Is compulsive shopping a mental problem? Do children who continually recoil from sights and sounds suffer from sensory problems — or just need extra attention? Should a fetish be considered a mental disorder, as many now are?
Panels of psychiatrists are hashing out just such questions, and their answers — to be published in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — will have consequences for insurance reimbursement, research and individuals’ psychological identity for years to come.
The process has become such a contentious social and scientific exercise that for the first time the book’s publisher, the American Psychiatric Association, has required its contributors to sign a
nondisclosure agreement,."
Read the rest of this article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/health/18psych.html?ref=health
And in the Wall Street Journal, Psychiatrists respond to the controversy:
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/01/08/psychiatrists-bash-back-at-critics-of-diagnostic-manual-revision/
What do you think?
I don't believe this controversial issue will ever resolve itself. If a person is struggling mentally with an issue that fills the requirements of a "disorder", then I believe it should be documented in the DSM. Disorders involving depression and anxiety need medical attention, which means it will cost the patient money. This should be able to be covered by insurance, and if the insurance company needs a DSM diagnosis, then the disorder should be classified in the DSM.
ReplyDeleteKelsey Safran
Psychology Hour 3
After reading this article I think two things. One being to me at least it looks like the researchers are just adding disorders to have them in the book. For example complsive shopping as a disorder is ridiculus. The other thing I think is that they should focus more on the know disorders and try to get a better picture on them instead of adding more to the guide.
ReplyDeleteTim Satterlee 6th hour
This is a highly emotional and controversial issue with no clear or easy answers. I can see both sides of the issue, which is very personal to me. Both side have the best of intentions but very different ideas for the same goal. It seems to be two sides of the same coin and the question becomes how do we diagnosis psychological disorders so that we help to better understand and treat the millions of Americans suffering with psychological disorders with out exploiting the same people we are trying to help in a system with no transparency that could possibly create a false diagnosis such as the diagnoses of “Homosexuality” as a physiological disorder, the ramifications of which could be disastrous.
ReplyDelete-Alex Albright
phyc. 6th
After reading these articles, I feel that psychologists should be able to discuss and collaborate the editting of the DSM less confidentially. It seems absurd that group member must sign a clause to keep the revisions a secret. The possible additions, like cross-gender identification or binge eating are controversial and important issues, and the APA should be more open to hearing the opinions of more psychologists and possibly even the general public.
ReplyDeleteMary Trimeloni
Period 6
I think that the DSM is a book that will have its flaws and raise controversy no matter how you view it. I'm sure that as time passes, American culture and social issues change which ultimately affect what can be classified as a disorder in the DSM. I mean, only about 30 years ago was homosexuality thought of as a mental instability and was documented in the DSM. So I believe that keeping the revision in the dark from others could greatly impact people's lives.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Lu
3rd hr.
Obviously there are legitimate disorders. The easiest ones to diagnosed are those that can be physically seen like: OCD,etc. However when there are disorders like: obsessive shopping or overeating. I feel like these disorders are made to give the psychologists that "treat" these disorders more money and give the "victim" something they can blame instead of taking responsibility for their own actions. I feel like trying to diagnose every little thing that is different from one person to another as "abnormal or wrong" is a disservice and insult to people that are suffering with actual disorders. Regarding the Homosexual and gender identity, i think it just shows the closed mindness of even the highly education people!
ReplyDeleteNike Ogunbodede
Psych, Hour 6
It was obviously very interesting to get to hear both sides of the argument. With just one side presented, it is often hard to develop an informed, unbiased opinion. I think the major problem with the development of this book is that people are always looking for doctors to "diagnose" and "cure" a disease when there are things out there that are maybe not things with cures. Something we talked about in class was ADD and its over-diagnosis. If a child is behaving inappropriately in any way, parents look for the best explanation and instantly look for medication. Hearing from the psychiatrists was interesting, however, I feel that there are still quite a few things that need to be dealt with before a fifth publication.
