Part 1
Answer the following questions:
1. Do you agree with Thomas Szasz’s assertion that mental illness is a myth and that mental disorders are just an excuse to cover up moral or social problems? Why or why not?
2. Do you agree with Erving Goffman’s assertion that mental illness is just an example of how we disparage non-conformists? Why or why not?
3. Do you believe that medical model of mental illness promotes disparaging stereotypes about mental disorders? For example, do you believe that giving people labels (such as schizophrenic, psychotic, or mentally ill) can promote disdain and prejudice against the mentally ill? If so, what do you think would be a better solution?
4. Do you believe that some disorders are overdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. For example, what do you think about the recent surge in autism and ADHD diagnoses?
Part 2
Dissociative disorders may be the most controversial group of disorders in the DSM. One explanation for dissociative disorders is that a traumatic event is so devastating that your conscious mind can’t deal with it. Therefore, the mind locks the memory of the traumatic event into the unconscious mind. This concept is known as repression. According to Sigmund Freud, these repressed memories can only be brought into the conscious mind and dealt with through psychotherapeutic techniques.
Answer the following questions:
1. Do you believe in the concept of repression or one similar to it? Why or why not?
2. Do you believe that psychotherapeutic techniques, such as dream interpretation or slips of the tongue, can bring unconscious memories (traumatic or otherwise) into the conscious mind? Why or why not?
3. Do you believe that methods other than psychotherapeutic techniques, such as medication or different types of therapy, could bring unconscious memories into the conscious mind? Why or why not?
4. Are you skeptical of the existence of any of the main dissociative disorders—dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, dissociative identity disorder, or depersonalization-derealization disorder? Why or why not?
For example, if you’re skeptical of one or more of these disorders, then why do you think people are diagnosed with it? Is acting, attention seeking, covering up personal failures, psychotherapists implanting thoughts, etc. involved? If you believe in one or more of these disorders, then why do you think people are diagnosed with it? Is stress, genetics, a chemical imbalance in the brain, or brain damage involved? Note that you could argue that you believe in some dissociative disorders but not others.
No Citations needed, make this a humanized essay, no AI or cheating.
