How to Stop Your Diagnosis From Defining You

"A clear diagnosis can be life-changing. An accurate diagnosis can be life-saving. But I think acceptance of these labels and their positive aspects should live alongside healthy skepticism of the diagnostic system itself. Considering diagnoses within the sociocultural context in which they're derived can help us avoid turning these tools into weapons against ourselves. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-that thick clinical text that gives us our official mental health labels-is as politically influenced as it is clinical."

"Consider that homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder in the DSM until 1973. Responding to a strong push from LGBT+ activists, the council of psychiatrists that decides on diagnosis voted for it to be removed. This should remind us that what we consider disordered is always, at least in part, a reflection of who holds power and what serves the status quo. The DSM may offer us some sort of map, but we need to remember who drew it and what they were trying to preserve."

A diagnosis can offer clarity and validation but should not become an identity. Acceptance of diagnostic labels can provide relief, while healthy skepticism of diagnostic systems guards against overidentification. Diagnostic categories are shaped by sociocultural and political forces, as illustrated by the historical listing and removal of homosexuality from the DSM. Definitions of disorder can reflect who holds power and what preserves the status quo. Differential interpretation matters: some experiences labeled psychosis may be spiritual breakthroughs, sensitivity may be pathologized as instability, and clarity may be labeled depression. Placing health and illness standards into context recognizes mental health as a spectrum.

Read at Psychology Today