except queers... they are normal according to themMud puddle ping.
Homosexuals and transgenders are considered normal these days.
40 years ago homosexuality was considered a mental illness as was transgenderism or whatever that is.
Normal is overrated.
(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.
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.
Being normal is a disorder. Fortunately, it’s very rare.
SIGH
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.
I forsee an ever growing group of people with “government jobs” aka Disability checks.
except queers... they are normal according to themnot true... homosexuals will always be considered “normal” by these idiots.
...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.
...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?
Sure...these guys...
Of course not, how can they have a ‘growth industry’ unless everyone needs their services.