From Mad in Finland: “In my own work, I take a stand on people’s psychiatric diagnoses. I don’t appreciate this part of my job and I’m not proud of my role. However, you can’t do work in the mental health sector without participating in this diagnostic drama. Technically, it’s not that difficult. You just have to score the right forms and ask the right questions in the interviews that map the diagnostic criteria, find out how long these symptoms have been present and how they appear in life. Finally, the scores are calculated and all of this is written out in the patient’s report. The doctor looks through the text as much as he or she sees fit, and decides on the diagnoses that correspond to these symptom descriptions. Everything is very clear and straightforward so far. After this, however, something mysterious often happens. Most often it happens in the thoughts of the diagnosed person, but often also in the minds of their loved ones and sometimes also in the minds of the healthcare staff. Even journalists get excited about this wonderful thing all over again. The diagnosis explains everything. At its most serious, these symptoms and the mysticism behind them are completely externalized from the self, as if the person’s own characteristics were something completely external to the self. There is an explanation, understanding, relief and absolution.”
Read the full article here and the English translation here.
