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Pathologising

B

I'm just going to quote myself here from the Terminology thread:

" ... a lot of things I grew up believing were just a normal part of being human have names and are actually now labelled a 'condition' or 'disorder'.

I think I must now have about 20 conditions and disorders I wasn't aware of until recently.

It feels as though everything is being neatly put into boxes."

I read this article the other day

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-special-needs-racket-is-out-of-control/

(if a box comes up + it looks like you can't read the article, you can close the box down and read still).

I'm really undecided what I think about all this.

When I was younger I had 'anxiety' put on my medical records and I was very surprised as I thought everyone got anxious, although I'd been given meds to deal with it.

Anyway, I later heard about 'general anxiety disorder' and I still can't make my mind up about whether anxiety is just part of the human condition.

Do others have views on these thoughts?

Are too many things being pathologised and defined these days?

Parents

  • There is a Zen Koan that asks "if a tree falls in a forest and nobody hears it, does it make a noise?"

    So,

    I'll answer that from what might be a quantum physics, a philosophical, a political and a personal (late diagnosed autistic) perspective.

    Unless something is measured it doesn't exist - but that doesn't stop a tree falling on someone's head from causing severe injury!

    The need to define these things has come about because individuals in society are experiencing problems that society is not resolving.

    Patterns can be seen to be emerging.

    How big a tree fall has to take place before society pays attention to it?

Reply

  • There is a Zen Koan that asks "if a tree falls in a forest and nobody hears it, does it make a noise?"

    So,

    I'll answer that from what might be a quantum physics, a philosophical, a political and a personal (late diagnosed autistic) perspective.

    Unless something is measured it doesn't exist - but that doesn't stop a tree falling on someone's head from causing severe injury!

    The need to define these things has come about because individuals in society are experiencing problems that society is not resolving.

    Patterns can be seen to be emerging.

    How big a tree fall has to take place before society pays attention to it?

Children
  • in reply to Phased

    The other trees will know one of their fellows has fallen, but I supose they don't count, only humans do?

  • in reply to Phased
    Phased said:
    How big a tree fall has to take place before society pays attention to it?

    This will depend greatly on who it falls on (ie are they important enough, sufficiently appealing to peoples sympathetic nature etc) and who it inconveniences.

    If lots of quiet, unobtrusive autists were to start passing by their own hand then it may make a brief news article but only once somebody important or famous does it will the media make a fuss.

    Even then, will it motivate the vast majority who are not affected to take any sort of action? I doubt it.

    It will have to impact enough people (or some important people) in some tangible way for action to be taken.

    The impact we seem to be having is through being a drain on the benefits system and I don't think this is seen as a positive thing. 

    I'm open to ideas on how to raise out profile in a way that will win us some sympathy or recognition of deserving more.