Mental Health on the BBC - the DSM comes back again!

The BBC published an article a few days ago, on the forthcoming release of the DSM-5 and the controversy that surrounds this. Only seven whole long months after I wrote this article, the BBC has displayed the same issues, but with only one side of the argument. A Professor of Clinical Psychology speaks with knowledge and interest as he argues that by making new categories for mental illness to fall into, the 'over-diagnosis' of conditions such as grief and anxiety will cause increased stigma and unnecessary labelling. There is certainly some truth in this, but I find it incredibly frustrating when articles such as these neglect to mention that so many people suffer in silence. Seeing as we define health categories fairly subjectively anyway, and then attempt to apply psychological and brain sciences to these definitions, new categories will help to stop people falling through the gap and stimulate inclusion. Mental illness is so often a sliding scale, and issues such as depression after death of a loved one have attracted significant attention in the run-up to the publishing on the DSM, but it is so incredibly important to remember that just because something doesn't fit neatly into a category doesn't mean the people affected don't need help, support or advice. With new treatments becoming available under the remit of the NHS and psychology, like books for depression and Mindfulness practice, the arguments found in the comments saying this is a debate over drug use are simply unwarranted. Stigma is an issue. Over-diagnosis could potentially be an issue. But under-diagnosis and lack of awareness/concern for mental illness are the things that really make me angry. We see articles like this one everywhere at the moment. It's great to get people talking and thinking about mental illness, but please everyone who reads the BBC's article - consider the flip-side!


You'll be hearing much more about mental health in the next few weeks/months as I tackle a new journey with Mental Wealth Cambridge a part of Mental Wealth UK - watch this space!