Saving Normal

From"themostpowerfulpsychiatristinAmerica"(NewYorkTimes)and"themanwhowrotethebookonmentalillness"(Wired),adeeplyfascinatingandurgentlyimportantcritiqueofthewidespreadmedicalizationofnormalityAnyonelivingafull,richlifeexperiencesupsanddowns,stresses,disappointments,sorrows,andsetbacks.Thesechallengesareanormalpartofbeinghuman,andtheyshouldnotbetreatedaspsychiatricdisease.However,todaymillionsofpeoplewhoarereallynomorethan"worriedwell"arebeingdiagnosedashavingamentaldisorderandarereceivingunnecessarytreatment.InSavingNormal,AllenFrances,oneoftheworld'smostinfluentialpsychiatrists,warnsthatmislabelingeverydayproblemsasmentalillnesshasshockingimplicationsforindividualsandsociety：stigmatizingahealthypersonasmentallyillleadstounnecessary,harmfulmedications,thenarrowingofhorizons,misallocationofmedicalresources,anddrainingofthebudgetsoffamiliesandthenation.Wealsoshiftresponsibilityforourmentalwell-beingawayfromourownnaturallyresilientandself-healingbrains,whichhavekeptussaneforhundredsofthousandsofyears,andintothehandsof"BigPharma,"whoarereapingmulti-billion-dollarprofits.Francescautionsthattheneweditionofthe"bibleofpsychiatry,"theDiagnosticandStatisticalManualofMentalDisorders-5(DSM-5),willturnourcurrentdiagnosticinflationintohyperinflationbyconvertingmillionsof"normal"peopleinto"mentalpatients."Alarmingly,inDSM-5,normalgriefwillbecome"MajorDepressiveDisorder";theforgettingseeninoldageis"MildNeurocognitiveDisorder";tempertantrumsare"DisruptiveMoodDysregulationDisorder";worryingaboutamedicalillnessis"SomaticSymptomDisorder";gluttonyis"BingeEatingDisorder";andmostofuswillqualifyforadult"AttentionDeficitDisorder."What'smore,allofthesenewlyinventedconditionswillworsenthecruelparadoxofthementalhealthindustry：thosewhodesperatelyneedpsychiatrichelpareleftshamefullyneglected,whilethe"worriedwell"aregiventhebulkofthetreatment,oftenattheirowndetriment.Masterfullychartingthehistoryofpsychiatricfadsthroughouthistory,Francesarguesthatwheneverwearbitrarilylabelanotheraspectofthehumanconditiona"disease,"wefurtherchipawayatourhumanadaptabilityanddiversity,dullingthefullpaletteofwhatisnormalandlosingsomethingfundamentalofourselvesintheprocess.SavingNormalisacalltoallofustoreclaimthefullmeasureofourhumanity.