Turns out being a jerk is a medical condition
The over-pathologizing of America
LA Times Health Section reports on “intermittent explosive disorder.” Giving simple bad behavior a medical name is step one towards nationwide “it’s not my fault” by jerks, hot heads, and yellers. How soon until defense lawyers use this in every physical assault case? “It’s not his fault, your Honor, he is suffering from intermittent explosive disorder.”
A rather dubious study on the “disorder” says that up to 16 million people may suffer from it in the United States. Let me tell you that anyone who has ever worked retail (as I did in high school) can attest to this number of jerks being a conservative estimate but that doesn’t make it a medical condition. I saw people fly into rages when they couldn’t exchange obviously old merchandise for something new or that we wouldn’t honor a sales promotion from the previous month.
When I think of all of the diseases for which there aren’t enough funds to fully study and then see something like this I experience a little explosive disordering myself. What’s more the “study” if you want to call it that was based on self-reports and remembrances of the participants (for example, question #5, “Do you still beat your wife?”).
While dedicating far too much space to quackery, I’m pleased that the Times did source one good quote for the article. This one from a family physician and author:
“I’m uneasy with the medicalization of this misbehavior.”
He believes that society is increasingly applying psychological labels to what he believes could be better characterized as bad behavoir.
No kidding.
tags: intermittent explosive disorder
Similar Independent Sources posts:
- 26% of Independent Sources Readers Have Psychiatric Disorders: If you are reading this, there is a 26% chance that you have a psychiatric disorder. Don’t worry -- about a third of you are certain to get ...
- Psychiatrists have too much time on their hands: Anakin Skywalker, the Star Wars character who became Darth Vader, had borderline personality disorder, psychiatrists report. The news comes not fro ...
- Scientists Prove Hollywood Stars 13%-25% More “Special” (At Least To Themselves): The Los Angeles Times reported today that celebrities are demonstrably more self-obsessed than normal people. Dr. Drew Pinsky of "Loveline" fame test ...
- Health Care Triage: The VA budget has shot up 47% over the past four years (assuming this year's recommended budget holds otherwise it will go up even more), yet critics ...
- Breastfeeding doesn’t lead to sagging say experts but smoking does: New medical study. Nursing mothers needn't worry. A new study shows that breastfeeding does not increase breast sagging. University of Kentucky pl ...
June 13th, 2006 at 8:44 am
[…] general medical condition, such as head trauma or Alzheimer’s.(LA Times) As seen at Independant Sources: How soon until defense lawyers use this in every p […]