The DSM and what it means to me

I am a Cartesian, or at least I think I am. Much like how I believe in reality, for now. After receiving this prompt in which to find an example/ story within my life that fits has been influenced or adopted a somewhat Cartesian model was truly difficult. However, one of the examples Robin provided has always been on interest to me on a number of different fronts. The example that Robin provided was the DSM or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which is used in the medical professions to diagnose mental disorders and other health issues. This manual is primary tool used to diagnose mental health issues and disorders and a critical tool for insurance companies to identify coverage needs for their customers. My interest in the DSM is in regards to Homosexuality, which up until 1970, was listed as a mental disorder. This posting will contain 3 main sections; first, my passion for sexuality and understanding its impacts, secondly, a brief Cartesian analysis, and finally, what ramifications the DSM has on our lives.

When I saw within the examples that Robin provided the DSM I knew immediately that was the subject matter for me. However, like I mentioned above there is one aspect of the DSM that interests me the most and that is the story and history of listing homosexuality as a mental disorder and later removing it as a mental disorder in the 1970s. As a heterosexual male my interest in Queer Theory was simultaneously stimulated in my sophomore year of college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. A few years before my sophomore year of college, my older brother “came out” and told the family he was gay. Not a surprise to any of us and we continued to love and support him just as we had before. That event “started” my interest, and then I took a class entitled “The Sociology of Sexuality” with a professor who was then a female and now a male (his name went from Carrie to Cary, like Cary Grant). A wonderful, stimulating course and now it is hard for me to not view humans and our actions as some form of sexual desire and response in almost everything we do. I view humans as primarily, sexual beings. So when I heard the story about the DSM once including homosexuality as a mental disorder and then receiving this prompt for the blog assignment I knew what I wanted to write about.

Our friend Descartes inhabits the DSM in many ways. The DSM was created as a pure, concise source of sound REASON based on medical knowledge and testing. The DSM becomes a pure unadulterated source to be the basis for scientific and medical knowledge. For years and years the medical community considered homosexuality as a medical and mental disorder, much like they did masturbation (80% of people in institutions were those that masturbated because they though you would lose your mind if you masturbated too much). As we know now, neither was true. However, the years went on and more and more progressive psychiatrists became to practice and have their say at conferences and outside social movements began to take shape the disorder of homosexuality was removed in 1973.

The effects the DSM and Descartes had on society remain profound. For decades, gay and lesbians across the country were jailed, killed, treated with electroshock therapy, and even killed. Our society and medical doctors were told and telling people it was wrong. The DSM provided a systematic, evidence, and rationale for discrimination. In many states it is still illegal for gays and lesbians to marry and many states allow people to be discriminated against based on sexual orientation in the workplace. The impacts can be seen everywhere within our society and culture.