Christopher Lane, author of Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness, has a new post, in which he attacks the APA for including somatic symptom disorder (SSD) in the upcoming DSM-5.
Dr. Lane quotes from Allen Francis (former DSM guru who has now seen the light) and Suzy Chapman, a UK health advocate. Both of these commentators attack the new “diagnosis” as invalid, unreliable, and potentially over-inclusive.
Here are some quotes:
“DSM-5 decided to proceed on its mindless and irresponsible course. The sad result will be the mislabeling of potentially millions of people with a fake mental disorder that is unsupported by science and flies in the face of common sense.”
“The definition of SSD is so loose it will capture 7% of healthy people (14 million in the US alone), suddenly making this pseudo diagnosis one of the most common of all ‘mental disorders’ in the general population.”
Dr. Lane, Dr. Francis, and Ms. Chapman are all outspoken in their criticism of the APA, and all express amazement that the APA went ahead with this “diagnosis” despite widespread opposition during the comment and consult period.
Of course I agree with these three individuals whole-heartedly, but I can’t understand their level of surprise. The APA has pursued a blatantly expansionist agenda since at least DSM III (1980).
I have stated many times on this website that the APA’s goal is to redefine all human problems as mental illnesses. Indeed, their very definition of a mental illness is essentially: any significant human problem.