Are You A Pervert? According to a New Book, Yes!

Are you a pervert? Psychologist Jesse Bering says you are! In his new book, Perv: The Sexual Deviant In All Of Us, Bering claims that we all have deviant carnal urges; we just keep our masturbatory mental aids to ourselves. That said, it turns out that some of us are more deviant than others.

 

Those with more exotic kinks are considered to have a condition called paraphilia, and sometimes these are thought to be mental disorders. Transvestic fetishism, masochism, exhibitionism, frotteurism (rubbing your own genitals or touching strangers in public), sadism and voyeurism are all considered to be mental disorders of some kind, but there are hundreds more innocuous paraphilias that, while unusual, aren’t harmful. Bering argues that, instead of judging people about their sexual preferences, we should instead judge how harmful that deviance is. Bering has come to this conclusion following 18 months of research, and he admits even he wasn’t expecting to come to such a moral perception of sexual deviance or perversion.

 

‘We’ve all spent far too long dawdling over the irrelevant questions of what’s “normal” and “natural”,’ says Bering. ‘We must abandon the rhetoric of righteousness and instead turn our efforts to clarifying – using science rather than scripture, laws or even (and especially) our own gut feelings – how a sexual act or orientation is harmful to those involved. In my book, at least, doing harm is the only thing that makes a person a pervert. We do a lot of harm just by judging others’ sexuality.’ For Bering, this means that with, say, homosexuality, the homophobe – rather than the gay person who has consensual sex with a person of their own sex – is actually the pervert.

 

So could it one day be perfectly acceptable to be a sexual deviant? According to Bering, it’s all down to a matter of education. ‘Wouldn’t it be a shame if, after all our laughing and pointing at others due to their sexuality, it turns out that people have as much say over what arouses them as they do over the colour of their skin?’ he asks. ‘One day we’ll all be embarrassed for having waged so cruel a campaign against the erotic outliers among us.’ So what perceptions about perversion might you one day be embarrassed that you had? In the name of learning more about sexual deviance, your questions were put to Bering, and we rounded up the best of his responses:

 

1. @Trackercat: How much of sexuality is fixed? ‘The answer is different for men and women,’ notes Bering. ‘The best evidence suggests that male sexuality is largely a “done deal” by the time a boy reaches puberty. Even fetishes in men are thought to have their origins in childhood experiences. Women, by contrast, are said to have more “erotic plasticity” and are able to lose and acquire kinks more easily throughout the life course.’

 

2. @d79Jones: Do particular forms of deviancy arise in particular societies or cultures? Bering comments, ‘If a deviancy is common enough in a particular culture, it’s not, by definition, deviant in that society. But the major clinical types – exhibitionism, fetishism, sadomasochism, frotteurism and so on – are found the world over, regardless of a society’s attitudes about sex.’

 

3. @elasticbishop: Do you think homosexuality will ever be completely normalised, akin to different hair colour or different tastes in ice cream? ‘Only if people make the effort to educate themselves about human sexuality,’ Bering asserts. ‘Encouraging people to think objectively – and humanely – about human sexual variation is an uphill battle, as I learned while writing Perv.’

Categories: bering, book, deviant, Mental disorders, nbsp, paraphilia, pervert, sexual, sexual deviance, sexual deviant, sexuality

Dual Diagnosis: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Problems

A mental health issue – such as depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety – is hard enough on your wellness, but when this coincides with a substance abuse problem, your wellbeing really is at risk. The same can be said if this co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis starts with addiction, and incurs a mental health problem, but the good news is that there are treatments that can help.

 

With a dual diagnosis, your mental health issue and substance abuse problem have their own unique symptoms that interfere with your ability to handle life’s difficulties, interact with others and basically function. On top of this, the co-occurring disorders intermingle and affect each other, which further compounds the problem. When one issue increases, the other one usually increases also, and if one problem goes untreated, this will ultimately make the other problem worse too. According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, roughly half of people with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse, while 37% of alcohol abusers and 53% of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness. Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29% abuse either alcohol or drugs.

 

While it’s common for people with mental health problems to experience addiction, but one issue does not directly cause the other. If you have depression or anxiety, you might turn to alcohol or drugs as a means of self-medication. However, the unfortunate side of this is that substance abuse causes side effects and eventually stops helping your symptoms and actually makes them worse. On the other hand, alcohol and drug abuse can increase your underlying risk for mental disorders, a complex interplay of genetics, the environment, and other outside factors. This can make it difficult to recognise or diagnose a co-occurring disorder.

