From Mad in Finland: “Many people whose life seems bleak are genuinely surprised when the doctor states that they suffer from “moderate depression.” The relief can also be great when a restless person who can’t focus on things that don’t interest him is diagnosed with ADHD. Gloominess or restlessness takes on a different meaning when an expert accepts a new name for it. Facilitative diagnosis works in many ways. It shows that someone has taken the suffering seriously and listened for a moment. With a diagnosis, you can at least get absolution from yourself. The burden of guilt is lightened. “It’s not my fault who I am, but this disease.” The role of the patient brings a lighter burden of responsibility, because it is thought that there is some physical explanatory factor behind it. “It’s a brain disease.””
Read the full article here and the English translation here.
Some people don’t buy into the “brain disease” belief like me and some people feel worse about themselves when they are told they have a brain disease. However, I’ve met quite a few people who feel relieved when they get told it is a brain disease. They were misled into blaming themselves and feeling badly about themselves for the way that they are, especially people who have abusive parents or families. Some people remain loyal to their parents or other family members and don’t want to blame them (I see this more with religious people). The belief that you have to honor, obey and forgive parents. Lots of people still have to deal with judgments and stigma when they are diagnosed with a mental illness but, overall, they may be less judged and stigmatized for having a “brain disease” rather than being seen as “weak” in character or personality. Nobody likes to look “weak” because then you become an easy target for ridicule and being taken advantage of in one way or another. Abusive parents or other relatives like this set-up too so they don’t have to take responsibility for harming their children. Psychiatrists get to be taken seriously and be seen as real medical doctors. We don’t really have to look at the unhealthy society that we created or make changes to social media or the violence in the media. We don’t have to look at the school system and how teaching kids has become a much harder job. We don’t have to look at a lot of things that can contribute to the traumatization of people, especially children.
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Labels certainly meet a lot of societal needs, especially related to avoidance of discomfort. Of course, those who are “loyal” to parents despite abuse are presenting a competent therapist with the very thing they need to start working on, rather than promoting avoiding it by blaming one’s brain. Additionally, while the CLIENT may initially “feel better” because they’ve been blaming themselves, the studies I referred to show that OTHERS actually are more likely to stigmatize the client, including their own therapists and “mental health professionals.” Finally, it’s not the job of a diagnosis to make the person feel better, it’s to get them on the road to healing. What if we didn’t tell people they have cancer or heart disease because it made them uncomfortable? This is what happens when “diagnoses” are tossed about without regard to scientific validity. No one should be told they have a “brain dysfunction” unless the doctor KNOWS they have one, regardless of how it “feels” to get diagnosed. It is this kind of shady “reasoning” that proves psychiatry to be based on a fraudulent premise. For REAL diseases, no one gets to pick out the diagnosis that makes them feel best!
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I agree. I’ve met people who have been stigmatized and treated badly due to being diagnosed with a mental illness, especially a personality disorder. I’ve experienced it first-hand both in and out of the mental health business. Nevertheless, there are people who still prefer it to looking “weak”. I’ve met people who attribute all of their problems to their psychiatric diagnoses/brain disorder as they have been taught. On the other hand, I think trauma, especially childhood trauma, can harm the developing brain and nervous system. I see it in myself. Certainly psychiatric medications have helped my chronic insomnia but that doesn’t mean their psychiatric labels/diagnoses are accurate. We can go to 10 different psychiatrists and get 10 different diagnoses and different medications. I don’t think I ever would have taken medications if my insomnia wasn’t so severe that it affected my life so much. Organizations like NAMI tell people that mental illnesses/psychiatric diagnoses are actual medical diseases like diabetes for example. My abusive mother would’ve loved NAMI because my brain would’ve been blamed instead of her.
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This discussion reminds me of a woman I talked to on The Mighty forum. She’s convinced she has Borderline Personality Disorder because she has most of the symptoms. She can’t remember any trauma but psychiatrists told her that you don’t have to have trauma to get this mental illness. She was looking for the reason why she’s the way she is and this is her answer. She got very defensive when someone questioned the diagnosis and told her that there is so much stigma with this diagnosis. She said she didn’t care and told that person that they were gaslighting her. I felt sorry for her that she totally identifies with this diagnosis. But to each their own.
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Dr Pan’s studies showed that depression is a neurometabolic condition.
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What exactly does that mean – a “neurometabolic condition?” Sounds like something he CONCLUDED rather than proved scientifically. I’d be willing to bet that he is talking about averages rather than finding a cause of all or most “depression.” He no doubt found that changes in neurons and metabolism are involved when people are depressed, and that certain changes are more common. Not a big revelation. But I’m willing to be enlightened. What does he imagine CAUSES most or all cases of depression, regardless of experience? What do all or most “depressed” people have in common that almost no one not “depressed” experiences? I am interested in this research. Let me know what you’ve got.
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