ReplyDeleteJoey Gallagher
6th Hour Psychology
In my opinion, the DSM is never going to be perfect. It will always remain as a controversial issue that will continue to change and grow as the years go on. According to the article, disorders have been taken out, such as homosexuality, and added in, such as over eating and shopping addictions, which proves that the DSM is constantly changing to fit the profile of the changing society. I don't think there is ever going to be a book that pleases everybody or succeeds in including every possible disorder, which is something people are going to have to accept.
ReplyDeleteKristin Marron
period 3
When reading these articles, I was shocked that they were considering classifying 'compulsive shopping' as a disorder. I was concerned about how the DSM comes up with more and more disorders each time, the one graph showed the increasing number of disorders and it also said that the current edition has triple the disorders of the first. I feel like they are ttrying to over-classify the things people do every dayEven one of the doctors said, "You had in my opinion, what was a social issue not a medical one" (Drescher). It's like they are trying to hard to find more disorders to put into this book.
ReplyDeleteTara Dunseith, 1st Hour
I found these articles to be very interesting. I was surprised by how confidential the actual process of writing this book is. I do believe that it is important to discuss these topics and arguments with more then just those who were assigned to work on the book. I was also surprised by some of the disorders that they discussed like compulsive shopping and binge eating. It seems like they are coming up with so many disorders that everybody will be able to fall under at least one of those categories by the time they are done with the book.
ReplyDeleteKatelyn Decraene
1st Hour
It was very interesting to hear the arguments for and against the revision of the DSM. It shocked me that psychologists wanted to include "homosexuality" as a psychological disorder. To me that just doesn't seem right. Also the fact that some psychologists want to include "binge eating" in the DSM is very interesting, because we mentioned in class that this is just a problem in the US. It usually isn't a world-wide disease. I think psychological disorders are so much harder to diagnose than medical disorders. Because there can be so many causes for psychological disorders it makes diagnosis tricky, which is why I think the DSM will never satisfy everyone. At some point people are going to have to work out their problems and just live with the decisions that are made, whether they like it or not.
ReplyDeleteClaire Karon
Per. 3
I think its a little ridiculous how many "disorders" they are identifying in the DSM. Shopping might be an addiction but should the insurance companies be covering this type of problem? Pretty soon everyone is going to have some type of disorder, or at least think that they do. Everyone is a little bit paranoid that something is wrong with them but with the increasing number of classified disorders, people will be diagnosed for behavior that is only human.
ReplyDelete-Stef Tollefsen Period 3
I think that as time has passed, it is likely that there are new psychological problems forming all around the world. I believe it is a good thing that the psychiatrists are revising this book in order to take into consideration these new problems. However, I agree that it is difficult to decide whether being a compulsive shopper is a psychological problem. I believe that on some levels it is and that those people could use some sort of therapy. But at the same time, this problem is not at the extent where these people will need to enter a psych ward. And so, I think that it will be quite interesting to see what these psychologists decide when the final revision is published.
ReplyDeleteJulie Kerekes
Period 3
I understand why the DSM writers want to add disorders to the list, etc, but the way I see it, they're adding every possible thing that could make a person different and calling it a disorder. Some of them are legitimate problems, but I don't think that all of them could be medical illnesses. Some are just the ways people think, and they're being classified as a problem. It's hard to find the line between disorder and uniqueness, though, so it's understandable why this debate is hard to solve.
ReplyDeleteMegan Tischhauser, 1st hour
This DSM is a very controversial issue. The writing of this book shows that there is almost no agreement on each subject of the classification of disorders. It's a book all based on opinion. When you have many different opinions coming in at once, how can you decide which is right or wrong? The DSM needs to find a better way to decide what a disorder is or isn't. But no matter what way they could possibly come up with, someone else will still have a different opinion. So the DSM can never be completely accurate. It's a subject that will never have an ending, it will all continue to be a controversy in the future. Until the day there is an answer for everything, which will never happen...
ReplyDeleteTravis Smyczynski, 6th Hour
I think that no matter how many times they revise the DSM, it will always remain a controversial issue because it is virtually impossible to have everyone unanimously agree on this topic. The society is changing and it is important to add and remove certain disorders, however, it seems like they are stretching the definition of what is or isn't a mental disorder. For example, i find it ridiculous and unneccessary to add compulsive shopping into the book.