 

Determining what might be a mental disorder and what might be a drug or alcohol problem can take time to tease out, especially because denial often clouds and complicates the issue. Denial is a common occurrence in substance abuse, as it’s difficult to admit to yourself – and those around you – how much alcohol or drugs affect your life and how dependent on them you have become. As the symptoms of depression or anxiety can be frightening, denial is also common in mental health problems, and you may choose to ignore them and hope they go away. Those who suffer from mental health issues often fear stigma, discrimination, or being viewed as week.

 

The important thing to take away from this is that substance abuse problems and mental health issues don’t get better when they’re ignored; they get much worse. You need to admit you have a problem before you can move on with your life and live it to the fullest. Start by taking a look at your family history – has someone related to you grappled with either a mental disorder such as depression or alcohol abuse or drug addiction? Genes and family history do play a role in your risk for developing these problems, so if a family member has suffered a mental health or substance abuse problem, it may help to open your mind to the possibility that you may likewise be affected.

 

Take a look at your own life: Are you highly sensitive to the effects of alcohol or drugs, and have you noticed a relationship between your substance use and your mental health? Getting depressed when you drink is an example of this. Moreover, while it’s normal to experience a small amount of depression or anxiety after you’ve stopped drinking or doing drugs, if the symptoms are still there once you’ve sobered up, you may be dealing with a mental health problem.

Categories: abuse problem, Dual Diagnosis, health issues, health problem, health problems, mental disorder, Mental disorders, Mental Health, Mental Health Problems, substance abuse

Do Schools Have the Ability to Diagnose Mental Disorders?

You may feel that your child’s mental wellness and wellbeing is really nothing to do with their school or education, and is an issue for psychological professionals (if it’s an issue at all). In truth, a school often has to step into the role of amateur psychologists. Some schools in the United States even receive extra funding from the government for every child in their care who has special needs; this can be dangerous as it sometimes means that schools may try to diagnose children with mental disorders such as autism or ADHD simply to receive extra funding.

 

One couple, Michael and Emily Thompson, found themselves on the receiving end of this saga when they got a call from their son’s school, inviting them to come in to speak to his class teacher. When they got there, they were told that their first grader had high functioning autism, and should be placed into a special class in the school. They were asked to sign paper for this, which they refused to do. This was – understandably – an emotional experience for them and they then took their child to see an independent and licensed psychiatrist, who conducted his own tests and then informed them that their child did not have autism. They then went back to furiously confront the teacher, and later learned that the school had a monetary incentive for diagnosing children with special needs.

 

If you find yourself in this position, the most important thing to remember is not to panic. Somebody at your child’s school is most certainly not equipped to make this diagnosis for your child, and so you really don’t need to be concerned if such an idea is floated. You should certainly not sign any paperwork until you have had any diagnosis confirmed by an outside authority.

Categories: autism, Child, diagnose, extra funding, Mental disorders, receive extra, School, Schools, special

How to Differentiate Between Mental Health and Illness

The human mind is tricky! It is certainly difficult for anyone besides the experts to understand whether a person is mentally sick or ill. The difference between mental health and mental illness might not be clear sometimes but you can make a distinction between the two.

 

Can the fear of delivering a public speech fall under mental health disorder? Or is it just nervousness? Can shyness become a mental illness when it becomes a social phobia?

 

Here’s how you can determine if your loved one is suffering from any mental disorder.

It is tough to tell what’s normal and what’s not. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between normal mental health from mental illness as there is no such equipment that can scan and tell you the results.

 

Primary mental health conditions can be identified by physical disorders. However, mental disorders are treated only on the basis of signs and symptoms that can be observed in the daily life of the patient. Here’s what you need to keep an eye on:

 

Behaviour

Consumption of excessive alcohol can be a sign of mental disorder. Other behaviour such as obsessive hand – washing can also be a signal.

 

Feelings

Depression or excessive anger, euphoria too can symbolize that the patient might be suffering from mental illness.

 

Thinking

Suicidal thoughts or adamant behaviour like delusions – fixed beliefs that cannot be changed in light of conflicting evidence – can be some of the symptoms for mental sickness.

 

 

How do mental health providers diagnose mental health conditions?

In order to examine a mental health condition, a mental health provider will work with the patient and the near and dear ones. He shall observe the following:

 

Symptoms of the patient:

A mental health provider will ask you about the symptoms you have experienced and how this has changed your normal routine. For example, if you are feeling depressed without any reason for longer, this might be a sign. Staying sad due to a reason like a divorce or death is a temporary phase and doesn’t really mean any illness. The provider will ask you about your thought, feelings and behaviour and their changed impact on your daily life. Feelings of sadness and discouragement for a longer period can cause mental illness. He might even ask you for a physical check up in order to determine any health conditions.

