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Before we make idealizing comparisons between "barbaric pasts" and seemingly enlightened presents (the "arrogance of the present" in which we assume that whatev

Before we make idealizing comparisons between "barbaric pasts" and seemingly enlightened presents (the "arrogance of the present" in which we assume that whatever we do now is knowledgable, good, just, right, at the end point of progess), let's remember that today's "medications" were largely chance discoveries, where the "chance" consisted of the recognition that they would calm patients and make them more manageable - and in this light, they were praised, in their time, as "chemical lobotomy". Joanna Moncrieff makes this explicit in her book, "The Bitterest Pills". Also elaborated on here: https://www.psycovery.com/images/Postpsychiatrys-challenge-Olga-Runciman-2013.pdf https://www.psycovery.com/images/Postpsychiatrys-challenge-O... We're still doing the same thing, just without knives (and, as the comment noted, often also WITH knives).

chasil 3y ago
At the same time, DSM-V continues to define a "disorder" as something intimately connected with "distress." These are real people, in great suffering, and we still don't have answers for many of the diagnostic codes found in the DSM. Modern psychiatry and neurology may never substantially improve in addressing these disorders, as the human brain is the most complex object known to exist, perhaps beyond comprehension. DSM-IV definition of mental disorder: A: A clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual. B: Associated with present distress (e.g. a painful symptom) or disability (i.e. impairment in one or more important areas of functioning) or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom. C: Must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a particular event (e.g. the death of a loved one). D: A manifestation of behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunction in the individual. E: Neither deviant behavior (e.g. political, religious, or sexual) nor conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are mental disorders unless the deviance or conflict is a symptom of a dysfunction in the individual. Other considerations F: No definition adequately specifies precise boundaries for the concept of ‘mental disorder’. G: The concept of mental disorder (like many other concepts in medicine and science) lacks a consistent operational definition that covers all situations. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8161428/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8161428/

chasil 3y ago

At the same time, DSM-V continues to define a "disorder" as something intimately connected with "distress." These are real people, in great suffering, and we still don't have answers for many of the diagnostic codes found in the DSM. Modern psychiatry and neurology may never substantially improve in addressing these disorders, as the human brain is the most complex object known to exist, perhaps beyond comprehension. DSM-IV definition of mental disorder: A: A clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual. B: Associated with present distress (e.g. a painful symptom) or disability (i.e. impairment in one or more important areas of functioning) or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom. C: Must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a particular event (e.g. the death of a loved one). D: A manifestation of behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunction in the individual. E: Neither deviant behavior (e.g. political, religious, or sexual) nor conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are mental disorders unless the deviance or conflict is a symptom of a dysfunction in the individual. Other considerations F: No definition adequately specifies precise boundaries for the concept of ‘mental disorder’. G: The concept of mental disorder (like many other concepts in medicine and science) lacks a consistent operational definition that covers all situations. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8161428/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8161428/