Below are excerpts from some interesting thoughts written by two psychiatrists responding to an article in the New York Times Magazine about psychiatric diagnoses. To read the article and all reader responses:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/op...=0&ref=opinion

Excerpt from letter to the NYT:

Dr. Pies says, “For many patients, learning the name of their disorder may relieve years of anxious uncertainty.” It’s all very well for a patient to know what he “has.” But what he really needs is to know who he is. When that happens, the “diagnosis” tends to disappear. It’s just too little an idea to account for human complexity.

Excerpt from letter to the NYT:

Sigmund Freud taught us an important lesson: The border between the normal and the abnormal is not as distinct as we think. There are many shades of gray. Mental health professionals should approach each patient as a unique individual and together decide on the best treatment.

So what do you guys think? Treating the unique individual, taking into account the vast complexity of the human condition...? Is this very different from your experience with psychiatry?