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A Critical Look
By
flawed. There really is no coherent set of diagnostic criterion for diagnosing bipolar
disorder. For example, tens of thousands of people every year get into financial trouble
and have to file for bankruptcy or are prosecuted criminally for writing bad checks. At
the same time thousands of others are diagnosed with bipolar disorder for “being manic
with their money” and going on spending sprees. Now, it seems to me that there really is
no difference between these two groups of people from a critical standpoint, yet, some
Some people are also diagnosed with bipolar disorder for having delusional
religious beliefs. I a person with the wrong political connections starts talking about
God, archangels, Satan, reincarnation, etc., and the persons family doesn’t like this, then
the person can be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. At the same time, however,
thousands of “New Age” books are published a year which appear on the bookshelves of
our bookstores which factually discuss, channeling, God, Heaven, Out of Body
Experiences, reincarnation, archangels, etc. These people are not diagnosed with mania,
but instead are spiritually and financially successful. From a Critical point of view, the
existence of the foregoing groups in our society does not make sense rationally.
A Third group of people are Philosophers. Most major universities have a
philosophers. They write books, teach classes, etc. At the same time many psychiatrists
will diagnose Bipolar disorder where the patient has the symptoms of “Excessive
Philosophizing.” Now, it is clear that all professional philosophers, who are career
philosophers enage in “excessive philosophizing” on a regular basis, yet they are not
diagnosed with mania and are not involuntarily committed for psychiatric treatment.
From a Critical point of view, there really is not difference between the two groups.
Given the foregoing, I suggest that the real diagnostic criterion for Bipolar
disorder is “a very spiritual person who is politically naïve and has no siginificant
political connection to protect him or her.” Only politically naïve persons are ever
diagnosed or involuntarily committed for bipolar disorder. From a Critical point of view,
the primary diagnostic criterion for bipolar disorder is political naivete. Is this what we
as a society wants?