Diagnosis Dilemma: When Labels Do More Harm Than Good with Matt Hussey

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Matt Hussey a journalist and a psychotherapist in private practice, podcaster and author. Matt and Wendy discuss how simply assigning a label to someone or their condition confines who they think they are and can disengage them from their recovery, the way labelling impacts how society functions, and why therapists need to challenge the way mental health conditions are defined. KEY TAKEAWAYS When you give someone a label their perception of who they are and what they can do changes, as does that of those around them. People rarely fully meet the criteria of the label they are given. Sometimes a language or term emerges in a culture that ends up changing society. Matt explains how this happened with anorexia. Mental health professionals need to test the data and be way more challenging. The original purpose of DSM was to try to standardize understanding, rather than be a prescriptive label that channelled people into certain types of care. Naturally occurring feelings that protect and heal us have been demonised e.g. grief, loss and anxiety. When you acknowledge difficult emotions as part of the human condition, you stop seeing yourself as defective. It is vital to understand how your perspective is impacting the way you treat patients. Be aware of power dynamics. BEST MOMENTS “When you label a person, there is an exchange that happens between that person and their label.” “The single biggest indicator of whether a child exhibited symptoms of ADHD was the month they were born.” “Anxiety is protective in its function, but we've demonized it, it´s now universally terrible.” “The biggest inhibitor to recovery is that judgment of your own sense of self.” “Using the language they use back to them can be powerful.” “These are all clues to help shape how you might work together.” ABOUT THE GUEST Matt is a journalist and therapist living in London. He has his own private practice as well as a newsletter and podcast talking about mental health.  You can subscribe to his newsletter by going to www.thebrink.me or his podcast, The Brink, which can be found on Spotify and Apple podcast platforms.  He is also available at : https://www.therapywithmatt.uk https://www.thebrink.me/author/matt/page/4/ https://www.instagram.com/hhusseyy VALUABLE RESOURCES www.wendycastelino.com  https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/ https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798  https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino  ABOUT THE HOST Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential. Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience. Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own. Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.