mental health diagnosis. Something is wrong with everyone. Putting a name to the common class of struggles you struggle with most can be empowering. It makes it easier to find resources more tailored to you, and connect with others that have similar experiences.
- sageabilly 11y ago
  One of the most powerful moments of my life was realizing that I had binge eating disorder. Not "a lack of willpower", nothing that could be cured by just "trying harder", nothing that would respond to counting calories and bootstraps, but an actual DISORDER. A fucked-up wiring in my brain somewhere. Once I knew what the hell was actually going on I could then take steps to fix it correctly, scientifically, using proven methodology and techniques that worked for me. Instead of just throwing whatever at the wall and seeing what stuck I was seeking treatment that was targeted at exactly my issue and I could connect with others that were going through or who had gone through therapy for BED and who could relate to what I had gone through/was going through. Being able to name what's going on is an enormously powerful moment. Look at all the stories of people who have had some mystery illness or cancer or some rare diagnosis: they all talk about the relief they felt when they finally were diagnosed, even if the diagnosis was grim or didn't have an available treatment. There's a huge relief in knowing because then you have a starting point, somewhere to begin from, somewhere to rally yourself and set out away from, somewhere to call your personal "ground zero".
cwbrandsma 11y ago
It isn't pathologizing people, it is diagnosing. With diagnosis comes acceptance and coping stratagies (read as: "Yes I'm different, and that is ok"). The coping stratagies are there to help someone with those issues lead a happy, healthy life. But what it really takes is people like you to stop thinking that being different is bad. Being different is good. I'm dyslexic, I have a daughter being tested for autism this month. I want the diagnosis to help better understand her and help her adjust to have a happy life. She isn't even that bad, she has cousins that are far worse, but they are still all autistic (in my daughter's case, still probable). Some autistics kids can't talk, I have a cousin who is very autistic but can drive to work. Another just gets panic attacks. The range and scope is huge.
- 6stringmerc 11y ago
  Do you think there's a genetic component to Autism? As in, it's an inherited condition? The reason I ask is because if you don't, then it would seem your family tree actually supports the over-diagnosis theory. To check on this, I did a quick lookup. One source says the prevalence is 1 in every 88 children in the US.
- fecak 11y ago
  I couldn't help but notice your words. You ask the commenter to "stop thinking that being different is bad", but then say your daughter "isn't even that bad, she has cousins that are far worse". Are her cousins just "more different" in your mind, or do you think perhaps that certain "differences" are indeed bad?
Gibbon1 11y ago
You are arguing against a wall dude. I mean you are 100% correct. Human brains are very complex, and there many many thing that can go sideways. Lumping a mass amount of those under the term Autism makes everyone feel good because they think it means 'understanding' and 'progress' but really it's bullocks. Seriously the mess that is psychiatry is going to take another 50 years to clean up+. It's problems are part of the academic madness that took hold after WWII when every field decided it needed to be 'a science' and tossed out all the ad-hoc knowledge and went straight to theory. + Like all fields that ran amuck the current guardians of the truth in psychiatry ain't going to change their minds. So progress is measured in funerals.

by Kenji 11y ago

overgryphon 11y ago

Many people lead normal happy lives with a mental health diagnosis. Something is wrong with everyone. Putting a name to the common class of struggles you struggle with most can be empowering. It makes it easier to find resources more tailored to you, and connect with others that have similar experiences.

sageabilly 11y ago
One of the most powerful moments of my life was realizing that I had binge eating disorder. Not "a lack of willpower", nothing that could be cured by just "trying harder", nothing that would respond to counting calories and bootstraps, but an actual DISORDER. A fucked-up wiring in my brain somewhere. Once I knew what the hell was actually going on I could then take steps to fix it correctly, scientifically, using proven methodology and techniques that worked for me. Instead of just throwing whatever at the wall and seeing what stuck I was seeking treatment that was targeted at exactly my issue and I could connect with others that were going through or who had gone through therapy for BED and who could relate to what I had gone through/was going through. Being able to name what's going on is an enormously powerful moment. Look at all the stories of people who have had some mystery illness or cancer or some rare diagnosis: they all talk about the relief they felt when they finally were diagnosed, even if the diagnosis was grim or didn't have an available treatment. There's a huge relief in knowing because then you have a starting point, somewhere to begin from, somewhere to rally yourself and set out away from, somewhere to call your personal "ground zero".

cwbrandsma 11y ago

It isn't pathologizing people, it is diagnosing. With diagnosis comes acceptance and coping stratagies (read as: "Yes I'm different, and that is ok"). The coping stratagies are there to help someone with those issues lead a happy, healthy life. But what it really takes is people like you to stop thinking that being different is bad. Being different is good. I'm dyslexic, I have a daughter being tested for autism this month. I want the diagnosis to help better understand her and help her adjust to have a happy life. She isn't even that bad, she has cousins that are far worse, but they are still all autistic (in my daughter's case, still probable). Some autistics kids can't talk, I have a cousin who is very autistic but can drive to work. Another just gets panic attacks. The range and scope is huge.

6stringmerc 11y ago
Do you think there's a genetic component to Autism? As in, it's an inherited condition? The reason I ask is because if you don't, then it would seem your family tree actually supports the over-diagnosis theory. To check on this, I did a quick lookup. One source says the prevalence is 1 in every 88 children in the US.
fecak 11y ago
I couldn't help but notice your words. You ask the commenter to "stop thinking that being different is bad", but then say your daughter "isn't even that bad, she has cousins that are far worse". Are her cousins just "more different" in your mind, or do you think perhaps that certain "differences" are indeed bad?

Gibbon1 11y ago

You are arguing against a wall dude. I mean you are 100% correct. Human brains are very complex, and there many many thing that can go sideways. Lumping a mass amount of those under the term Autism makes everyone feel good because they think it means 'understanding' and 'progress' but really it's bullocks. Seriously the mess that is psychiatry is going to take another 50 years to clean up+. It's problems are part of the academic madness that took hold after WWII when every field decided it needed to be 'a science' and tossed out all the ad-hoc knowledge and went straight to theory. + Like all fields that ran amuck the current guardians of the truth in psychiatry ain't going to change their minds. So progress is measured in funerals.