Mental Disorders

There are several intersecting parts to this question.

First, we have fundamental questions about the nature of mental disorders. For most mental disorders there is no clear etiology or set of causes. Psychological and psychiatric diagnoses of mental disorders are based on symptoms; in this sense, both the general public and the professionals rely on socially constructed definitions of behaviors and their social context. If any of us were to read the list of symptoms associated with one or more mental disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), we are likely to find several that apply. This does not mean that mental disorders do not exist (or does it?), but it requires us to consider time, place, severity, overall context, and perhaps some grey areas.

Second, our text describes an experiment by Rosenhan referred as “Being Sane in Insane Places.” This research has both its supporters and detractors, but does raise important distinctions between psychological/psychiatric definitions and legal definitions. One place where Rosenhan’s research has shown good explanatory value is in prison. In order to be ‘successful’ in prison, inmates must learn to adapt to the norms and values of this “total institutions”that is, how to stay ‘sane’ in an ‘insane’ place. Unfortunately, the adaptations that one must make to be successful in prison are almost in direct opposition to those that allow one to be successful once released.

Third, a critical element in understanding deviance is the role of stigmahow those who exhibit non-normative behavior are labeled and responded to by an audience. Stigmas can be conferred formally (e.g., a judge or jury finding a person guilty of a crime, labeling them a felon, and imposing a sanction) or informally (e.g., shunning).

Even if you tried, it would be unlikely that you could reconcile all of these different parts in one answer, so don’t try! But throughout this discussion, please consider whether there is ambiguity in definitions of mental disorders, whether those definitions are useful in explaining the distinction between sane and insane, whether those definitions and distinctions apply in a place like a prison, and the role that stigma plays in identifying those who are considered either mentally disordered or insane. Also consider whether stigma can be transferred from one person to another, even if the transfer shifts from a person with a stigmatizing condition or mark to a person with no such stigma or mark (a ‘guilt by association’ type of argument)?

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