ReplyDeleteAgata Glowacka, 1st
After reading these articles i thought it was very interesting all the disorders that were be considered to be put into the book, such as compulsive shopping. I think no matter how many times the book is revised many of the disorders will remain up for discusion and few have any hard medical fact to back up a diagnosis. I also feel that these days almost any strange trait people have can somehow be written off as a disorder, so there is always going to be something new to add to the DSM.
ReplyDeleteGrace Quinn, 1st
I don't think this issue can ever be fully solved. There are going to be people that agree and disagree, based on their opinion and point of view. I think that people are just trying to solve every little flaw by finding a diagnosis; therefore, they're becoming a little too reliant on medications too. I was really surprised to read that they were discussing compulsive shopping as a psychological disorder. So, I'm sure the DSM is going to change multiple times in the future- but the debate is going to continue, and soon enough, every one is going to have some type of "mental disorder."
ReplyDeleteLindsey Dulla, 6th hour
The DSM is obviously an incredibly important aspect of the psychology community, as it should be. However, I agree with others with the fact that if it continues to be expanded to encompass nearly everything that could possibly fill the definition of "disorder." In that case, the distinction between a social disorder and a mental disorder makes complete sense. I suppose that psychologists and experts of social tendencies will forever be arguing about what should and shouldn't be included in the DSM until every possible condition imaginable is documented and diagnosed.
ReplyDeleteAnnie Dreshfield, 1st hour
I found it interesting that being transgender was considered a disorder. I agree with Dr. Drescher who said that “what was a social issue, not a medical one” in terms of being a transgender. I agree with that statement, it isn’t really a disorder, but more of a mindset, as with a lot of the things they consider disorders, like the shopping disorder.
ReplyDeleteThere was about triple as many disorders in the first book compared to the other book, which, in my opinion, is the doctors over classifying the patients. It’s as Dr. First pointed out, if you label binge eating as a disorder (a fairly normal behavior) you’re mislabeling about 30% of patients. Also, binge eating, as we pointed out in class, is a typical problem in the U.S. so I don’t understand why it good in the DSM. They are over labeling the patients, which may not be good thing for some of the patients.
Katie Fitzgerald
1st Hour :)
I think it is getting ridiculous how many things are being classified as "disorders." I think that people are overanalyzing normal human behavior and creating a belief that any abnormal behavior is caused by a disorder. I think that people may just have certain quirks or issues that may cause problems in their lives, but do not require medical attention and should not be considered a disorder.
ReplyDeleteLisa Pride 3rd hour
After reviewing these articles, it is apparent to me that the DSM will continue to raise controversy no matter how you look at it. In my opinion, the DSM writers need to find a better way of figuring out whether something is a disorder or isn't a disorder. Some of the disorders classified in the DSM are legit, but some of them are not. How can you classify compulsive shopping as a medical disorder? At this point, it seems like the writers just need more disorders to add to the book. However, this debate could go on forever.
ReplyDeleteAmy Svenningsen
1st period
I found that the issues with the DSM were very interesting and somewhat shocking. I had no idea that there could be so many mental disorders. I also didn't realize that things like compulsive shopping, binge eating, and homosexuality would be considered to be put into the DSM. Some of the things that are considered disorders in the DSM i found to be strange and unneccesary, but I suppose that is why the DSM is such a controversial issue. As long as there are new symptoms and problems with people's minds, we'll be seeing a lot more revisions to this book.
ReplyDeleteSarah Veatch, 6th Hour
I think that the DSM is an important thing to have, but it should not be diagnosing cases such as compulsive shopping as a mental problem. If we continue at this rate everyone will eventually be diagnosed with a disorder. Another thing that shocked me was the limit of money that scientist could make from drug manufactures. Its sad to believe scientists can be persuade by money. I do not think that the debate will ever come to a close because people will always have their own opinions and beliefs about disorders.
