Mental Illness Is Overdiagnosed Summary

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the term “mental illness” as a broad range of medical conditions that are marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions to impair normal psychological functioning. Clearly a scientific definition, but today’s society puts a strong negative connotation before anything else. Mental illness diagnoses and knowledge have increased in recent decades, but the stigma of the word has gotten worse. What is the true definition of the term in today’s culture and and how can we change it? Cases of severe disabling mental illness has dramatically increased in the United States over the past few decades. As former editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, Marcia Angell

A young Malcolm X was criticized for acting crazy on purpose to avoid military service. But while the goal of Malcolm X was to be an individual creating social change, most Americans who are diagnosed with a unique disorder are ashamed of their label. In his article “Mental Illness Is Overdiagnosed”, Bruce Levine states that “try as we might to pay attention, adapt, adjust, and comply with our alienating jobs, boring schools, and sterile society, our humanity gets in the way, and we become anxious, depressed, and dysfunctional” (1). In a June 2013 Gallup poll, it is shown that 70% of Americans either “hate” their job or have “checked out” of them. American culture has gained ground on the concept that we live in a great country where the longer you live, the happier you will be. This leads to natural disappointment, rebellion against society, and possible mental problems down the line. In fact, it has become mainstream to complain to rebel against personal problems to the world that we hardly notice it anymore when people around us do it. In 2006, a study was reported in the American Sociological Review examining Americans and their confidants. Authors Omar Lizardo and Sarah Mustillo reported that “In 1985, 10% of Americans said that they had no confidants in their lives; but by 2004, 25% of Americans stated they had no confidants in their lives” (Levine 5).

Even though we know more about the brain than ever now, there is still a long way to go for neurologists and society. In his research article, “Stigma of mental illness and ways of diminishing it”, Peter Byrne explains “Negative attitudes to people with mental illness start at playschool and endure into early adulthood” and that people with this prejudice “have an intolerance of ambiguity, rigid authoritarian beliefs and a hostility towards other groups (ethnocentricity)” (67). Although Byrne is promoting a harsh attitude, he is covering a lot of topics with the subject stigma of mental illness. Still today, people have an impression that a disorder like depression or addiction are the result of lack of willpower. Everyone has some sort of fearful image when they hear the word “mental ward” like they had just envisioned a horror movie setting. The phrase has become a powerful negative attribute in all social relations.The key to reduce this reputation is the same for all types of prejudice: education on the