Psychology Today: Is Your Physical Illness A Mental Disorder?

[Douglas_MacNeill]

I was surfing the website of Psychology Today when I came across this blog post:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/turning-straw-gold/201301/your-physical-illness-may-now-be-labeled-mental-disorder

Persons with real physical illnesses are going to be treated as malingerers as a result of this new diagnostic category in the DSM-5.

This leaves me feeling:furious: The very thought of it makes me want to uke: and :banghead: and freak OUT!

:sticky_eek::sticky_rolleyes::sticky_mad::sticky_twisted::sticky_exclaim:

 

[rainbowdragon]

I despise the separation of mental and physical illness. Illness is illness. Physical illnesses always affect our mental state in some way or another, and mental illnesses are just the result of a problem with the physical brain, which can also cause other physical symptoms. People used to realize this and so there was no stigma surrounding mental illness, which meant that people could get help and still be supported socially.

 

[Douglas_MacNeill]

I despise the separation of mental and physical illness. Illness is illness. Physical illnesses always affect our mental state in some way or another, and mental illnesses are just the result of a problem with the physical brain, which can also cause other physical symptoms. People used to realize this and so there was no stigma surrounding mental illness, which meant that people could get help and still be supported socially.

An intriguing possibility, rainbowdragon, and I'm glad you raised it. I'm not quite as hopeful about the consequences of re-integrating mental and physical illness. I can only hope you're right about the consequences.