Topic E: REQUIRED
Choose an issue of importance to you--the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope--and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself your family, your community, or your generation.
Due: march 1!
rec: no more than 120 eighty-character lines of text.
Diseases du jour arise every decade or so, creating a difficult situation for those that truly have the disease. In some cases, entrance in the DSM does not even necessarily mean that it is a true disorder, but rather that it can be reimbursed by insurance companies, thereupon bringing financial benefit to those running a treatment center. Additionally, one must not overlook the side agreements the experts make. If one person decides to support the others disorder, that support must then be reciprocated when needed. With these sort of side deals, it is no surprise that the DSM has increased in size to 297 disorders in a massive 886 pages. The repercussions of hysterical reactions to disorders du jour are long lasting; we may not fully realize the damages we have imposed on patients until it is too late: Sometimes people are falsely accused of horrifying acts; due to broad definitions in the DSM, we see attention-seekers taking advantage of treatment centers; as long as the questionnaire about bipolar disorder or depression that you can find inside popular magazines is filled out, it seems like many doctors are eager to prescribe medication without fully getting to know the patient.
In 1973, dissociative identity disorder-then known as multiple personality disorder-emerged as a popular illness to be diagnosed with after the publication of a book devoted to the case of a young woman named "Sybil," who had developed sixteen personalities in order to cope with severe abuse. According to Dr. Herbert Spiegel, an expert in hypnosis who was conducting experiments on a separate matter with her, Sybil's therapist, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, was helping her give names, or "personalities," to certain perspectives or memories. It seemed she felt an obligation to become another personality when she was with Dr. Wilbur. Dr. Spiegel argued that Sybil was a "wonderful hysterical patient with role confusion." As is the case with many popularized disorders, the therapist, in pursuit of a diagnosis, imposes their hypothesis on the patient by manipulating how they ask questions. In an attempt to please the doctor, the patient then responds according to their suggestions. The epidemic has more or less subsided, but as Dr. Paul McHugh of Johns Hopkins explains, it is a "textbook case of an alleged disorder whose identification is based entirely on appearances and then sustained as valid by its listing in the DSM." After the book on Sybil was published, there was an outpour of people claiming they too had multiple personalities and had repressed their memories of various abuses. Innocent people were mistakenly charged and many families were torn apart.
Post-traumatic stress disorder appeared in the DSM-III in the late 1970's after psychiatrists in the Veterans Administration pushed for the admission of a condition that embodied the feelings veterans had after returning home. They argued that if not treated, veterans could develop chronic illnesses due to the stress of combat. This could perhaps explain the variety of other problems such as homelessness, family problems, and drug issues veterans face. Once the disorder appeared in the DSM, a large number of patients flowed in. This meant steady work for the doctors during the end of the war and veterans enjoyed the perks of the sick-the makings of an easily exploitable situation, especially because of the increasingly broad diagnostic features. Studies from the Yale-affiliated VA hospital in New Haven, Connecticut, have shown that even after long-term medical treatment and therapy of PTSD symptoms, the relationship and drug problems remained the same or even became worse.
A Columbia University study led by Dr. Mark Olfson found that from 1994 to 2003, doctors visits resulting in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased from 20,000 children to 800,000; most of those in the study took at least two drugs. They have also found that nearly all who are labeled such, do not develop mania, but rather have a higher chance of becoming depressed. According to Dr. Olfson, the "striking increases in this short a time" leads one to question the validity of the diagnoses. The drug companies are pushing their products on a new, young demographic by placing ads in magazines and television with oversimplified questions, sponsoring psychiatric conferences, or even sponsoring psychiatrists themselves. Doctors should not be so eager to give out medications to children as if they were jelly beans.
I'm unsure about the conclusion..should i put the part where i list my complaints of the intro into the conclusion?..does the rest sound okay?
Do you think I should put quotes in all of the paragraphs to make them balanced or does it not matter?
