11-07-2013, 01:47 PM
Surprisingly and not surprisingly, every 'disorder' (that roughly means the distress/diability brought on by symptoms exceed clinical threshold in severity) is experienced differently by different people. Each person has multiple viewpoints according to their life experiences and whatnot. I tell you, altho there is evidence that certain symptoms occur for certain folks with certain conditions, it's not so clear-cut as you think, meaning you can't just go down a list of symptoms and diagnose someone so easily. It's a complicated process. That's why it takes minimum 5 years of graduate level training to be able to diagnose people.
In the US there are so many disorders available (more than any other place in the world) due to mostly bc of our health care system and insurance system (that is what drives US mental health unfortunately). If you don't have a disorder you can't get services as readily as you can in other countries where access to services is more available. Kids get diagnosed a lot bc the minimum requirement for entering into some service is that a kid has a severe condition. Sad but true.
Mofo and Melissa has good point. The label of 'disorder' tends to have negative connotations for many due to social stigma, blaming, shaming, scapegoating by others. It's like a disorder within a disorder lol. There are other views too where people desire a name/label to their experience so that they could attribute their experience to something a little detached from them. Oh I have ____ that's why I am acting this way and ___ is happening in my life. It takes away from personal responsibility and locus of power to change one's life in a lot of cases. My experience working in mental health field is that clinicians (not all but some) take time to detach client from the label and try to bring client more proximal to their own personal catalyst. That's how healing starts. Can't say, 'I have bipolar therefore the disorder justifies my actions and whatnot therefore I am not responsible for what I do, think, and feel'. Might as well say, 'the devil made me do it'.
In the US there are so many disorders available (more than any other place in the world) due to mostly bc of our health care system and insurance system (that is what drives US mental health unfortunately). If you don't have a disorder you can't get services as readily as you can in other countries where access to services is more available. Kids get diagnosed a lot bc the minimum requirement for entering into some service is that a kid has a severe condition. Sad but true.
Mofo and Melissa has good point. The label of 'disorder' tends to have negative connotations for many due to social stigma, blaming, shaming, scapegoating by others. It's like a disorder within a disorder lol. There are other views too where people desire a name/label to their experience so that they could attribute their experience to something a little detached from them. Oh I have ____ that's why I am acting this way and ___ is happening in my life. It takes away from personal responsibility and locus of power to change one's life in a lot of cases. My experience working in mental health field is that clinicians (not all but some) take time to detach client from the label and try to bring client more proximal to their own personal catalyst. That's how healing starts. Can't say, 'I have bipolar therefore the disorder justifies my actions and whatnot therefore I am not responsible for what I do, think, and feel'. Might as well say, 'the devil made me do it'.
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