Posted by alexandra_k on November 14, 2005, at 13:40:55
In reply to Re: Very debatable » SLS, posted by mama141 on November 8, 2005, at 15:53:53
> My concern in all of this is just how much of our ability to choose or implied loss of that ability, has been culturally imposed? ie: "I have a "disease" therefore I cant help the way I am" -- is the one end of the spectrum. How about what we pass on to our children? Or what our culture teaches them as far as self-control and personal responsibility?
Yes indeed. With respect to considering schizophrenia a disease (a chronic disease at that) what are we doing to a person when we give them that label? What we are doing is making a very negative judgement about the likely course their life is going to take. And if they manage to get better... Well... Then we put that down to 'misdiagnosis'. So... Schizophrenia is chronic by definition because if someone gets better we say they 'never really were' schizophrenic.
And the same with addictive behaviours. If someone manages to stop or cut back on drinking without AA attendance then we say 'they aren't an alchoholic because an alchoholic couldn't do that'.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:575263
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20051106/msgs/578642.html