ReplyDeleteKelly Magee
1st Period
Anything that is published and consequently read by many eyes is going to stir up a lot of emotion. In this economy, everyone is looking for a financial break, and a lot of families need certain disorders to be published in the DSM. It is going to be very difficult for the psychiatrists to determine what should and should not be included. I believe that the only way for the DSM to be the least controversial is for the pharmaceutical companies to take the psychiatrists off of their payrolls.
ReplyDeleteRoss Frankenberg
6th Hour
The whole concept of classifying disorders into a book is completely ridiculous because the people making the book are not well educated on the disorders. Edward Shorter said, "In psychiatry no one knows the causes of anything". How can people make logical decisions about things if they don't even know the causes of them?
ReplyDeleteThe DSM is changing from a provider of important medical information and classifications into a book of cop-outs. I agree that it is hard to draw the line between disorders and non-disorders, but if shoppping and binge eating start being classified as disorders then everyday habits will also soon be classified as illnesses and treated with crazy medicines. Drawing an accurate line between disorders and non-disorders is critical.
David Nolan
3rd hour
I believe that the DSM is very useful. It helps those that truly have a disorder because they can get backed by their insurance company and it also helps people classify and identify disorders. However, I think that the DSM is only useful if the disorders in it are genuine and not something ridiculous. The problem with putting something like compulsive shopping or any small fettish in the DSM is that a lot of people will get over diagnosed. I believe that it is less important to be concerned about adding new, rare, and odd disorders to the DSM. Instead they should be concentrating on making sure the current disorders will help people get correctly diagnosed. Also, I think the public should be involved in the process because ultimately they are the ones that are effected by the book.
ReplyDeleteAmy Madden 6th Hour
After reading these articles, I find it somewhat strange that editing the DSM requires such confidentiality. It is also curious to think that only a select few psychiatrists are controlling what goes into this universal diagnostic book. Gender identities, binge eating, and homosexuality could be classified as disorders, but I view them as mere quirks of a normal person's personality. Why would one eating comfort food after a bad week be diagnosed with a psychological disorder? And then again, what constitutes "normal"?
ReplyDeleteKatelyn Wilson
3rd Hour
The two articles are just like anything else in life; with every decision someone makes someone will like it and another will despise it. Everyone cannot be happy with decisions that are made. There will always be a losing side and a winning side. It mainly comes down to money. If a disorder is put into the DSM then someone can have insurance pay for there medication/surgery. Everyone will have their opinions and some people will just want to be devil's advocate so issues like these can never be resolved, only negotiated.
ReplyDeleteGO STEELERS
DVMax 6th period
I found the first article on DSM-V to be very interesting. At first it seems like a great advancement in the psychiatric world that will help prove false diagnosis but also help doctors to better decide their diagnosises. However when I thought deeper into it, I began to realize that this book will cause great amounts of controversy. There will be great outrage in parents and other people claiming that DSM-V is attempting to take away a diagnosis that has altered the lives of so many for so long. However despite the controversy I still think the book is a good idea. It will cause controversy from people who dont realize that the book may be changing their lives in a positive way. I also think there is a chance this book may start a revolution inverse to today's society in the sense that people jump to such great conlusions in medical diagnosis. If a new revolution starts from this book, then people may go untreated and it may cause bigger problems than it intended to start. I have really learned since starting this class that psychological disorders are very often surrounded by a dark cloud of controversy.
ReplyDeleteI think these articles are very interesting. I don’t think that the DSM will ever make everyone happy. I believe that some disorders that the psychiatrists are considering will end up being more problematic than helpful. Like the compulsive shopping- how do you know if you’re a compulsive shopper or if you’re not? I also think that the psychiatrists have to be really careful about what disorders they take out of the DSM and what they add in, but also how they word it. For example the transgender person that can’t be happy according to the DSM.
ReplyDeleteSarah Borchardt
6th hour
Both of these articles identify the growing struggle to differentiate between a psychological disorder and a habit. i believe that compulsive shopping is more of a habit that a psychological disorder. The DSM needs to find a better way to determine what a psychological dysfunction really is. However, it can be very difficult at times to decide whether or not someone has a psychological disorder. So in my opinion, they need to narrow down their categories a little more.
