Ouch! That burnt!
Since this appears to have struck a nerve and become personal, I think I will withdraw from further conversation
after making 3 short points:
1. The DSM is not the sum total of medical literature on mental illness -- in fact, I would agree with you that it is
full of crap in oh so many ways, not least because it ignores even those physical antecedents for behavioural and
thought differences that are well known (to give one example, the impact of seizure disorders), and also for its
attempts to make a codifiable medical disorder out of every difference, the better to make money with. I'm sure it's
helpful for insurance billing purposes, but I wouldn't give it much more credence than that.
2. I'm sorry if you felt that my appeal to personal experience was a "knee-jerk reaction." If it makes any difference
to you, I have OCD as well. I actually found the info that came with the label (if not the label itself) to be something
of a relief. My pre-labelling OC behaviours had always been stigmatised by my family and schools, even though I
have found some of them as positive and useful as an adult. Other parts I can do without, thanks! And I do not
mind taking medication if it is helpful with those parts, without causing intolerable side effects. I have been fairly
lucky on that score. It appears that we have experienced diagnosis and labelling rather differently, and had
different experiences with medications as well. I am glad you told me about that so I could see where you're
coming from.
3. I find it very difficult to draw a distinction between the brain and the mind. Maybe I am just too bogged down in
physicality, but it seems to me that "mind" is the social construct we use to understand why our brains do the
things they do, why we feel the way we feel, and all that. I'm sure a neuroscientist, or a philosopher, could give me
a better way to understand this...
Anyway, as it seems that a flame war might erupt of we get into a debate on the list, I will just say that I appreciate
the points you made, suspect that we might actually agree on wuite a few things, and also suspect that neither of
us is going to convince the other on those areas where we disagree.
-- MW
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