A few words on the terminology "MENTAL DISORDER".
"Mental disorder" is usually an exact synonym for "mental illness".
Like "mental illness" it simply does not exist.
To call a thort, a belief, a feeling, a behavior, a misbehavior or such like (anything non-fisical), a "disorder", is simply an (arbitrary) opinion regarding it. It implies - above all - DISAPPROVAL.
As of course does the term "mental illness".
Moral disapproval is not principally the task of Medicine.
Disapproval is mainly the arena of someone - anyone - who has a (moral) opinion.
A doctor can and should disapprove and approve of behaviors on the grounds that they could detrimentally affect (fisical) health; or enhance (fisical) helth respectively.
He certainly cannot enforce any behavior. Nor should he.
Part of his job is indeed to recommend a patient to desist from behavior or recommend behaviors.
Thus he can approve and disapprove of behaviors.
But this is not a moral question. It is a fisical health question only.
The Medical doctor's first task is FIRST - DO NO HARM.
"Disorder" is sometimes a (Fisical) Medical term.
For example one can talk of a disorder of the respiratory system or a disorder of the urinary system.
To use it in a fake branch of what remains of Medicine - the crime called "Psychiatry" - is an abuse of it.
The use of the word "disorder" in this context ("mental disorder") is, like so much else in this matter (and elsewhere nowadays) an abuse of language; and an abuse of the English language in this case.
And an abuse of every other language in which its equivalent is employed to - often deceitfully - translate the word "illness".
The media is awash with discussions of "eating disorders".
Let's be clear at the start - a behavior is not an ILLNESS.
A behavior can be disordered. But this would be an opinion.
"Disorder" in this question implies that there is a normal and helthy way to eat.
Well, broadly speaking there indeed is.
An eating behavior that is unregulated and out of control is indeed "disordered".
The thing is, the clear implication of "Psychiatry"'s involvement is that people have no choice.
The tragedy is that their choice is the only thing that can help them. It is indeed what must be causing the problem.
This medicalisation of behaviors is extremely harmful as a conception of problematic behaviors.
I have already discussed this question elsewhere.
If one's eating behavior is a problem - show me any other way to change it but by one's free choice, as a solution to the problem?
To call it an "illness"/"disorder" is to imply that one has no choice but to behave in a specific way.
This is such a harmful lie. Obviously so.
And of course - how can the belief that one has no control over one's behavior do anything else but encourage it and make the undesired behavior worse?
.........
"Mental disorder" is usually an exact synonym for "mental illness".
Like "mental illness" it simply does not exist.
To call a thort, a belief, a feeling, a behavior, a misbehavior or such like (anything non-fisical), a "disorder", is simply an (arbitrary) opinion regarding it. It implies - above all - DISAPPROVAL.
As of course does the term "mental illness".
Moral disapproval is not principally the task of Medicine.
Disapproval is mainly the arena of someone - anyone - who has a (moral) opinion.
A doctor can and should disapprove and approve of behaviors on the grounds that they could detrimentally affect (fisical) health; or enhance (fisical) helth respectively.
He certainly cannot enforce any behavior. Nor should he.
Part of his job is indeed to recommend a patient to desist from behavior or recommend behaviors.
Thus he can approve and disapprove of behaviors.
But this is not a moral question. It is a fisical health question only.
The Medical doctor's first task is FIRST - DO NO HARM.
"Disorder" is sometimes a (Fisical) Medical term.
For example one can talk of a disorder of the respiratory system or a disorder of the urinary system.
To use it in a fake branch of what remains of Medicine - the crime called "Psychiatry" - is an abuse of it.
The use of the word "disorder" in this context ("mental disorder") is, like so much else in this matter (and elsewhere nowadays) an abuse of language; and an abuse of the English language in this case.
And an abuse of every other language in which its equivalent is employed to - often deceitfully - translate the word "illness".
The media is awash with discussions of "eating disorders".
Let's be clear at the start - a behavior is not an ILLNESS.
A behavior can be disordered. But this would be an opinion.
"Disorder" in this question implies that there is a normal and helthy way to eat.
Well, broadly speaking there indeed is.
An eating behavior that is unregulated and out of control is indeed "disordered".
The thing is, the clear implication of "Psychiatry"'s involvement is that people have no choice.
The tragedy is that their choice is the only thing that can help them. It is indeed what must be causing the problem.
This medicalisation of behaviors is extremely harmful as a conception of problematic behaviors.
I have already discussed this question elsewhere.
If one's eating behavior is a problem - show me any other way to change it but by one's free choice, as a solution to the problem?
To call it an "illness"/"disorder" is to imply that one has no choice but to behave in a specific way.
This is such a harmful lie. Obviously so.
And of course - how can the belief that one has no control over one's behavior do anything else but encourage it and make the undesired behavior worse?
.........