 

Opinions of the people who care:

By examining you thoroughly, the mental health provider will get the idea of your mental stability; however, the perception of people around you will also be taken in consideration. The ones close to you have been watching you daily. They can certainly differentiate if there are any changes in your behaviour or feelings, and how frequent is that. For example, you might be suffering through mood swings and according to you this might be because of a money issue or a wedding. But your thoughts and actions are always observed by others and if they believe that your mood swings are causing ruckus at work or in relationships.

 

When is a treatment required?

Different mental disorders have different and various symptoms. However, professional help can be required if the following symptoms are found.

 

• Change in the personality, sleeping pattern or eating habits


• Extended depression


• Weird or grandiose ideas


• Inability to cope up with the normal routine life or daily chores


• Extreme anxiety


• Excessive mood swings or anger, violent behavior


• Suicidal thoughts or actions


• Substance abuse

 

 

A lot of people who might be suffering from mental illness believe that these signs and symptoms are a part of their normal life. They may also avoid getting treatments because of shame or fear. If you are worried about your own mental health of a loved one’s, don’t hesitate to for an experts advice.

Categories: behaviour, daily life, health conditions, health provider, illness, mental disorder, Mental disorders, Mental Health, mental illness, Mood Swings, nbsp nbsp, normal routine

Are YOU Mentally Ill? - Who Decides?

Perhaps you are like me and check your email every thirty minutes or less?  This internet addiction could well be defined as a mental disorder before long. Or are you subject to outbursts of temper?  Or do you eat more than you should 12 times in a three month period?

 

According to the latest edition of the DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V, (just published at a bookshop near you!), the above scenarios could be signs of new mental disorders and treatment with psychiatric drugs will be the norm. The book I am referring to is the standard manual in the USA for psychiatrists and mental health specialists when diagnosing patients. Have they all gone mad, you may ask?

 

A scary scenario

 

There has been a storm of protests and fierce controversy as to how mental illness is diagnosed and treated and this had gained momentum with the latest edition of the DSM V. The sad fact is that there is more than enough evidence that the psychiatric profession is hand in glove with Big Pharma.

 

The increase in both the enormous quantities of psychiatric drugs prescribed and the galloping inflation of labels associated with previously unheard of so called mental disorders is more than enough to raise red flags.

 

We are now getting to the stage where any slight irregular or unconventional human behavior is going to have some disorder label slapped on the sufferer. The following are under scrutiny as being over diagnosed and hyped up to a disturbing level:-

 

• temper outbursts in children


• ADHD


• eating disorders


• shy children


• defiant children


• bipolar disorder

 

The scary scenario is that all or most of these conditions will be treated with psychiatric drugs. The scariest fact of all is that the vast majority of the USA school shooters (90%!) were being treated with either antidepressants, stimulants or some other type of psychotic drug!

 

What do official bodies say?

 

It depends which one you look at. Let us take the UK’s Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) as an example. This body has 10,000 members (psychologists and psychiatrists) so presumably they know what they are talking about. Let me sum up their main worries and concerns about how mental illness is diagnosed and treated. They say that:-

 

1. Diagnosis is often stated as a fact.


2. The reality of any diagnosis is subjective and rarely can be objective


3. Diagnosis of ADHD , schizophrenia  and bipolar disorder are often not reliable


4. Many diagnosis are of doubtful validity.

 

Are anti depressants helpful?

 

To add fuel to the fire, the British Medical Journal has published an article recently which states that only one in seven people will benefit form taking anti depressants! They also make the point that 75% of those who have been involved in defining mental illness have close connections with the pharmaceutical industry in one form or another.

 

In defence of the DSM

 

Many bodies have argued in favour of the contents and principles of the DSM. They defend their position by saying that the guidelines in it are merely tools to help in the whole procedure and that they look at many factors besides the biological ones. For example:-

 

• Guidelines and questionnaires in the DSM are useful pointers


• They do look at the whole person


• They consider social and psychological causes of the disorder or disease.


• They consider biological causes and treatments as just one element in a very complicated equation

 

The debate will rage on.

 

There is no easy answer here except to be aware that we urgently need to change our perception of mental illness. Above all, we should be wary of easy prescriptions when lifestyle changes and other complementary treatments should be actively considered. This is especially true in the case of ADHD children where an ADHD friendly home and active support can often be more effective than dosing them with psychostimulants.

 

Now, before you check your email for the umpteenth time today, why not switch off your computer and go for a walk instead?

