Diagnosis: Labeled for Life?
Diagnosis: Labeled for Life?
By Anthony Botrus, LMFT
In the Information Age, it has become so easy to access content on any topic you can imagine. One of the most helpful and harmful type of information that millions of people look up on a regular basis is medical information. Countless people are googling mental illness information everyday, trying to understand their own behaviors and symptoms or to seek help for their children or loved ones. These are people that suffer in silence and what to know more about the often misunderstood topic of mental illness. They are our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers who are searching for resources to help them deal with stress, depression, and anxiety.
Unfortunately, even with the incredible volume of information available, mental illness is still stigmatized in the culture at large. When the media showcase irresponsible mental health professionals that claim that certain politicians or public figures are mentally ill or have personality disorders—a highly unethical practice—they are feeding in to the stigma against the mentally ill. Yes, it may seem like a personal attack against a particular politician or celebrity, but it affects anyone who has ever suffered from a mental disorder. It fosters the idea that all negative behavior is disordered behavior or insanity.
Diagnosis, which should be left to clincians, has only two purposes:
1) To identify a common pattern of symptoms which cause impairments in a person’s life, using a nomenclature that can be understood by other medical professionals, and
2) To treat the patient using identified practices that are effective in managing that symptom pattern.
If you are watching the news and hear someone say that a politician has dementia or a personality disorder, and that speaker claims to be a clinician—ask yourself: Is this a true diagnosis or is this a personal attack? Is this professional making these claims because they want to help that public figure and provide them with treatment or is this just professional-sounding language to help make an argument?
The more we are flooded with stigmatizing language against mental illness, the more of our loved ones who need help will be afraid to ask for it. I urge all of my fellow clinicians in the public eye to be responsible and behave ethically—diagnosis is not for labeling, it is for helping. And to those who are seeking help with a mental illness, substance dependence, or a family problem, rest assured that good clinicians are here to help and not to judge.
A diagnosis should not be a mark of shame or disgrace. It is simply the language by which medical professionals communicate to coordinate treatment for our patients. It is not meant to be a label and it is not meant to be used for attacks.
For more information on common mental disorders, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org
Unfortunately, even with the incredible volume of information available, mental illness is still stigmatized in the culture at large. When the media showcase irresponsible mental health professionals that claim that certain politicians or public figures are mentally ill or have personality disorders—a highly unethical practice—they are feeding in to the stigma against the mentally ill. Yes, it may seem like a personal attack against a particular politician or celebrity, but it affects anyone who has ever suffered from a mental disorder. It fosters the idea that all negative behavior is disordered behavior or insanity.
Diagnosis, which should be left to clincians, has only two purposes:
1) To identify a common pattern of symptoms which cause impairments in a person’s life, using a nomenclature that can be understood by other medical professionals, and
2) To treat the patient using identified practices that are effective in managing that symptom pattern.
If you are watching the news and hear someone say that a politician has dementia or a personality disorder, and that speaker claims to be a clinician—ask yourself: Is this a true diagnosis or is this a personal attack? Is this professional making these claims because they want to help that public figure and provide them with treatment or is this just professional-sounding language to help make an argument?
The more we are flooded with stigmatizing language against mental illness, the more of our loved ones who need help will be afraid to ask for it. I urge all of my fellow clinicians in the public eye to be responsible and behave ethically—diagnosis is not for labeling, it is for helping. And to those who are seeking help with a mental illness, substance dependence, or a family problem, rest assured that good clinicians are here to help and not to judge.
A diagnosis should not be a mark of shame or disgrace. It is simply the language by which medical professionals communicate to coordinate treatment for our patients. It is not meant to be a label and it is not meant to be used for attacks.
For more information on common mental disorders, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org
Comments
Post a Comment