[DanOfDarkForces]

Does the APA feel that Borg like conformity is the epitome of mental health. It took until the 1980s before homosexuality was removed from the DSM and that is painfully slow and retarded.There has been number of changes that where made to the DSM but those changes where usually only slightly ahead of the times.Are there any attitudes behaviors or beliefs in common acceptance in the U.S.A. that the APA deems unhealthy?Is the APA just a bunch of people who put a label on people who are different and the label of mentally unhealthy on any-one who is somehow different?If every one was the mental version of overweight would being mentally overweight be defined as healthy or would the APA recognize that although most people are mentally overweight there is an ideal mental weight that is more healthy?Are my feelings and or views on this wrong or uninformed?Thanks for your time in explaining your answer.

[devinthedragon]

Your showing a thought outside of the normhowever, you are generally right

[smiling]

You make some good points. I think of the DSM as just a necessary tool for the insurance companies. Without it, could you imagine being a claims adjuster? The normal vs. abnormal debate is constant. What's important is that people get the help they need if they FEEL they need it. We all have things we do that aren't normal about us, and I'm not sure the APA is all that interested. I think they are more interested in placing labels on mental disorders so psychologists can have a common vocabulary. "Oh, she's OCD." That statement brings a lot of imagery. Now if you have a normal life but have a few OCD characteristics, then that's fine. There is no judgment. But when you ask for help and want to make a claim on your insurance, the DSM is there.