 

About the author

Robert Locke MBE is an award winning author and has written extensively on ADHD and related child health problems. His new book on ‘Facts about ADHD Children – Tips on ADHD Parenting’ has just been published. Visit his Problem Kids Blog to get more details of how you can get a FREE copy from June 1 through June 3.

Categories: adhd children, anti-depressants, bipolar disorder, latest edition, Mental disorders, Mental Health, mental illness, psychiatric drugs, psychiatrists, scary scenario

Myth Busters: Is it Possible to Classify Mental Disorders?

In a month’s time, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is due to hit psychiatrists’ and psychologists’ shelves. This is a standardised system of diagnosing mental disorders produced by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), but the DSM is not without its critics. The first edition of the DSM was published in 1952, and there have been three more since then, coming out every 15 to 20 years. However, the DSM has always had opposition, as some object to classifying mental health, as this can have several wellness complications.

The DSM-5’s primary purpose is to allow a reliable diagnosis of a mental disorder, as well as providing treatment pathways and likely outcomes for a patient’s wellbeing. Certainly, mental health is more difficult to measure than, say, heart health, but without the DSM-5 there is no other way of truly knowing whether a disease really exists. Differences of opinion are inevitable in this area, and so the DSM enables two clinicians to reach the same diagnosis for a particular patient.

As the APA has made a lot of money from the DSM “enterprise”, critics argue that the DSM is just a money-making scheme in which book royalties are the primary motivator for producing yet another edition. However, if book royalties are the primary objective, how would you explain that an estimated $25 million has already been spent on the fifth revision process? The truth is, medical experts are continually learning about the brain and mental health, and so revisiting standards and guidelines every 20 years is hardly an unnecessary step to take.

One of the main worries about the latest DSM is that more people will be diagnosed with a mental disorder. Though the total number of disorders in DSM-5 is yet to be announced, its chair David Kupfer has said the total number of disorders will not be more than in the DSM-IV: 297. Revising the DSM is an extremely rigorous process, which requires strong scientific evidence and wide expert opinion before new disorders or guidelines make the cut.

Finally, critics assert that the DSM is trying to redefine what’s normal. Yet being normal is not the same as “not having a DSM-5 diagnosis”, and having such a diagnosis is not the same as being “insane”. This has been wrongly argued by those who oppose the DSM, as many individuals, including physicians, find it difficult to accept that mental illness, not unlike physical illness, is common and most of it is not madness or insanity. The DSM is definitely not above criticism, but is probably the best manual of mental disorders that we are likely to have for some time.

Myth Busters: Is it Possible to Classify Mental Disorders?

Categories: book royalties, diagnosis, disorders, DSM-5, health, mental, mental disorder, Mental disorders, Mental Health, Myths, total number

Could Five Different Mental Disorders Share a Genetic Link?

US Researchers have found that five common psychiatric conditions traditionally considered to be clinically distinct may in fact share genetic risk factors. According to the team from the Cross-Disorder Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, changes in calcium signalling could be a fundamental biological mechanism in mental wellness, affecting your development of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, clinical depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Currently, the five conditions are supposed to affect your wellbeing either starting in childhood (childhood onset – autism, ADHD) or in adulthood (adult onset – depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia). As there are currently no medical tests for any of these conditions, all of them are diagnosed according to whether a distinct set of symptoms occur, and the impact they have. Up until now, the consensus was that a combination of genetic, biological and environmental factors contributes to the development of these conditions.

For the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet, the five conditions were selected on the basis of the availability of a large genetic data set. The researchers analysed genetic data from more than 57,000 people overall, all of European ancestry. The DNA of 30,000 people with autism, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia were compared with the genetic sequences of more than 27,000 people who did not have these conditions.

The study’s authors reported, a variety of research ‘including that from clinical, epidemiological and molecular genetic studies, suggests that some genetic risk factors are shared between neuropsychiatric disorders.’ However, on their own, these variations cannot predict or explain the development of autism, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. As with all studies like this one, which was a genome-wide association study of several complex conditions, the researchers point out that the actual effect that the individual variations had was small, and so it cannot predict or diagnose these mental health conditions.

Yet the researchers added that their study increases the wealth of evidence on the subject, and provides ‘insights into the shared causation of psychiatric disorders’. Specifically, these insights are that changes in calcium signalling could be a fundamental biological mechanism ‘contributing to a broad vulnerability to psychopathology’. The hope is that this research could help doctors to understand how and why individual patients develop some mental health conditions, which may eventually lead to a new generation of drug treatments.

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Categories: Genetic Link, Mental disorders, Research