Jennifer Brea’s TED Talk on the struggles of living with an undiagnosed disease resonated with me because it unpacks the systemic barriers rooted in the construction of knowledge related to the medical industrial complex that determines who gets believed, treated, and supported. Having been medically dismissed connects to broader discussions on the power of diagnosis, as seen in Eriksen and Kress’s (2005) critique of the DSM. The notion that diagnosis is a gateway to care and a means of control sits in tandem with the way Brea was denied credibility without a definitive label for her condition.
In class, we have briefly discussed the medicalization of the body and the power that a diagnosis has on the body and mind of an agent receiving it. Eriksen and Kress (2005) argue that the DSM is shaped by financial and political pressures, influencing whose experiences are validated. For Brae, when the medical system lacked a clear framework for her symptoms, she was dismissed reinforcing how diagnosis (or lack thereof) structure legitimacy and care access.
Finn (2021) defines engagement as being “fully present” and honoring a client’s personhood. However, institutional systems often strip individuals of this agency. Engagement would require medical professionals to validate lived experiences even in the absence of a clear diagnosis. Mental health frameworks in academia shape community understandings of what is diagnosable or unwell. Those who are authorized to give diagnosis must come to a critical understanding of what it means to wield this ability.
I was in a discussion with my partner who attends the Teacher’s College at Columbia and we were discussing diagnostics. They let me know that students graduating from the Master’s in counseling were recently given the ability to diagnose upon certification of their degree. What are our thoughts about Social Workers having to get licensed in order to diagnose, unlike Columbia’s teacher’s college. Might be hearsay, but I find the gap between certification and graduation to be a barrier to success for many people.
Are certifications necessary for abilities like diagnosing clients? What does this look like alongside the pervasiveness label or diagnosis for someone too?