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‘[S]etting a threshold for a diagnosis can be somewhat arbitrary. “At a certain point, you can say everybody’s sick,” [Ronald Kessler of Harvard Medical School] said. “The question is, where do you draw the line.”‘

Kessler famously argues that about half of us are mentally ill; really though, he adds, thresholds being what they are, we’re all mentally ill. The only question is where you draw the line.

But there’s no question any more, is there? Kessler’s being faux-naif. The line – given the arbitrariness of science in the matter – the line lies in commerce. At what point does the pharma market become saturated with requests for psychotropics? At what point does demand exceed supply? Look there for the line.

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Demand is huge. All praise to the DSM for holding up its end.

Happily, supply is also robust. Holding up very well indeed.

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Half of us mentally ill? Markets don’t do things by halves.

We’re well on our way to one hundred percent.

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Think like a Buddhist:

Where you do you draw the line?

There is no line.

Margaret Soltan, May 20, 2013 6:34AM
Posted in: march of science

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2 Responses to “‘[S]etting a threshold for a diagnosis can be somewhat arbitrary. “At a certain point, you can say everybody’s sick,” [Ronald Kessler of Harvard Medical School] said. “The question is, where do you draw the line.”‘”

  1. adam Says:
    May 20th, 2013 at 10:29AM

    Yes… you draw the line while clapping with your one hand.

  2. dmf Says:
    May 20th, 2013 at 4:01PM

    ha that’s what makes psychiatry a clinical practice and not an applied science, it’s all in the “art” of the diagnostician…
    http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201305200900

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