ReplyDeleteDrew Davis
6th Hour
After reading these articles, I believe that the biggest issue is whether or not something is considered a disorder. It's getting to the point where any social abnormality is a "disorder" and it must be medicated and corrected immediately because people can't live with it. In my opinion, something should be considered a disorder if it is life threatening or needs serious medical attention, over shopping can be cured with a little self control, that may take work, but not medicine. Basically I think that they need to be very selective in what they put in to the book so that people who truly need help can get it
ReplyDeleteRebecca Jackson 6th hour
To me it seems as though the DSM will always need revision. All people are different and until scientists and doctors realize that no body is perfect the DSM will never be perfect itself. As time goes by new "disorders" are discovered. Take for instance the binge eating disorder. One doctor seems to think that sometimes binge eating is normal and not considered a disorder at all. However other doctors say that it is a problem. Another new disorder that they discussed was being a transgender. To me it should not be considered a disorder for just being slightly different. I definitly do not think this is the last time the DSM will need revision, it will be forever changing.
ReplyDelete-Kathleen Kissane, Per. 3
It is apparent that the DSM is very important in the field of psychology, and it's a book that will change with the times. The extent of which it keeps getting expanded is ridiculous, like with including compulsive shopping as a disorder. Also the fact that binge eating is considered to be a disorder is ludicrous in the sense that people could be labeled with disorders that they don't have.
ReplyDeleteThe DSM needs to be more selective in what's considered to be a disorder and what's not. The fact that the amount of classified disorders tripled makes me weary about how legitimate the new added disorders are. There needs to be a clear distinction between social disorders and medical disorders. I don't believe that this issue is going to be solved any time soon because of the fact that curing mental illnesses isn't as clear-cut as solving physical illnesses. People are always going to have differing opinions on matters. I feel like eventually everyone will be able to classify themselves with some sort of disorder at the rate that the book is expanding. I feel like the revision of the book shouldn't be kept so confidential, and I believe that more people should have the ability to be able to contribute to it.
Melvina Singh :)
1st hour
Overall, i think that the article was very interesting and there is no doubt in my mind that there is a large amount of controversy surrounding the final publication. Personally, i think that the biggest issue is that psychiatrists seem to want to classify every flaw with humans into some sort of psychological disorder. Binge eating and an obbsession with shopping do not seem like they should be classified as disorders. I also think that some things are overanalyzed and overdiagnosed which could then lead to medicating people that do not need to be medicated. There definitley needs to be more research and disscussion before the manual is published.
ReplyDeleteJulie Knecht
6th period.
After reading these articles it just convinces me more on how little we actually know on mental disorders and how much we just guess. Its frustrating to see them adding something like compulsive shopping and "disorders" that would have never been considered a problem before. I agree on the book but i think that it should just be a book of very general definitions of disorders because no ones disorder is exactly the same as another persons. I don't understand why these scientist are the ones to determine everything. Even though they may be extremely educated scientists that have worked in this field forever, there's nothing stopping them for corruptly adding anything they want to the book. Who's going to stop them? It think the whole system is poorly planned out and isn't working smoothly which clearly shows since there is so much controversy.
ReplyDeleteBrad Jackson
period1
In my opinion the new edition of the book should include everything about anything. The people that are actually diagnosed by the book will be so voluntarily. Since the person with the disorder needs to want to help themselves, nobody will be forcing any treatments on them. Plus, if there are any problems with the content of the book, it will get revised again in time.
ReplyDelete-Matt Walters Period 1
This article is a great article to demonstrate the complications of diagnosing mental disorders even among professionals in the field. It also shows me how people can be so different when dealing with the same situation. Certain people want some behaviors left out of the book claiming that it will diagnose them with something that is normal for nearly 30% of the population. On the other hand, people with the disorder of binge eating want their disorder to be recognized as a legitimate medical condition which I understand. Overall, I believe the controversy over what should be placed in the book will be a long process with many flaws that will never be completely correct.
