My diagnosis, a label

ABSTRACT

A mental health diagnosis is more than a classification of condition. Psychiatric diagnoses are hurtful labels. Although the DSM-5 provides diagnoses for all psychiatric and mental health experiences, it does not consider the harm of labeling individuals with these so-called chronic diseases, most of which are mysteriously understood, given their inconclusive etiology. Most argue the present psychiatric nosology is functional only, that is, it holds utility but not validity. If a system of classification is to work effectively and successfully over time, it must have both utility and validity, and validity must precede utility. In this first-person narrative, I give my testimony of the hurt that is derived from a psychiatric diagnosis. Diagnoses are labels that are stigmatizing, disempowering, and marginalizing to a growing segment of society.

KEYWORDS:

• Diagnosis
• first-person account
• schizophrenia
• stigma
• validity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.