Opinion | We’re Thinking About Mental Health Diagnoses All Wrong

1. 1. Traditional psychiatric diagnoses describe observed behavioral patterns, rather than identifying hidden, distinct brain attributes.
2. 2. Scientific evidence shows biological irregularities associated with mental illness, but they don't neatly match DSM diagnoses.
3. 3. Mental health symptoms exist on a continuum and evolve, making fixed diagnostic categories often ill-fitting.
4. 4. Diagnostic labels frequently obscure how a person's traits collide with their life demands and circumstances.
5. 5. Many uncomfortable mental symptoms are evolutionary signals for change, not inherently diseases, though they can misfire.