The new disorder, Somatic Symptom Disorder, was added to the widely used resource tomb by the American Psychiatric Association. The disorder apparently exists if a person shows one single symptom from the list below:
1. The presence of distress or disruption in one’s daily life for at least six months
2. The existence of disproportionate, persistent thoughts about the seriousness of their symptoms
3. A high level of anxiety and time devoted to being concerned about one’s health
If this is the case then anyone who is diligent about optimal health and well being would be considered “mentally ill” (that’s about 7-percent of Americans). Not to mention the 15-percent of folks who suffer from cancer, heart disease, the 26-percent with irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia, as well as the millions who suffer from undiagnosed migraines, insomnia, and heart burn.
Suddenly, the threshold for being labeled “mentally ill” has been lowered. For those with legitimate undiagnosed issues, the “somatic symptom disorder” label may become code phrase for its all “in his or her head”. Not to mention the millions of dollars it will cost in unnecessary psychiatric treatments, sleep and anxiety medications for those who really don’t need them.
Source: Fox News
