Quote:
Originally Posted by nextstep_butwhat
That's how it appears to be to me. Within the DSM there are frequent mentions of the need to take backgrounds into account when performing a diagnosis, since "normal" varies by context.
To provide a couple examples... "In addition, cultural and religious background must be taken into account when considering whether beliefs are delusional."
"Cultural and socioeconomic factors must be considered, particularly when the individual and the clinician do not share the same cultural and economic background. Ideas that appear to be delusional in one culture (e.g., witchcraft) may be commonly held in another. There is also some evidence in the literature for the overdiagnosis of schizophrenia compared with schizoaffective disorder in African American and Hispanic populations, so care must be taken to ensure a culturally appropriate evaluation that includes both psychotic and affective symptoms."
Those kinds of mentions are found all throughout the DSM, and they seem so suggest that even if two people hold the same characteristics, only one of them could be considered to be showing signs of mental illness if the other lives in a culture where those characteristics are deemed to be normal.
That's what I was trying to illustrate with the ancient Roman example. If we view ancient Rome through the lens of the modern world it becomes a horrifying empire where it's citizens openly engaged in behavior that we cannot fathom any sane person doing. Yet if we observe their behavior within the culture they lived (like the DSM mentions doing) rather than by today's standards, I'm not sure we could call them mentally ill within that context. |
That is obviously true. I come as an activist when I say the mental health field has allot of molding to be done to.
Speaking of culture, can one really define western culture nowadays? What is it? To be human and that's that?
There is no longer any culture - just to live your life and that’s that.
And mental health is not a constant despite popular belief. It changes and depends on the environment. Honestly, I understand stigma and all the bad words applied to mental health - “shrinks”, “bug catchers”, all those filthy words
On the other hand there are the compassionate attempts to make us all equal.
But one problem prevails - no responsibility for mutual well-being, lack of culture hence lack of ability to live harmoniously.
Challenge me if you think I’m wrong, but these are the kind of thoughts I hate to keep to myself and think they are needed sharing
By the way, I know I am swaying from the main question OP asked, however all those topics are related because the mental health field is such a complicated mess, across all spectrums including those who have never been to the mental hatch field in whichever way