Psychology and Disorders

Recently I came across this link and it brought to mind all the problems with psychology. First off, don’t confuse psychology with psychiatry, the latter is a Medical Doctor and the former has completed a Doctoral Program. WebMD has a very fluffy article explaining the difference being careful not to offend anyone. When my health is involved, offend someone, the entire article should be summarized in one sentence, ‘One is a Physician the other is not.’ Some states have recently started allowing psychologist to prescribe medication after consultation with a psychologist, this simple idea should be all you need to hear to determine the value of a psychologist. I think the best way to illustrate it is with a script of how it would play out. I only posted the link to the script because it was too long to include (I tried but it looked ridiculous.)

I am finished writing about psychologists. I think the idea is great for thought but actual application on people is a farce to science. It is called a ‘soft science’ for a reason. Also psychology recognized homosexuality as a Mental Disorder until 1973.

Going back to the original article, it lays out some common “disorders” and gives a brief characterization of them. The problem is that unless taken to the absolute maximum the traits they refer to are what I look for in people I enjoy spending time with. In what kind of Brave New World do you want everyone in the middle on every issue, this assertion is absolutely asinine logic. Good friends should have anywhere from 50 to 95% of the 'symptoms' listed.

Paranoid
Summary: Everyone around you has sinister motives, can't form close relationships, over confident, things have hidden meanings, and carry long grudges.

I thought they taught people to always be aware of their surroundings in crime prevention, what the statement is really saying is everyone is a potential attacker, rapist, murder keep your guard up. Close relationships are over-rated, you can have too many close friends, you need to keep that number down and enjoy time with close acquaintances anyway. Maybe the number one fiction book of all time (behind the bible) is The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, so what comes across from the list is that if you aren't famous and have conspiracy theories then you have a problem. Again Oliver Stone lucks out.

Schizoid
Summary: Avoid relationships, don't want to be popular, look for jobs with little social contact, no need for attention and acceptance, "loner"

This is one might the strangest diagnosis for creating freethinking people. "Prefer to be alone and do not secretly with for popularity," might be the most egregious statement in the entire document. Why is it considered a disorder if someone doesn't want the entire world (or even their town, city, metropolis) knowing every detail of their life such an oddity. I may start actively looking for people like this since I know I won't see them some stupid reality show the next day. Then again they probably aren't looking for any new friends, damn Catch-22.

Schizotypal
Summary: Odd forms of thinking and perceiving, isolation, unrelated events relate to them in important way, lack of concentrating.

Isn't this almost the definition of a toddler? Also I guess we need to get help for anyone studying chaos theory. "Doctor my son is having trouble concentrating and prefers to watch cartoons to playing outside with other children, do you think he has the ADhD?," she says. "No ma'am clearly he is exhibiting classic symptoms of schizotypal personality. Yep, he is clearly schizo'. You should put him in a hospital or something."


Antisocial
Summary: lack of conscience, lie and steal, careless with money, aggressive.

Well anecdotaly I would point to, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, et al. But that is far easier than I like. No people who would fall into this category make the economy move, make deals happen, and make sure that things get bought and sold. It isn't tough to imagine a disinterested sales person who simple states features and doesn't care if you buy the product or spontaneously combust right there in from of him. Antisocial people also tend to be the 'life of the party.'


Borderline

Summary: Poor self image, cause themselves injury, black and white outlook, suicidal threats and actions, quick to anger when expectations are not met.

The first problem is the black and white outlook, while people tend to take all arguments into consideration it ultimately comes down to one deciding factor, most people are ultimately black and white thinkers. Look at two very important areas, politics and religion. With politics (assuming knowledge of the candidates) it will come down to party or issue. Do I want to help people like Michael J. Fox or am I a religious fundamentalist, then pick candidate based on stem cell stance. I know that last sentence was the definition of a biased question ('so when did you stop beating your wife,') but it covered both examples at once. So I went with it, ultimately it came down to do I want to type out two separate examples or take the lazy way, you can see which path was taken. As for the suicidal threats, obviously their genetic survival machine isn't working properly and they should seek help or make sure they succeed.


