False positives in psychiatric diagnosis: Implications for human freedom

Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 31 (1):5-17 (2010)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Current symptom-based DSM and ICD diagnostic criteria for mental disorders are prone to yielding false positives because they ignore the context of symptoms. This is often seen as a benign flaw because problems of living and emotional suffering, even if not true disorders, may benefit from support and treatment. However, diagnosis of a disorder in our society has many ramifications not only for treatment choice but for broader social reactions to the diagnosed individual. In particular, mental disorders impose a sick role on individuals and place a burden upon them to change; thus, disorders decrease the level of respect and acceptance generally accorded to those with even annoying normal variations in traits and features. Thus, minimizing false positives is important to a pluralistic society. The harmful dysfunction analysis of disorder is used to diagnose the sources of likely false positives, and propose potential remedies to the current weaknesses in the validity of diagnostic criteria.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Free will and mental disorder: Exploring the relationship.Gerben Meynen - 2010 - Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 31 (6):429-443.
The concept of mental disorder and the DSM-V.Massimiliano Aragona - 2009 - Dialogues in Philosophy, Mental and Neuro Sciences 2 (1):1-14.
Values and psychiatric diagnosis.John Z. Sadler - 2005 - New York: Oxford University Press.
Classification and Diagnosis of Organic Mental Disorders.Göran Lindqvist & Helge Malmgren - 1993 - Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Supplement 88:5-17.

Analytics

Added to PP
2010-03-20

Downloads
161 (#109,387)

6 months
3 (#439,232)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?