Concept creep
The threshold for diagnosing mental disorders are somewhat arbitrary and can be adjusted. Concept creep is a term coined by psychologist Nick Haslam referring to the expanding concepts of harm and pathology in psychology. Haslam examined a variety of key concepts in clinical and social psychologyâincluding abuse, bullying, trauma, and prejudiceâto determine how their usage had changed since the 1980s. He found that their scope had expanded in two directions: the concepts had crept âdownward,â to apply to less severe situations, and âoutward,â to encompass new but conceptually related phenomena. I believe it to be a marketing tactic, as pharma companies exploit the fuzziness between mild mental disorder and being probably well to extend diagnosis and sell more drugs.
References
- Lukianoff, Greg. Haidt, Jonathan. (2019). The Coddling of the American Mind Chapter 1 The Untruth of Fragility What Doesnât Kill You Makes You Weaker (Epub p. 38). New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Metadata
Type:đ” Tags: Psychology Status:âïž