The Magnificent Seven: a Narrative Analysis of Suppressed Discourses in Psychiatric Diagnoses
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W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 2018 The Magnificent Seven: a Narrative Analysis of Suppressed Discourses in Psychiatric Diagnoses Clayton Vance Martin College of William and Mary - School of Education, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Martin, Clayton Vance, "The Magnificent Seven: a Narrative Analysis of Suppressed Discourses in Psychiatric Diagnoses" (2018). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1550153771. http://dx.doi.org/10.25774/w4-11cw-wq37 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running head: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 1 The Magnificent Seven: A Narrative Analysis of Suppressed Discourses in Psychiatric Diagnoses Clayton V. Martin The College of William & Mary THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 2 The Magnificent Seven: A Narrative Analysis of Suppressed Discourses in Psychiatric Diagnoses Dedication I thank every teacher in grade school who encouraged my writing. I thank Bob Ramseur and Richard McMichen for teachingme to connect with others. I thank Peg Steiner for being the person who most encouraged my creative ability, even when I didn’t recognize it myself. I recognize Martin Rader for being a close second in this regard. I thank Corrine Nagata for being a friend when I really needed one, and I thank Rachel Bodenstein Linkwald for teaching me most of the things I needed to know about myself and dealing with others. I thank Dan and Patric for keeping me afloat in bad times, and I thank Dave, Darryl, and everyone at Davinci’s for expanding my knowledge and compassion re: the human condition. I thank every woman who ever loved me. You all know who you are and there’s no need to embarrass you. I thank Aaron Welborn, Jason Kraack, Josh Henry, Joel Puckett, Keith Ferris, Shane DeFriece and the mighty Matthew Dickie for being the best damned friends a soul could ask for. I thank Justin Welborn for hiring me. You guys are the coolest. I also thank every member of my committee for believing in me and helping me. Most of all, I thank my family. I thank my father and Rosa, I thank Larry, and I jubilantly thank my mother, who has stood by me at all times. I thank Whitney for loving me throughout three of the most difficult years of my life. Finally, I thank each and every member of the Magnificent Seven. Everything I do from here on out is thanks to you. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 3 Abstract This study is a Narrative Analysis of the hidden strengths and positive qualities inherent to identified psychiatric diagnosis. Seven individuals were interviewed on two occasions and also corresponded with me via email and telephone. Analysis of individual narratives yielded common thematic elements and common plot points, these factors were further analyzed and contemplated in the light of their implications for the Counseling profession. An informed critique of the research design is presented, followed by implications and suggestions for future research. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 4 Table of Contents Chapter One……………………………………………………………………….……8 The Purpose and development of Psychiatric Diagnoses……………………….9 Development of Psychiatric Diagnoses in the United States…………………12 Paradigm Shift: The DSM III…………………………………………………...14 Summary…………………………………………………….……………………….16 Statement of the Problem…………………………………………………………..17 Psychiatric Diagnosis and the Counseling Profession.………………...……..18 Psychiatric Diagnoses and the Core Values of Counseling………………..20 Justification for the Study………….………………………………………………..24 Summary……………………………………………………………………………..25 Chapter Two……………………………………………………………………………25 The Adaptive Benefits of Mood Disorders………………………………………...26 Defensive Pessimism……………………………………………………………..26 Evolutionary Perspectives on Depressive Disorders………………………….27 Creativity and Psychopathology……………………………………………………29 Diagnosis, Stigma, and the Suppression of Strengths…………………………..32 Anti-Psychiatry……………………………………………………………………….33 Person-Centered Care in Mental Health………………………………………….40 Summary……………………………………………………………………………..45 Chapter Three………………………………………………………………………….46 Guiding Assumptions of the Study…………………………………………………48 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 5 Theory………………………………………………………………………………..48 Social Constructionism…………………………………………………………..48 Narrative Analysis………………………………………………………………...50 The Compatibility of Social Constructionism and Narrative Analysis……….57 Target Population and Participant Selection……………………………………..58 Data Collection and Analysis………………………………………………………59 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...60 Chapter Four…………………………………………………………………………...61 Phases One through Three………………………………………………………...61 Phases Four through Seven………………………………………………………..63 Description of the Participants………...