End of the Book!!!!

Chapter 10 explains how sometimes using the DSM can be dangerous because it is often overused and people can be misdiagnosed. Psychologists would get together and just yell out new disorders and they would get written down in the book. He talks about a case where some psychologists faked hearing a voice in their head that said the words "empty" hollow" and "thud." They otherwise acted completely but most were not let out for several weeks. This shows the implications of labeling someone as mentally ill. When the DSM-III was released more copies were sold to the general public than to professionals. This lead to many people self diagnosing themselves, which benefited the drug companies. He also talks about the over diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children. The medicine that is given to children to treat this disorder can have a large affect on their life and personality, as is the case with Matt and Rebecca.

I enjoyed reading this book because it was really interesting and it really made you think deeply about our society and the world that we live in. I really do think that most of psychiatry and psychology is guesswork. We try so hard to understand the human mind and how it works but truly we will never be able to know what anyone else's "beetle" looks like. I also realized how strong the implications of putting a label on someone can be. The psychologists that pretended to hear voices but then acted normal were not let out for several weeks. Putting a label on someone can greatly affect theirs lives and is something that they may not be able to get ride of. Having the DSM available could be dangerous because people could over diagnose themselves or others. I liked how the end of the story tied up the loose ends about Tony, but I am honestly still confused about who is actually a psychopath or not in the story. I guess that is the point, that we will never truly know.