Descartes has a very strong influence on all scientists and the people who are writing the new DSM because Descartes laid the foundation for doctors to write things like the DSM, Sexing the Body etc.
The DSM played a huge role in my life and I am extremely grateful for it. I have a disorder listed in it and at the time when I was at my worst (and no one knew what was wrong) this book was a crucial tool to put my life back on track. With out the influence Descartes had on the writers of the DSM I wouldn’t be where I am today. The DSM is there to help people at their worst and that is why it is so beneficial to everyone.
In the future, each edition of this book will grow bigger as more people walk the Earth with more disorders. The way this plays out is that it will continue to help people who suffer from disorders and it will continue to make doctor’s jobs easier while improving the lives of those effected by theses new disorders i.e. Apotemnophilia.
I agree that the DSM is very important for people. It is great that it is such a helpful tool for you and many other people. I feel that as the world's complexity is further figured out and understood through the knowledge people grasp and repeat, more and more disorders will arise. And not even arise, but become clear that they don't necessarily fit into a category that it was supposed to-- such as apotemnophilia as strictly a sexual desire. Is it a philia or an identity disorder or a psychological disorder?
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