3 ms·
> So you go directly from 'doesn't warrant a full diagnosis' to 'doesn't exist'? What exactly are you suggesting here? For example flu-like symptoms do not nec
by h1karu 12y ago
> So you go directly from 'doesn't warrant a full diagnosis' to 'doesn't exist'? What exactly are you suggesting here?
For example flu-like symptoms do not necessarily mean that you have early onset AIDS or ebola virus even though those diseases do produce flu-like symptoms. Therefor people shouldn't refer to those common symtoms as "mild ebola" or "mild AIDS". The same principle applies to mental health and words like "depression".
> Another way to put this: It is normal for someone to become depressed in response to tough circumstances or disappointment
I would argue that this is incorrect. If a certain human condition is normal then by definition it is not an illness! Therefor to use the word 'depression' to characterize normal circumstances is not only a misnomer but a dangerous charade that downplays the seriousness of the genuine mental illness. A whole generation is confused on this point in my opinion due to advertising campaigns that are designed to confuse them and the doctors don't seem to be motivated to help clear up this confusion and I can only assume that is due to profit incentive.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- lfuller 12y agoAIDS and the ebola virus are not spectrum diseases - you either have >= 1 ebola / HIV viron in your system or you don't. This is entirely different from depression which is a spectrum disorder with many differing degrees of severity.
- h1karu 12y agoThe existence of a "spectrum disease" is a misnomer. The people who invented the term clearly defined it as an approach to researching disease, merely a psychological crutch to use when thinking about disease and not something that actually exists. This flawed "research view" unduly medicalizes problems which are simply challenges people face in life. There was talk of including some limited use of the term spectrum in the planning of the DSM-V but that's all it was, talk.