ReplyDeleteChris Barber
period 1
I honestly think that the DSM will always be changing. As time changes so do people. The DSM will have to therefore be continuously changed to fit the current society of that time. I also think that it will always be getting revised because there is always going to be something new and something different. I believe that no two people are the same so the symptoms with each person may be different. Also I was kind of upset to hear that doctors are starting to rely one giving medication to their patients for their problems. I believe that even though the medicine may help the patient at the moment, in the long run the person won't actually learn to deal with their problems but have to rely on medication for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteAllison O'Connell 6th hour
Revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is good because it obviously needs to be current. Just as other medical texts are updated to include the latest results of experimentation and research, the doctors on the task force revising the DSM take into consideration all the most recent data and developments in the field of psychology. The purpose is to help people with disorders who seek or need assistance. As time passes by, doctors treating patients learn something from each and every one. Also, as decades go by, lifestyles change and what may have been considered “abnormal” years ago, may be regarded as “normal” today.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the controversy about the secrecy of the work on the new version, I personally do not see the problem. I feel that experts have been selected to do this work and need to be trusted. There are all kinds of HIPPA laws to protect patients with diagnoses that will be made once the new manual is out. The secrecy will protect the task force from interference of insurance and drug companies. Also, the entire healthcare coverage for people is under constant revisions from the state and federal governments. All in all, I believe doctors do their best to protect patient’s rights and privacy.
Jason Ostick
Period 3
I feel that because today's world is constantly changing, it is good that things like the DSM are changing. I think that in retrospect certain revisions may have had a positive influence in the world,while others may have had a negative influence, and only time will tell as to whether or not the changes made for the DSM-V.
ReplyDeleteI think that some of the ideas discussed in this article are a little absurd, such as the idea that compulsive shopping and binge eating are in fact disorders.
I also found the politics of the situation rather interesting. The fact that just like almost every other major industry in America and the world, money has such a huge influence on the outcome of the DSM. I think in order for the DSM to be truly respected and valued by a majority of people, the corruption must be eliminated, and it is clear that with the nondisclosure agreement, they are trying to make this is as pure as they can.
Chris Iacullo
Period 1
One of the most interesting aspects of the articles is the vast amount of disorders that have been recognized over the years. The number of disorders has TRIPLED since the original copy of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This shows the great change our culture has undergone. Years ago shopping addiction and binge eating probably would not be seen as disorders. It is also very interesting that homosexuality was once considered a disorder. I'm sure people weren't very happy about that. This can be compared to today's disagreement about whether gender confusion should be considered a disorder or not. I'm sure some individuals don't agree that their condition is a disorder, but others want it to be recognized as a disorder to reap the benefits of therapy and surgery.
ReplyDeleteI think that many people underestimate the disorders people have such as shopping addictions and binge eating. We can't really say how one with these conditions feels, considering the fact that we have no idea what they go through. My sister has struggled with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, and I myself have been binge eating for my entire life. I have extremely low self-confidence, and many times my condition has bordered on anorexia and bulimia. Binge eating disorder isn't just overeating. I don't think that people, including myself, have the right to pass judgements on the way other people live and the conditions they live with.
Max Kamowski, period 3
Considering the fact that psychology itself is an ever changing field,it makes sense that the DSM be changed along with new discoveries, classifications, etc. One trend that i have noticed is the increase in number of disorders over time, and i believe this will continue so long as psychologists continue to delve in to the intricacies of the human mind. However, lets not go overboard. Many people actually have disorders that require meds and those people deserve to be insured for their abnormalities. Although the subject is up for debate, i fell that too many disorders are being thrown into the psych bible, and i dont feel that people with transgender tendencies deserve to be insured for their surgeries. Its fine if that is the way they want to live their life, but to call it a disorder merely so that people can sap the life out of insurance companies is ludicrous.
ReplyDeleteWilliam P. Schmitz
6th Period
After reading these two articles, one major thing pops up in my mind. The book with all the mental disorders has over 200 different disorders. I dont believe that many of those are true disorders. A disorder for impulsive shopping...I dont believe in it. You can label anybody by the things they like to do.
ReplyDeleteThis was not in the articles but the idea of ADD doesnt flow with me. It just adds on to labeling people by the way they live.
