This is a very good article, and I sympathize greatly with the author. It is definitely an authentic experience, and I join her in decrying the medicalization of mental and behavioral health.
One quibble I have, however, is her calling out Katy Perry for using the term "bipolar" frivolously. On the contrary, Katy was married for two years to Russell Brand, who has a bona fide diagnosis of bipolar disorder, plus several other serious mental disorders. I often watch Katy's video for "Hot N Cold" because it rings so true in terms of outsiders affected by someone who suffers from bipolar disorder.
That's a bizarre take. Mental illness has gatekeepers, by definition. There is a diagnostic manual. Only licensed and approved professionals are qualified to make diagnoses. I guarantee you that the insurance company will not pay your mom to do CBT with you.
There's a huge amount of gatekeeping, and for good reason. We've seen teenagers and young adult go on TikTok and receive a "diagnosis" for themselves, of anything from bipolar, to OCD, or autism. They get lured into these circles and communities of people who may or may not have a formal diagnosis, and they're all encouraged to diagnose themselves and share their symptoms and, basically, spill their guts, not to a licensed counselor or therapist, but they spill their guts to the community.
There are forums and online communities which condone and encourage eating disorders, genital self-mutilation, self-harm, and even suicide. Nobody running these communities has a license, a certification, or any kind of responsibility for the well-being of the members. Children, teenagers, and young adults simply select a "diagnosis" from a smorgasbord menu and then wear it as a badge of courage.
Of course we need gatekeeping for this. I may disagree on the nature and profession of those keeping the gates, but I completely support the need for such a thing in the first place.
There are many people in the world who suffer from severe mental illness but are not diagnosed because they cannot access the medical system. I think that this whole attitude of attacking a minority of "frauds" is just bashing people with legitimate problems.
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[ 4.6 ms ] story [ 17.9 ms ] threadOne quibble I have, however, is her calling out Katy Perry for using the term "bipolar" frivolously. On the contrary, Katy was married for two years to Russell Brand, who has a bona fide diagnosis of bipolar disorder, plus several other serious mental disorders. I often watch Katy's video for "Hot N Cold" because it rings so true in terms of outsiders affected by someone who suffers from bipolar disorder.
There's a huge amount of gatekeeping, and for good reason. We've seen teenagers and young adult go on TikTok and receive a "diagnosis" for themselves, of anything from bipolar, to OCD, or autism. They get lured into these circles and communities of people who may or may not have a formal diagnosis, and they're all encouraged to diagnose themselves and share their symptoms and, basically, spill their guts, not to a licensed counselor or therapist, but they spill their guts to the community.
There are forums and online communities which condone and encourage eating disorders, genital self-mutilation, self-harm, and even suicide. Nobody running these communities has a license, a certification, or any kind of responsibility for the well-being of the members. Children, teenagers, and young adults simply select a "diagnosis" from a smorgasbord menu and then wear it as a badge of courage.
Of course we need gatekeeping for this. I may disagree on the nature and profession of those keeping the gates, but I completely support the need for such a thing in the first place.