They can say you have anxi*** (bad word), if you said i couldn't sleep this past week. Is that not just trouble sleeping, and shouldn't it just be called a sleeping problem. Same with being sad because you have no family support or fireind support. They want to call you depre****(another bad word). Are you not just lonly and sad and should'nt it just be called lonly and sad. They will say it can reoccur, but what, only if you lose friend and family goes away? Is there another approach to solve simple humanly problems?
2006-07-11 07:02:48 · 6 answers · asked by littleblanket 4 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
~Good idea.
Perhaps medical doctors should just call every injury a boo-boo.
2006-07-11 07:31:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 2⤋
Well, idealistically, I like your idea.
Realistically, though, people go for counseling because they want to find out what is wrong with them, in order to find a way to fix it. And some people like the concrete nature of being "diagnosed" because finally they have a name to go with their feeling. They like that feeling of closure, and then they can research their problem and feel like they have some control over it.
A diagnosis also makes them feel like it is not "just them" -- if it actually has a label attached, it is something that is prevalent enough that other people have gotten it.
Diagnosis also provides a "short-hand" way of discussing things among people, or from doctor to doctor. You know if you tell someone you have anxiety, you now only have to explain to them the specifics of your condition -- the parts that might be unique to you -- because they can fill in the rest about basic anxiety.
But I do agree with you that sometimes a named diagnosis is offered too quickly and thus "pigeon-holes" the patient, or could even put a stigma on them.
All in all, I do not think you are going to escape labels. They are genuinely far too useful to do without. But I think they can be applied more carefully, and it is up to each one of us to remember that people are more than the labels -- the label is there only to give us an initial grasp on what's going on, and we need to dig deeper as part of having relationships with people.
Many problems (if not based on a biochemical imbalance) can also be resolved on the family/friend level. Oftentimes someone just needs emotional support and practical guidance from the people who love them, and that interaction goes a long way towards alleviating the depression and/or anxiety -- or at least gives the person the support they need to deal with it.
2006-07-11 14:13:24 · answer #2 · answered by Jennywocky 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some people are experiencing a chemical imbalance, and along with that, if there are extenuating circumstances, like a death of a loved one, loss of job, a surgery, a serious illness like cancer it makes the person mentally unstable, and needs help from the mental health professionals, for counseling and for medicine management.
Life is not always simple as you would suggest. Humans are the most complex of all who live on earth.
2006-07-11 14:11:55 · answer #3 · answered by Dog Mama 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't only label people, it gives a diagnosis, just like a medical doctor does. Bipolar, schizophrenia, postpartum depression, these are medical problems the same as lupus or leukemia and need to be treated.
2006-07-11 19:45:56 · answer #4 · answered by curls 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Applying diagnositc labels to a constellation of affective and behavioral symptoms allows mental health practitioners to provide accurate prognosis (based on established research) and helps to develop effective treatment (also based on research).
2006-07-11 14:38:08 · answer #5 · answered by Alex R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Labels do not make a problem - it identfies one so others with that same problem feel less alone.
Naming something doesnt change its nature.
NOT naming something doesnt either.
2006-07-11 14:07:37 · answer #6 · answered by Alexander Shannon 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