Mental Illness or a Sign of the Time

Mental illnesses like anything else in society are shaped a popular diagnosis.  The media brings the popularity to the front and suddenly a large part of the population believes that they are afflicted with that particular disorder.  The more glamorous sounding the symptoms the more they become a part of everyday language; such as multiple personality disorder or as it is popularly known as (MPD) or OCD; PTSD; Bipolar disorder and countless others.

The way these disorders are seen by John Q. Public makes the fad disorder, which changes so frequently that the diagnoses increase rapidly and are more difficult to pinpoint even for a professional.  Such as the case of Salem and the other witch hunts it is a form of mass hysteria.

The diagnosis of a mental disorder puts a label on certain behaviors.  Sometimes it is easier to define ourselves by these labels and makes it easier to describe ourselves.  If we can fit into a category which is sometimes a positive thing it is far from we can feel better about unacceptable behaviors.

While all people in a category have similar experiences each is an individual with a different personality; physical makeup; gender; genes and cultural background.   With the many forms of cultural differences in the world the similarities are not as common as it would seem.

While the seriousness of the situation of fad diagnoses threatens the need for medical attention by the population that needs the treatment it is a common occurrence in both medical and psychiatric professions.

When it is all sorted out the fads change; with it's change the misdiagnoses and confusion.  And the next popular syndrome brings mass attention to another disorder.