This is a very wise piece on the problematics of psychiatric labelling.
The author, who is a GP (general practice doctor), makes a lot of salient points. For example; what the West treats as specific ‘diagnoses’ are, in other cultures, understood more in terms of spiritual or religious dimensions of life.
It is rare to see something like this in mainstream print:
Many are surprised to learn that the terms we use, and that our culture is enthusiastically exporting around the world, were not gleaned from lab science but were decided in committee rooms by a group of western medics.
This is, basically, ‘the truth’, and so it is surprising to see in a mainstream outlet like the Guardian where its team of ‘health correspondents’ regularly produce craven articles based on pharma-psychiatric propaganda / folk science, and display zero ability to critique anything rationally.
It seems there is a book by this author as well. I don’t have time to read it now, but, based on this article, it will be well worth reading.