Controversial column: can psychiatric diagnoses hurt women more than they help?
Womens’ eNews columnist Paula J. Kaplan offers up a controversial viewpoint regarding women and psychiatric labels: “The social and political sources of much of women’s emotional pain are obscured by the application of psychiatric diagnoses, which locate the problem within the woman herself. Thus, diagnosis deflects energies that could be used for social and political change,” says Kaplan. She examines the trend of women being more likely than men to be diagnosed with mental illness, and the ramifications of that trend. Wow. This piece is a must-read piece for every woman.