Luke Machaj, 6th hr.
In my opinion, I don't think a book can really tell anything about any patient just solely based on symptoms even if the book is up to date. The doctor giving the diagnosis should be knowledgeable in all types of disorders. People, cultures, and overall human behavior do change over time and all that affects how people tick, especially when they have a psychological disorder. I mean, they can't really cover every single little disorder in a book. There has been a lot of weird cases. Also, I don't think drugs are a good solution to any disorder. They just produce side effects and the patient might start to rely on this drug to feel "normal". The drug then successfully creates another disorder. It's like smoking cigarettes. Tons of people do it. Some people don't want to but they can't stop. They just have this need to. That could be a disorder in the DSM. There are so many different cases where they just cannot cover everything and there's always going to be someone who will go against a certain disorder.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Dai
3rd
Psychology has always been a controversial topic and it will always be that way. I do not believe that everything should have some sort of disorder. Although I do understand that people do have these disorders or obsessions, I do not understand why we are spending so much time and energy towards diagnosing everything instead of finding solutions or medications to other issues such a s schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other things. I know there are some medications but it doesn't work on everyone...
ReplyDeleteKelsey Kuhn
3rd Period
after reading these articles the main thing that surprised me was how confidential and secretive the revisions are to the dsm. How is that helpful? It's also hard to pinpoint differences from one person to the next what if there's really nothing wrong? I also thought it was strange that insurance companys would be paying for disorders as small as compulsive shopping it seems like the majority of money should go to those people with more severe life altering disorders like bipolar disorder
ReplyDeleteSarah reindl
Psych 1
I believe that it would be best if they rewrote the DSM according to the one in tact now, it seems almost everybody could be found with a "true" mental disorder. I think everybody goes through phases of depression at some point in their life. Although it can be hard to tell is its merely a phase, if everybody was turned in for suspcious acts a lot of people would be suffering in a hospital. When people are "diagnosed" with a disease it's even more depressing and harder to get over, besides the fact that other people such as employers and friends would view someone in a different way because they were said to have a mental disease, when if fact they could just be going through a rough patch. I believe that it would be in the best interest if they rewrote the present DSM.
ReplyDeleteLaura Kayler
1st Period
I think that there should not be so many different editions of the DSM. There are too many disorders that are being made up just to give someone an answer for why they are behaving. Over eating is not a disorder. That is just a simple name to give someone an excuse for why they are acting this way, when in reality a more sevear disorder could be in effect, such as depression. I think that a more effective book like the DSM would be a list of symptoms and then the symptoms catagorized into possible disorders, but the main underlying meaning of the book is to list the cures.
ReplyDeleteIf a patient goes to a psychologists and the pshycologists says "well look, you have disorder ABC". Cool, now what is this person going to do? Instead, they should analyze the symptoms and then give a list medications or other possible solutions for their current symptoms. Just because a person barks like a dog and runs like a horse doesnt mean its a dog/horse. This goes along with the diagnostics section of the DSM... some people may act someway but that doesnt mean they have that certain disorder.
Cassidy Lundmark
3rd hour
I think there are many different ways to view people's behaviors and their personalities. And i don't think that things such as binge eating and an addiction to shopping should be considered a disorder. People start to believe they have a disorder and that is all they can concentrate on. They think they need to be on medication when it is just the way they are and it is not really a problem that can be helped with medicine. People too often turn to medicine when they have a problem. I liked that there is always research going on and that they aren't making any irrational decisions about what to consider a disorder. The psychologists are really reasearching everything to make sure they have the correct information.
ReplyDeleteBrogan Hanzel 1st hour
I can see why they would want to keep adding more disorders so people who really do have them can get insurance to pay for treatment, but adding them to such an extent seems like Psychiatrists are trying to explain everything single detail of human thought even if it really is just normal. For example, the binge eating really can be seen as a normal behavior, like during thanksgiving or Christmas people eat a lot more then normal. The book would then say that this is a disorder and that is just a waste of ink and time. Yeah...
ReplyDeleteKareem Abbas
3rd hour