SweetSue92
Diamond Member
This study linked below found that there is considerable overlap between five major psychiatric illnesses in terms of diagnoses, and that a diagnosis does not say anything about what an individual will need in terms of treatment.
So that is discouraging, to say the least.
I am a total layperson when it comes to mental health. I'm not in the health care field, the medical field, or the mental health field. I have noticed the increase of "behavioral issues" in children and have seemed to note an uptick in mental health diseases being traced to brain chemistry/issues. It's good progress that we know this. It seems to me "talk therapy" is being looked at with more of a jaundiced eye than it used to be.
What are your thoughts?
That’s why a new study conducted at the University of Liverpool has raised eyebrows by concluding that psychiatric diagnoses are “scientifically meaningless,” and worthless as tools to accurately identify and address mental distress at an individual level.
Researchers performed a detailed analysis on five of the most important chapters in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Heath Disorders (DSM). The DSM is considered the definitive guide for mental health professionals, and provides descriptions for all mental health problems and their symptoms. The five chapters analyzed were: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma-related disorders.
Researchers came to a number of troubling conclusions. First, the study’s authors assert that there is a significant amount of overlap in symptoms between disorder diagnoses, despite the fact that each diagnosis utilizes different decision rules. Additionally, these diagnoses completely ignore the role of trauma or other unique adverse events a person may encounter in their life.
Perhaps most concerning of all, researchers say that these diagnoses tell us little to nothing about the individual patient and what type of treatments they will need. The authors ultimately conclude that this diagnostic labeling approach is “a disingenuous categorical system.”
“Although diagnostic labels create the illusion of an explanation they are scientifically meaningless and can create stigma and prejudice. I hope these findings will encourage mental health professionals to think beyond diagnoses and consider other explanations of mental distress, such as trauma and other adverse life experiences.” Lead researcher Dr. Kate Allsopp explains in a release.
Study: Psychiatric Diagnoses Are 'Scientifically Meaningless' In Treating Mental Health - Study Finds
So that is discouraging, to say the least.
I am a total layperson when it comes to mental health. I'm not in the health care field, the medical field, or the mental health field. I have noticed the increase of "behavioral issues" in children and have seemed to note an uptick in mental health diseases being traced to brain chemistry/issues. It's good progress that we know this. It seems to me "talk therapy" is being looked at with more of a jaundiced eye than it used to be.
What are your thoughts?
That’s why a new study conducted at the University of Liverpool has raised eyebrows by concluding that psychiatric diagnoses are “scientifically meaningless,” and worthless as tools to accurately identify and address mental distress at an individual level.
Researchers performed a detailed analysis on five of the most important chapters in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Heath Disorders (DSM). The DSM is considered the definitive guide for mental health professionals, and provides descriptions for all mental health problems and their symptoms. The five chapters analyzed were: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma-related disorders.
Researchers came to a number of troubling conclusions. First, the study’s authors assert that there is a significant amount of overlap in symptoms between disorder diagnoses, despite the fact that each diagnosis utilizes different decision rules. Additionally, these diagnoses completely ignore the role of trauma or other unique adverse events a person may encounter in their life.
Perhaps most concerning of all, researchers say that these diagnoses tell us little to nothing about the individual patient and what type of treatments they will need. The authors ultimately conclude that this diagnostic labeling approach is “a disingenuous categorical system.”
“Although diagnostic labels create the illusion of an explanation they are scientifically meaningless and can create stigma and prejudice. I hope these findings will encourage mental health professionals to think beyond diagnoses and consider other explanations of mental distress, such as trauma and other adverse life experiences.” Lead researcher Dr. Kate Allsopp explains in a release.
Study: Psychiatric Diagnoses Are 'Scientifically Meaningless' In Treating Mental Health - Study Finds
