由 home-healthhaven 
It’s clear that many people genuinely suffer from mental disorders that can’t just be fixed with weekly therapy sessions. Conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dissociative identity disorder often require medication, and possibly counseling. However, it sometimes feels like we’re too quick to label normal behavioral issues as mental disorders.
The big challenge with diagnosing mental disorders is that the symptoms are subjective and the criteria for diagnosis are often vague. And it seems these criteria are about to get even vaguer.
The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which is often referred to as the mental health bible, is updated regularly, with the latest version being DSM-5. Professor Peter Kinderman from the University of Liverpool explains that DSM-5 will lower the diagnostic thresholds. This means that more people might be labeled as mentally ill, and normal behaviors could be classified as mental disorders.
For example, kids throwing temper tantrums might be diagnosed with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. Overeating could be called binge eating disorder, and internet addiction may be recognized as a serious mental issue.
There are two main concerns with this trend:
1) It gives people an easy excuse to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. If a child is undisciplined, it’s easier to blame it on a mental disorder than to address parenting or behavioral issues. Similarly, overeating can be dismissed as a disorder rather than a problem that requires lifestyle changes.
2) It could lead to more people becoming medicated. Do we really need more individuals relying on pills instead of tackling the root of their problems?
This doesn’t mean that all children with temper tantrums should just be punished more, or that those who overeat need drastic measures. Often, cognitive and behavioral therapy can significantly help.
Labeling certain behaviors as disorders can be like putting a cast on a paper cut—it’s an overreaction. Additionally, many doctors believe that labeling people can increase the stigma around mental illness, rather than reducing it. It can also depersonalize individuals; once diagnosed with depression, a person may start to see themselves primarily as someone with that condition, which can be self-fulfilling.
We shouldn’t ignore real problems by suggesting people simply talk it out or walk it off. Medications are crucial for saving lives and maintaining sanity. But before rushing to get prescriptions, maybe we should rethink where we’re heading as a society.