We're Going Slightly Mad

We apologize for yesterday's entry--we were uninspired and tired, so we basically phoned it in. Actually, it might have been better if we had phoned it in. Then we could have just dictated something and not had to overcome the inertia of staring at a blank screen, which no doubt contributed to the general blahness of yesterday's post. We'll try not to let it happen again.

We noticed today that the psychiatrists of the world are updating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently in its 4th edition. The DSM-IV is an object of frequent controversy both for its inclusions and omissions. The DSM-V should be no less controversial. Noteworthy proposals mentioned in today's paper include the "addition of a childhood disorder called temper disregulation disorder with dysphoria." This behavioral condition would presumably become an alternative diagnosis for kids currently being diagnosed as bipolar. Potentially a good thing, as it would lead to behavioral rather than drug-oriented therapies.

Also, "sex addiction" may be redefined as "hypersexuality," which is when "a great deal of time is consumed by sexual fantasies and urges." Doesn't everybody have that? Seriously, though, we were actually relieved to hear that nympho/satyromania and its ilk are getting a closer look; we are sick and tired of being accosted by Supermodel Solipsist Groupies who hurl themselves at us, only to be rebuffed.

On an unrelated note, some mental-health professionals propose including "Graphomaniacal Delusion of Grandeur Disorder (G-DOG): A disease suffered by those who write compulsively and believe that supermodels are hurling themselves at them.

We personally think it's far past time that Juggler's Despair made the DSM.

One problem we have with the DSM is that it seems to pathologize everyday humanity. Speaking as a clinically semi-depressed person, we know all too well that mental illness is all too common. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, 26.2% of American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. But is this a sign that more than a quarter of the adult population is certifiably bonkers, or rather that there are just an ever-increasing number of diagnoses? Since one can search in vain for anyone who could be described as 100% normal, the question is not whether one suffers from a mental illness, but which one and to what extent?

We're hoping for a mild case of irrational euphoria, ourselves.