Mad in America

JUNE 22, 2024

The result is a form of “marketing” that encourages self-diagnosis and the embrace of disorders as identity by watering down the definition of mental suffering—and, paradoxically, minimizing understanding and compassion for those who are truly struggling. Concept creep can also involve trivialized portraits of specific disorders.

Sleep and mental health 141

Sleep and mental health Aging and mental health Self-awareness Childhood trauma 141

Mad in America

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Later, DSM-III-R (1987) expanded the definition to include sexual assault, and DSM-IV (1994) emphasized individual responses like fear or helplessness. However, there’s another problem: Given psychiatry’s lack of definitive diagnostic tests, it has always been vulnerable to malingering and simulation.

Resilience and coping 143

Resilience and coping Self-awareness Sleep and mental health Nutrition and mood 143

Mad in America

JUNE 3, 2025

And none better to start with than the diagnoses labeled personality disorders. They comprise a group of diagnoses that do catastrophic damage to the person who is taught to identify with them. In my two years of regrettable service I did not find anyone whose personality seemed to be disordered (whatever that means).

Trauma and the brain 135

Trauma and the brain Self-awareness Aging and mental health Bipolar disorder 135