Histrionic

Summary: Attention seekers, braggart, slutty, 'Brad' from I Heart Huckabees, manipulative.

Everything here sounds like fun. Maybe not the attention seekers, I get enough of that standing in line at the grocery store and looking at the popular culture tabloids. The rest of the list is the makings of a great party and an even better story the next day. I think if you got twenty or so people with these characteristics together and let them compete for attention then you would have a great video for YouTube.


Narcissistic

Summary: Attention seekers, braggart, only 'worthy friends,' no long-term relationship, uninterested in feelings of others.

Sometimes it seems like the psychologists just copy and paste definitions. The one that interests me is the no long-term relationships. This would be great, you could make friends with someone, have a good time for a couple of months and move on. Then you would have some new stories to share with your real friends, and maybe the accompanying photos for emphasis. I guess my inner narcissus is poking out his head.


Avoidant

Summary: Social anxiety, little contact, fear being rejected, exaggerate difficulties about new situations, create fantasy worlds to substitute for real one, yearn for relationships but think unattainable, depressed

Seriously this is a disorder? I know there are people who cannot handle social situations without physical symptoms presenting. As for fear of being rejected, anyone who has been rejected knows that it hurts, hurts more than any physical pain can. There is no disorder for people who are afraid of physical pain, but emotional pain is apparently a joke to psychologists (the friend you pay to listen to you.) Certainly with the success of the World of Warcraft it might be the people writing this who thing fantasy worlds are a problem, maybe they come from such an uncreative background that they fear anything outside the box.


Dependant

Summary: Need to be taken care of, clingy, suicidal break-up, move from relationship to relationship, remain in abusive relationship, overly sensitive, depressed.

First off how can you move from relationship to relationship if you have committed suicide. I think they are mutually exclusive definitions, and if you have them together you are illogical and should be booted out of science. Either you kill yourself or you move on. Doesn't seem like much of a condition. All-in-all these might be the only people that I wouldn't get along with, I like people who have their own thoughts and reasons, they can agree or disagree with me as long they have well thought out reasons. Agreeing with people because you are friends, lovers or spouse is ridiculous.


Obsessive-Compulsive

Summary: Focused on orderliness and perfection, need to do everything "right" [sic], caught up in details, unreasonably high standards, don't work on teams, generous with money, difficulty expressing emotion.

What a racket, you make definitions that are completely subjective and that everyone falls into. If you are careless with money, as stated earlier, you are antisocial and if you are generous you are obsessive-compulsive so anyway you chose to spend your money outside of what a psychologist determines 'acceptable' you have a disorder. Also who determines the reasonableness of standards? If that Kevin Federline went to a psychologist and told them he wouldn't get married unless it was to an actress or pop singer would that have been considered unreasonably high standards. There are so many stories of people who had unreasonably high standards and achieved them that the entire thought of a standard being unreasonable is ridiculous.



Taxonomy is an important science, the classification of creatures based on observable, defined, and across the board traits is essential to all science. Trying to create a psychological taxonomy based on subjective observations is at the least absurd and at the most dangerous. Unless you are harming someone else (who didn't ask you to,) then who am I to try and label your actions a "disorder." So you like the attention, good for you; you don't like the attention, great have a nice life - if you want to change then it should be your decision, and not based on arbitrary assertions of what a "good person" should act like. Also I am not addressing the issue of Psychiatry, there are people who have imbalances and certainly need a Medical Doctor to help them, true mental disorders exist and psychiatrist should be investigating them. Also I am not against psychologist practicing, I am against the claim they 'treat' anything. They should be reclassified as a sub-division of what they really are, philosophers. If they were moved into that area I would praise their work on Human Thought Theory.

The entire profession can be summed up in a quote from the site 'Guide to Psychology,' "The practice of good clinical psychology involves something—call it comfort—which does not mean sympathy or soothing, and it certainly doesn't mean to have your pain “taken away.” It really means to be urged on to take up the cup of your destiny, with courage and honesty." The entire profession comes down to telling people to 'suck it up.'