Hi Egonz
Good on you for posting and asking for feedback. I get really anxious and embarrassed when I let other people read what I write. Partly that's because I'm a terrible perfectionist and hypercritical of my writing. So bear this in mind when you read my feedback here.
Your first paragraph starts with a sentence that is not backed up. Where did you get the term "Diseases du jour"? What does it mean? What research is there that shows that there are "Diseases du jour" and that they "arise every decade or so"? Be careful not to make sweeping, unsubstantiated statements.
I believe I understand what you mean - that a specific psychological disorder is discussed more widely within both practice and the popular media thus raising psychologist/psychiatrists awareness of the disorder resulting in the psychologists/psychiatrists being more likely to consider it as a possible diagnosis increasing the rates of diagnosis. But it you say something like this make sure you back it up by studies.
It sounds as if you are saying that psych disorders are included in the DSM purely to allow practitioners to bill insurance companies, which isn't true and might offend some of your readers. I suggest doing a bit more research into how the DSM is reviewed and what criteria are required for a disorder to be included.
The same goes for your comments regarding "side deals" between practitioners. I understand your cynicism and passion for integrity but I don't believe at the level of the DSM that these kind of "side deals" can occur due to the rigour of the review process. Once again you will risk offending and alienating some of your readers.
Your comments about "hysterical reactions", "attention seekers taking advantage of treatment centres", people being accused of horrifying acts and doctors using magazine quizzes rather than valid and reliable psych measures need to be substantiated. Be very wary of making broad generalisations, particularly such negative ones.
Your comments about MPD - now dissociative identity disorder, PTSD and Bi Polar Disorder are only slightly more substantiated and give only one side of the argument. I think the valid concern you have is the need for ongoing research into the validity of psych disorders but it may be better in this essay to give examples of the debate rather than taking a side. The people who are reading your essay will most likely have a lot more knowledge of the research in these issues than you. The important thing is to demonstrate your passion for integrity and validity in psychology/psychiatry as a profession.
I suggest being more considered and moderate in your comments about how you perceive the profession. Be passionate about what you love but don't talk negatively about others unless you can clearly substantiate what you're saying. I am passionate about correct diagnosis also so I understand completely where you're coming from. Just remember that things aren't black and white, it's about questioning, exploring and testing assumptions.
Keep posting as you re-draft (I won't be offended if you don't take on board my comments) as this is the best way to get helpful feedback and improve.
Cheers!
CG :)
With these sort of side deals like these , it is no surprise that the DSM has increased in size to 297 disorders in a massive 886 pages.
It does not matter if you use direct quotes in some paragraphs and not others. The important kind of "balance" is the kind where you make sure the exposition of dissoc. pers. disorder, ptsd, and bipolar are balanced by the main point you are making with your thesis. You need to make such a powerful thesis statement (probably at the end of the first para) that it balances the rest of the essay.. make a strong thesis, so the reader is perfectly clear about what you are saying.
I know what you are saying, though, and to you I recommend the book The Body Electric by Becker. You'll end up figuring out a way for us to all regenerate body parts and live forever. :)
BTW, thank you, Amanda, for giving such great feedback, and please check out the EF Contributor page.
amanda--
thank you for letting me know that my thesis is unclear. you clearly did not understand what i was talking about.
and "du jour" is a french saying that most in psychology know. it means "of the day". as in "disorder abc is very popular right now".
and yes, this sort of thing happens at the DSM level--it's called politics. timelines such as "this disorder must have occured for this long" is a generalization. there is no scientific data pointing to that amount of time, it's just an estimate.
i also get the feeling that you dont know that "hysterical" is being used in a somatiform disorder context. perhaps you can look at this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteria
and no, i can't be moderate, or else that would make my essay weak. I'm trying to pursuade people into agreeing with my views, which btw are widely held. diagnoses in the medical world are exact. the psychological world is not as exact, and some people have a problem with that.
since you are a perfectionist, like you say, maybe you can comment on things that you know about..or at least google something if you don't understand.
thanks.
btw-chicita is spelled with a "qu". or else you risk having people that know spanish pronounce it "chi-si-ta"