…………………………………………...64 Introduction of Themes……………………………………………………………...69 Prologue: In the Beginning………………………………………………………....72 Summary……………………………………………………………………………..83 Emerging Awareness of Difference………………………………………………..84 Summary……………………………………………………………………………..97 Early Struggles with the Problem………………………………………………….97 Summary……………………………………………………………………………105 Epiphanies of Identity…………………………………………………………..…106 Summary……………………………………………………………………………111 Duality of the Problem…………………………………………………………….126 Summary……………………………………………………………………………126 Development of Empathy…………………………………………………………..126 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 6 Summary………………………………………………………………………………130 Activities of Difference………………………………………………………………131 Involvement in Theater………………...……………………………………………141 Summary……………………………………………………………………………..151 Persons of Difference……………………………………………………………….152 Friends, Family and Community…………………………………………………152 Help that Makes a Difference…………………………………………………….171 Summary……………………………………………………………………………...182 Linking the Personal with the Political…………………………………………….183 The Magnificent Seven and Gender Discourses………………………………183 The Magnificent Seven and Institutions of Mental Health…………………….190 Harley and Me, A Deadtime Story……………………………………………….199 Patricia vs. Institutional Power………………………………………………...…204 Summary……………………………………………………………………………211 Epilogue, Part I……………………………………………………………………..213 Epilogue, Part II…………………………………………………………………….215 Chapter Five…………………………………………………………………………..217 Review of Research Process……………………………………………………..218 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………219 Maximizing the Positives, Minimizing the Negatives………..……………….219 What Helps, What Hurts………………………………………..……………….223 How Far Can They Take it, and What are They Facing?.............................227 How do They See Themselves?..................................................................235 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 7 Summary……………………………………………………………………………235 Informed Critique of the Research Design………………………………………237 Suggestions and Implications for Future Research…………………………….240 References……………………………………………………………………………243 Curriculum Vitae……. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 8 Chapter One As of 2015, it is presumed that approximately forty-three million Americans aged eighteen and older either have or meet criteria for a Psychiatric diagnosis. This figure accounts for roughly eighteen percent of all adults in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015). Estimated prevalence rates of mental disorders among children are even higher, as one in five Americans under the age of eighteen are currently assumed to have experienced “a seriously debilitating mental disorder” at some point in their lives (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). The implications of these prevalence rates stretch beyond the boundaries of Psychiatry, as the effects of diagnosis ricochet throughout the legal system, health insurance policy, the financial sector, and the educational system (e.g.: Climie & Mastoras, 2015; Kress, Hoffman, & Eriksen, 2010; Stearns, 2015). From their muted origins within the confines of early American mental institutions, Psychiatric diagnoses have mushroomed to influence a multi- billion dollar network of psychopharmaceutic medications, helping professions, and a host of features across the American pop-cultural landscape (e.g.; Di Fonzo, 2007; Greenberg, 2013; Hansen, 2007; Kress et al., 2010; Surís, Holliday, & North, 2016). Drugs designed to treat Psychiatric conditions are routinely advertised on television, the motion picture industry generates fiery avatars of mental disorders to varying degrees of accuracy, and the Psychiatric stability of political minds is hotly contested in the media. Though the extravagant growth of the Psychiatric paradigm grants cause for concern, strong evidence supports the conclusion that Psychiatry and its nosological processes have greatly benefited the helping professions and the mentally ill (Craddock & Mynors-Wallis, 2014; Frances, 2014; Hansen, 2003; “Patty Duke THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 9 launches mental health site, blog,” 2005). Scholarly voices in the Counseling profession, however, frequently critique the concept of Psychiatric diagnosis and question its degree of compatibility with professional Counseling values (Eriksen & Kress, 2008; Hansen, 2007; Kress et al., 2010; Zalaquett, Fuerth, Stein, Ivey, & Ivey, 2008). To further examine the impact of Psychiatric diagnosis on the helping professions and the communities they