"David Rodemaker" <dar at horusinc.com> writes: > > > David Dyer-Bennet writes: > > > rone at ennui.org (definitely what) writes: > > > > David Dyer-Bennet writes: > > > > Hey, recovering from a major psychological problem *is* a > > big deal, > > > > I certainly hope you're not implying belief or faith are major > > > > psychological problems. > > > I wouldn't call it "implying". I'm *asserting* it. Big difference. > > > > you're not a psychologist, are you? > > > Nope, but I play one on the net. (Most of the people arguing here > > > aren't psychologists, or priests, or philosophers, either; this is a > > > discussion among amateurs). > > > > > > You're making a fairly heavy-handed assertion that i'd bet most > > > psychologists would refute. Perhaps you should stick to speculation. > > > > The contents of the DSM ebb and flow politically all the time. I > > believe there already *is* a section of religious disorders, it just > > doesn't go as far as I think it should. > > Funny, I happen to have a copy of the DSM-IV-TR right here and it goes out > of it's way to say that pretty much any condition that looks like a mental > disorder, but that can be viewed in the context of it's culture as normal, > is ok and not a mental illness. This is specifically addressed in the > context of the Disassociative Disorders. > > I.e.. Voudou or Santeria practitioners are not mentally ill. Political necessity, isn't it? Which is what I was saying to begin with. > In fact the whole of the DSM series has been less 'ebb and flow' and more > 'tightly defining' of mental illness. I threw away my copy of the DSM-III-R > when I bought the new version or I'd give you some quotes. > > The big difference that I can recall is the change in DID (Multiple > Personalities) which has been tightened up considerably in the aftermath of > the whole satanic cult nonsense of the 90's. III had most of the BDSM consensual sexual activities as diagnosable disorders; they booted that out for IV. -- David Dyer-Bennet, dd-b at dd-b.net / http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/ John Dyer-Bennet 1915-2002 Memorial Site http://john.dyer-bennet.net Dragaera mailing lists, see http://dragaera.info