The DSM is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Some have described it as the “bible of psychiatry.” And, much like the Bible – or a constitution – it feels like one of those texts that quietly shape our society, and our lives, whether we’ve actually read it or not. Its vocabulary slips into our everyday conversations. Its descriptions help form the concepts we use to understand ourselves and others. In short, reading it, understanding it, and maybe even criticizing it, seems almost mandatory.

So today we want to ask: what do we actually find inside this manual? What principles guide it? And how can we reflect on it?

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

Follow us on:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠mirror_podcast_⁠⁠⁠

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠In front of the mirror⁠⁠⁠

This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠⁠⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in italiano⁠⁠

References:

Rossi Monti, M. (2016). Manuale di psichiatria per psicologi. Carocci Editore.

When we say diagnosis, we’re talking about medicine. When we say health, we’re still talking about medicine. So then - when do we get to talk about psychology?

It often feels impossible to talk about mental health without using medical language. Even the words we choose - like “disorders” - show it.

Today we’re asking: is all of this a good thing or a bad thing? What impact does diagnosis really have on our lives?

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

Follow us on:

Instagram: ⁠⁠mirror_podcast_⁠⁠

Substack: ⁠⁠In front of the mirror⁠⁠

This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in italiano⁠⁠

References:

Lingiardi, V. (2018). Diagnosi e destino. Einaudi.

Rose Cartwright's piece: The Guardian - I was the poster girl for ocd then I began to question everything I'd been told about mental illness

Sooner or later, in life, we have all received a diagnosis.

An expert comes to us, or we go to them, and they utter some words that can sometimes change the course of our lives, for better or for worse.

Words like “cold,” “gastritis,” “sore throat,” “ADHD,” or “major depression.” Well then, what do these words have in common? Why do we call all of them “diagnoses”?

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

Follow us on:

Instagram: ⁠mirror_podcast_⁠

Substack: ⁠In front of the mirror⁠

This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in italiano⁠

References:

Hacking, I. (1995). The looping effects of human kinds. In D. Sperber, D. Premack, & A. J. Premack (Eds.), Causal cognition: A multidisciplinary debate (pp. 351–394). Clarendon Press/Oxford University Press.

Lingiardi, V. (2018). Diagnosi e destino. Einaudi.

Lingiardi, V. (2021). Arcipelago N. Variazioni sul narcisismo. Einaudi.

Sadler, J. Z. (2004). Diagnosis/antidiagnosis. In J. Radden (Ed.), The philosophy of psychiatry: A companion (pp. 163–179). Oxford University Press