something i wrote for class

(I had to do a journal entry type reaction type thing to reading the DSM-IV. I guess most of my classmates are only reading it for the first time? Anyway, I didn't bother reading it because I've had my copy for years now, but I did write a journal entry and wanted to post it somewhere so here it is.)

What bothers me about the DSM is that as I'm reading it, I realize more and more how it is so clearly not based on science. I think rather than empowering individuals with mental disorders, the medical model has taken power away from them and convinced them that strict medication regiments and adherence to psychiatrists is the only way to get better. The DSM has done wonders to get psychotherapy covered by health insurance plans, but it has also lead to an increasing focus on funding, monetary aspects of the therapeutic relationship, constant updates to insurance companies who should, truthfully, really have no knowledge of their consumer's diagnoses and problems. It seems to me this has cheapened or compromised the counselor/consumer relationship. I am not uncertain that a totally private agreement between counselor/consumer is not the ideal situation in which to carry out treatment. Treating therapy as something that someone invests money and time in, I think, may lead to the consumer feeling more fullfiled and more willing to put work in and effect change in his/her life, as it is not a privlege bestowed upon the patient by the faceless insurance company, but rather a professional relationship that the consumer buys into (literally and figuratively). I am interested in the DSM and its contents and I own a copy, but I let it sit on the shelf on my office like an untouched family Bible; mere decoration, a reminder of a world gone by which I never really bought into in the first place.