Two or three years ago we had our psychology dictionary filled with a condition for every possible human trait from doing too much washing to spray killing goats.
It made me wonder if those that had written this updated dictionary had gone to their own councillors and psychiatrists afterwards. At least a check up wouldn't hurt, having heard that he or she might have acrophobia, a fear of itching.
What is more curious, would be how many of those diagnosed conditions in the book, these people already had, or used to have.
Pre Existing Conditions
If they already knew they were schizophrenic then the rest of the mental disorders might make them feel a bit better, knowing that they weren't the only one that's nuts.
If someone knew they had already had agoraphobia but had long gotten over their fear, that person may feel more comfortable with the rest of other phobias. They may even find upon themselves a challenge to confront their fear of something else. They may realise an old fear.
Someone that hasn't previously been aware of any mental illnesses would certainly be shocked to hear about some of the worse conditions but the less debilitating may appear more potentially troubling. As the others, he or she may find brand new insight into the entire list of human defects or stare long and find themselves the same as before looking at it.
Resolved or Ongoing?
The outcomes can be that the newly discovered condition will be seen out, the person deals with it by addressing it's legitimacy, possibility and reflecting upon it. If there is a possibility the book is right, then the person moves on to the next step but if there isn't, it is dismissed as resolved.
For the schizophrenic that is aware of his present condition, there may be a cure to look forward to, or hope. For a curable condition, more so, especially if it is an inane habit of over ambition, general lethargy, hoarding or love of music. It can be resolved quickly, should it be the case to accept the observation as is and carry on without wanting to 'cure' the problem.
Slowly, the observation can reveal the extent of a pre existing condition that's been forgotten. Constant fidgeting as a child, a love of flowers, a fear of clowns.
Case History
Some of these more obscure new conditions generally don't imply any particular illness unless taken too far and most of the new one's will be recognised as past and long been resolved.
Any one person going through the new dictionary will find most of these new conditions and definitions thereof, have already with by the reader before. Those that read it will probably have felt a depressed nymphomaniac as a teenager, thought they were psychotic in their twenties or a schizophrenic after their first shroom.
A dictionary that claims to cover everything might be a protest too far. To say all the conditions we as humans have had or could have, might be something to consider instead.
#psychology #dictionary#reading
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