Diagnostic Labels: the Downside

Psychologists and other mental health professionals talk a lot about labels.  There are reasons, of course:  We all know what it means when someone is depressed, for example.  We can understand it as a state of mind aside from it being a diagnostic label.  We know that if someone is schizophrenic, it is a very sad situation.  Labels exist so people can communicate without needing a long explanation each time.  I get that, of course.  In my profession, we also say that to provide the right treatment, we need the right diagnosis; while there is leeway in the treatments that may be provided, there is truth also in the belief that the right diagnosis shapes the treatment options we consider.  To continue with the same example, you would not treat someone depressed in the same way you would someone with a psychosis; however, I would hope that many things would be the same—the caring, the respect, and the remembering that both are human beings with feelings.  It is this last point that I have been thinking about for a long time—for years really.

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