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"De-pathologizing" and the "myth of mental illness"
Todd I. Stark (toddstark@aol.com) · 12/22/00 at 4:46 PM ET
"pathologisation of emotional processes we do not understand, or are afraid of." The ideals and liberal values behind wanting to "de-pathologize" mental illness are themselves certainly laudable. But there's another side too. If you don't define something as pathological, you aren't going to get any help for it either. Regardless of which "alternate" model we use, or how "natural" we might claim something is, you simply don't address a non-issue. It has to be made an issue to get help. Ask a few families of schizophrenics whether they think they have helped their challenged kin simply by providing a more nurturing and understanding environment in a natural process of adapting themselves to the person's differences. Don't you think some have done this ? Are you saying that all of these schizophrenics then lived idyllic lives with their differences taken into consideration ? Not likely ! We have to come to grips with the simple fact that some variation in human mental processes simply is outside the adaptive range for functioning with other people, unless an intervention is made. And that means admitting that it is reasonable to consider some things pathlogical. How we actually treat it is another story. kind regards, Todd
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