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Mental health experts ask: Will anyone be normal?
Reuters ^ | July 28, 2010 | Kate Kelland

Posted on 07/31/2010 5:11:02 PM PDT by decimon

LONDON (Reuters) – An updated edition of a mental health bible for doctors may include diagnoses for "disorders" such as toddler tantrums and binge eating, experts say, and could mean that soon no-one will be classed as normal.

Leading mental health experts gave a briefing on Tuesday to warn that a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is being revised now for publication in 2013, could devalue the seriousness of mental illness and label almost everyone as having some kind of disorder.

Citing examples of new additions like "mild anxiety depression," "psychosis risk syndrome," and "temper dysregulation disorder," they said many people previously seen as perfectly healthy could in future be told they are ill.

"It's leaking into normality. It is shrinking the pool of what is normal to a puddle," said Til Wykes of the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 07/31/2010 5:11:04 PM PDT by decimon
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To: neverdem; DvdMom; grey_whiskers

Mud puddle ping.


2 posted on 07/31/2010 5:12:45 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon
everyone is nuts, everyone is a racist, take the blue pill.
3 posted on 07/31/2010 5:12:55 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3 (Obama is everything Oklahoma is not.)
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To: decimon

Homosexuals and transgenders are considered normal these days.
40 years ago homosexuality was considered a mental illness as was transgenderism or whatever that is.


4 posted on 07/31/2010 5:16:05 PM PDT by truthfreedom
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To: decimon
I'm normal...just ask me.

5 posted on 07/31/2010 5:23:45 PM PDT by SouthDixie (The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age.)
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To: SouthDixie
I'm normal...just ask me.

Ask which you?

6 posted on 07/31/2010 5:29:02 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

Normal is overrated.


7 posted on 07/31/2010 5:36:17 PM PDT by FourPeas (God Save America)
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To: decimon
It is within my understanding anything other then a setting on a washing machine is under review.

8 posted on 07/31/2010 5:39:18 PM PDT by SouthDixie (The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age.)
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To: decimon

(Hi Decimon, good post!)

If you want to wrap your brain around something, wrap it around this... “Everybody, regardless of affliction, is doing their best.” Think about it.

The distinction lives in how everyone judges everyone else.


9 posted on 07/31/2010 5:40:55 PM PDT by LittleBillyInfidel (Rev. Wright said "G_d D_mn America!". B-HO replied, "I'll do my best.")
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To: decimon
Leading mental health experts gave a briefing on Tuesday to warn that a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is being revised now for publication in 2013, could devalue the seriousness of mental illness and label almost everyone as having some kind of disorder.

The DSM has been devaluing the seriousness of mental illness for a long time. I think that the current fad of diagnosing hyperactive kids as having ADD and using that as an excuse to drug them (instead of teaching them to take advantage of and succeed with their personality type) is a prime example of that. We also have the phenomenon of classifying kids who are normal but different than other kids as having "autism spectrum disorder." When the definition of normal becomes so narrow as to exclude almost everyone, then the very real problem of dealing with mental illness is lost.

I think there are two major contributing factors: the psychiatric/psychologic professions want more business (there are many more people majoring in psychology than there will ever be jobs for psych majors), and so many people want to be victims of something; being a victim of mental illness fulfills that desire.

10 posted on 07/31/2010 5:48:58 PM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: decimon

Being normal is a disorder. Fortunately, it’s very rare.


11 posted on 07/31/2010 5:49:21 PM PDT by Julia H. (Freedom of speech and freedom from criticism are mutually exclusive.)
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To: decimon

SIGH


12 posted on 07/31/2010 6:20:39 PM PDT by Quix (THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
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To: decimon; exDemMom

It seems to me that the idea that “we all have disorders” and “that there is no such thing as normal” may lead to a bonanza for incompetent or unethical practitioners.

Eric Berne, a psychiatrist who became well known in the 60’s for his popular book “Games People Play”, said that many neurotics who seek psychiatric help did so not to be cured, but to learn how to be a “better neurotic”. A good psychiatrist would want to cure someone’s dysfunctional behavior by fighting what’s in his head, rather than playing along by helping the patient to blame our “racist”, “sexist” society , or whatever his game is.

According to Berne, many patients would tend to leave in search of a psychiatrist who would humor his neurosis. So a good psychiatrist must be skilled in keeping him around long enough to help him.


13 posted on 07/31/2010 6:31:17 PM PDT by haroldeveryman
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To: decimon

I forsee an ever growing group of people with “government jobs” aka Disability checks.


14 posted on 07/31/2010 6:37:06 PM PDT by PurVirgo (Smeg!)
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To: Julia H.

“Being normal is a disorder.”

Ain’t that the truth. These days DHS says they are terrorists.


15 posted on 07/31/2010 6:56:36 PM PDT by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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To: decimon
except queers... they are normal according to them
16 posted on 07/31/2010 7:02:28 PM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: decimon

not true... homosexuals will always be considered “normal” by these idiots.


17 posted on 07/31/2010 7:12:47 PM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama = Epic Fail)
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To: decimon; All
...could devalue the seriousness of mental illness and label almost everyone as having some kind of disorder...

...and in need of prescription drugs.

Hint: Follow the money.

18 posted on 07/31/2010 7:22:35 PM PDT by Rodamala
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To: decimon; All
The more I read the more "tells" I see.

...many people previously seen as perfectly healthy could in future be told they are ill.

Whatever it takes to prevent people from legally keeping and bearing arms, right?

19 posted on 07/31/2010 7:26:08 PM PDT by Rodamala
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To: haroldeveryman; decimon; exDemMom
haroldeverydayman wrote:

Eric Berne, a psychiatrist who became well known in the 60’s for his popular book “Games People Play”, said that many neurotics who seek psychiatric help did so not to be cured, but to learn how to be a “better neurotic”. A good psychiatrist would want to cure someone’s dysfunctional behavior by fighting what’s in his head, rather than playing along by helping the patient to blame our “racist”, “sexist” society , or whatever his game is.

According to Berne, many patients would tend to leave in search of a psychiatrist who would humor his neurosis. So a good psychiatrist must be skilled in keeping him around long enough to help him.

Consider for a moment how self-diagnosis via internet "research" has contributed to reinforcment of the mainstreaming of these artifical "disorders".

20 posted on 07/31/2010 7:37:56 PM PDT by Rodamala
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