To What Degree Are Psychiatric Disorders Social? And What Are the Implications of That?

You know, I was just thinking about anorexia nervosa. It's obviously not a choice. I mean the person suffers (usually a women—but frequently a gay man, which is interesting).

But you know, it is almost unheard of among African American women. And the reason is interesting. They always get such consistently positive feedback from their partners. White men tend to criticize much more, which is sad.

But you know, that brings up an interesting question. Is the social component to mental diseases unavoidable, even when it's clearly physiological? Take Schizophrenia. It's clearly a chemical imbalance. Antipsychotic medications treat it. That pretty much proves that, doesn't it then? But it can be precipitated by stress.

And some people claim their abusive childhood led to their Schizophrenia. Now, see that last one I just don't know. Is that true? Because there is still a long history of misconceptions and misinformation surrounding Schizophrenia and depressive disorders. Just to include one random one, people used to think electroconvulsive therapy shocked you back to reality. I'm serious. But in reality, it is the seizure that follows that is of therapeutic importance. The electric current actually need to be very small to accomplish that goal (which is sad, because sometimes it wasn't).

So then there can be some historical misconceptions too on the question I just posed about.

So to what degree are they social? Are they ever completely physical? And can they be both?

 

Society dictates the norms... anything outside those norms is a "disorder".

 

So in a nutshell, we are just a flock of sheep, sounds about right to me.

If Jane criticises me, I tend to do it all the more. I sometimes wonder whether she now says the opposite of what she thinks.

 

In recent years, there has been a shift in the way mental disorders are viewed, with some experts calling them "adaptive minds." This new perspective recognizes that the same traits and behaviors that are often associated with mental disorders, such as anxiety and hyperactivity, may also have adaptive functions that can help individuals in certain situations.

For instance, traits like anxiety may help individuals in unfamiliar social situations by heightening their awareness and increasing their chances of survival. Similarly, traits like impulsivity may help individuals take quick, decisive actions in certain high-pressure situations.

This new view challenges the traditional notion that mental disorders are entirely negative and that they only need treatment to "fix" the problem. Instead, experts suggest that these traits and behaviors are part of a spectrum of human variation that can offer advantages and challenges depending on the environment.

While this adaptive view of mental disorders is still relatively new and not yet widely accepted, it has the potential to change the way mental health is approached. By understanding the adaptive functions of certain behaviors and traits, individuals may be better equipped to cope with their symptoms and work towards thriving in their environment.
Some articles about the topic:
Nesse, R. M. (2000). Is Depression an Adaptation? Archives of General Psychiatry, 57(1), 14.
Schroder, H., Devendorf, A., & Zikmund-Fisher, B. (2022, May 16). Framing depression as a functional signal, not a disease: Rationale and initial evidence.

 

Respectfully, I have to disagree with you on this. I was in the psych ward earlier this year (late April) and met an African-American woman who had anorexia nervosa and was very open about her struggles with it. I cannot comment on her relationship status, granted, and she was rather young (late teens-early 20s, an age range that tends to be high in eating disorder sufferers).

My research on eating disorders is limited, but I have done some research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as I am autistic myself. Many cases of autism are grossly underreported among minority groups, as this recent NIH study shows. Because of the healthcare disparity for autism diagnoses, I wouldn't be shocked if incidents of AN and other eating disorders are underreported in minority communities as well. This underreporting may fuel a misconception that eating disorders and other psychiatric conditions aren't as common among African-Americans or other minorities compared to whites.

In my psychology classes in college, the general consensus was "both" and "it's complicated." The brain is a part of the body, the mind influences how we see the world, our perceptions influence our actions, and actions (our own and others) have consequences on our bodies. It's all one massive tangled web that professionals in the mental health professions will be debating for all time. Psychology is like philosophy in that way: a lot of uncertainty and subjective experience that we can only attempt to boil down to a neat, orderly science.

Either way, a thought-provoking topic, and thank you for posting! I have a BA in Psychology and many years worth of mental health flim-flammery, and am very passionate about this subject.

 

"It's no indication of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
Jiddu Krishnamurti

Americans live in a society that monitizes and commodifies everything, including human beings. We're valued only for the profit which can be extracted from our labor; we all might as well be named "Kelvin". Community and the collective is demonized and supplanted by a State-sponsored cult of "rugged individualism" which is used as a bludgeon to crush the poor, to deify the oligarchs, and to pillory anyone who collapses and falls economically, often through no fault of their own (over half of bankruptcies and foreclosures are due to economic gang rape by the for-profit medical insurance industry). Our grand-kids birthright is to be perpetual indentured servants to their banks and landlords, under constant existential threat of imminent poverty and homelessness, and to literally work until they die, alone...unless, of course, they get shot first; the leading cause of death of our children. Not surprisingly, overdose and suicide are second and third.
That's the "American Dream" for 99% of Americans.
If society doesn't make you crazy, you haven't been paying attention.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmc2201761

 

I believe that this is natural path for everything.
All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight. For not only with a view to action, but even when we are not going to do anything, we prefer seeing (one might say) to everything else. The reason is that this, most of all the senses, makes us know and brings to light many differences between things.
We delight in what we see outside our heads and we rush to put labels on everything.

 

The relationship between mental disorders and social factors is a complex and multi-dimensional issue. While mental disorders often have physiological components, the social context can play a significant role in their manifestation, progression, and treatment.

Anorexia nervosa, for example, is a serious eating disorder characterized by distorted body image and an intense fear of gaining weight. While it primarily affects women, it can also occur in men. The development of anorexia nervosa involves a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Sociocultural influences, such as media messages emphasizing thinness, societal beauty standards, and interpersonal relationships, can contribute to the development and maintenance of the disorder. The observation you mentioned about the lower prevalence of anorexia nervosa among African American women may be influenced by cultural and societal factors specific to different communities.

Schizophrenia, on the other hand, is a complex mental disorder that involves a combination of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors. While it is primarily considered a brain disorder with physiological aspects, social factors can influence its onset, course, and outcomes. Stress and traumatic experiences may contribute to the development or exacerbation of symptoms in susceptible individuals. However, it's important to note that not everyone who experiences stress or trauma develops schizophrenia, and not all individuals with schizophrenia have a history of abusive childhoods. The causes of schizophrenia are still being studied, and researchers are exploring various genetic and environmental factors involved in its development.

Misconceptions and misinformation have historically surrounded mental disorders, leading to stigmatization and inadequate understanding. Over time, advances in scientific research and improved education have helped debunk myths and promote accurate knowledge about these conditions. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), for example, is a treatment option for severe depression and other mental disorders, but it does not "shock" individuals back to reality. The controlled seizure induced during ECT has therapeutic effects on certain psychiatric symptoms.