What criteria are used in DSM4 and then DSM5 to diagnose pathologies?
Is it the evidence of suffering or the evidence of making the other suffer?
And accordingly, if the absence of suffering will be a sign of normality then people who live in their world will be normal as long as they do not suffer and at the same time do not make anyone suffer?
Thank you Daniel it's very clear now, your answer is very precise.👍
Good question:
The criteria all depends on the nature of the mental disorder.
Suffering is a tricky term, and thus difficult to place within a mental health context. If we take anosgnosia or denial of illness, then the patient may not always be aware of the disadvantages of their mental illness even if it is plainly obvious.
Or let us posit the presence of addiction specifically something like cocaine, as long as one is on the drug there may be what's considered 'absence of suffering' however functionally that person may be suffering and not realise this.
So, the presence or absence of suffering I don't think qualifies mental disorder. The APA publishes the DSM and their definition of a mental disorder is as follows:
"any condition characterized by cognitive and emotional disturbances, abnormal behaviors, impaired functioning, or any combination of these."