A client recently sent me this link, highlighting the decision making process around a diagnosis. In particular, this article focuses on the recent consideration that bereavement may no longer be excluded from the criteria of depression. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/01/25/health/depressions-criteria-may-be-changed-to-include-grieving.xml?single=1. As the date nears for final revisions for the DSM-V,(the diagnostic manual for mental health) it is highly likely that more information will be flooding the media. As you consider how this information applies to your own life, please keep in mind that there are good reasons for diagnoses (ex: insurance coverage, validation, medications, support services) and factors that can be detrimental (feel like the label defines the person, tells people that common struggles mean they are sick, etc.) For more on the subject, please read this previous post: http://www.sbscounseling.com/helpful-versus-harmful-uses-of-diagnoses/.
