Posted by Dinah on January 6, 2006, at 19:37:12
In reply to The social construction of (some) mental illness, posted by alexandra_k on January 5, 2006, at 19:16:04
Does it have to be all one or all the other?
Can't it be that the underlying "stuff" is the same, but the way it is described and organized is influenced by the information available to the patient's brain as presented by the patient's culture?
For example, perhaps the underlying feelings that were expressed in hysteria last century are expressed in self injury today. But that doesn't mean the entire thing is fake. The inchoate feelings are merely arranged around symptoms that have been already introduced to the patient.
It doesn't mean that the symptoms should be disregarded or the patient considered a perfectly healthy malingerer.
With regard to MPS, the feelings of separateness may be at times over history be presented as demonic possession or multiple personalities, or whatever else is recognized in society. But the experience of being separate is nonetheless real.
Of course in other cases, there may be no experience of separateness at all, but other driving forces that provoke the same symptoms.
By the way, I'm not sure hysteria is dead and gone. I had a nasty rash recently that was apparently caused completely by nervous scratching. It was still awfully itchy.
poster:Dinah
thread:595576
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20051229/msgs/595964.html