Description
Book SynopsisSome studies estimate that each year, around a quarter of the population of Western countries will suffer from at least one mental disorder. Should this be interpreted as evidence for the progress of psychiatry, a discipline that is now able to identify and treat mental illnesses that have always existed, or might it be the case that modern life somehow creates new conditions, or social pathologies? This book argues that in fact something more fundamental has been taking place in recent years: the development of diagnostic cultures. Taking account of the phenomenon of patients themselves ''pushing for'' pathologization - and acknowledging therefore that this is not simply a case of psychiatry pursuing an agenda of ''medicalisation from above'' - this volume examines the emerging trend towards interpreting our sufferings in terms of psychiatric conceptions and diagnostic categories. Drawing on new empirical case studies of psychological diagnoses, including depression and ADHD, and empl
Trade Review"A captivating analysis of the ways that use of medical diagnoses to categorize human behavior has altered our inner experience and our everyday social lives." - Donald R. Marks and Larissa Redziniak in PsycCRITIQUES (2016)
Table of ContentsList of Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Introducing the Concept of Diagnostic Cultures
2. Psychiatric Diagnoses as Epistemic Objects
3. Languages of Suffering
4. Psychiatric Diagnoses as Semiotic Mediators
5. "Do More, Feel Better, Live Longer": Being a Psychiatric Subject
6. Interpreting the Epidemics
7. Towards a Comprehensive Understanding of Mental Disorder
8. General Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
