Thoughts of a Psychology Student

When someone says "Psychology" - many people confuse it with "Psychiatry". For some reason, the broad study of how people behave, think and interact, has been narrowed down to the stereotypical - somewhat Freudian - investigation into mental disorders and abnormalities. This stereotype has undoubtedly been reinforced over the years through the portrayal of mental illness in the media. The depiction of mental illness as a terrifying and often violent condition has created a negative stigma around an issue that desperately needs more research and attention in order to better our understanding of this relatively unknown territory. I watched Shutter Island last night after it was recommended to me by countless people. For those that don't know, you begin watching the film under the impression that US Marshall Teddy Daniels has been called to a mental  institution on Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a patient named Rachel Solando. As the film ...

So after reading that Introversion has been included in the latest version of the DSM, I felt the need to write a post about it and write out my thoughts on the new term used in psychology: medicalisation. In James Davies new controversial book "Cracked: Why Psychiatry Is Doing More Harm Than Good", it explains that Medicalisation is the process by which more and more of our human characteristics are seen as needing medical explanation and treatment. In essence, it highlights the problem of psychiatry medicalising ordinary reactions and responses. A prime example of this is the issue of Introversion featuring in the DSM. For those of you that don't know, Introversion is a personality type. Online dictionaries define it as "a  person predominantly concerned with their own thoughts and feelings rather than with external things" or "t o concentrate one's interests upon oneself". Immediately however, this gives off a negative impression of int...