The diagnosis in mental health

labeling and the concept of disease

Authors

Keywords:

Classification. Diagnosis. Disease. Mental Health.

Abstract

This article presents results of a Social Science PhD research on practices and policies that shape the way mental illnesses are addressed in psychiatric institutions in Argentina. The ethnographic case study placed in a mental health public hospital in Santa Fe specifically analyses the labeling of patients in such an institution, drawing on debates around nosography in mental health. We critically discuss problems around multiple diagnoses and challenge the category ‘lack of disease awareness’. The methodological techniques we employed in this research include the review of medical record, in-depth interviews and participant observation. We found high prevalence of diagnostic category overlap and an excessive use of the concept of `disease´ to refer to psychic suffering, which stands in stark contrast to the debates around this category that
have been developing in the field.

Author Biographies

Agustina Barukel, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos (Uner)

Licenciada en Ciencia Política, UNR. Docente de Salud Mental, Problemáticas y P´rácticas del Campo. Facultad de Trabajo Social, UNER. Doctoranda en Ciencias Sociales, UBA.

Alicia Stolkiner, Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires (UBA)

Profesora Titular Cátedra II Salud Pública/Salud Mental Facultad de Psciología, UBA. Profesora Titular del Departamento de Salud Comunitaria, Área de Salud Mental. UNLa. Diplomada en Salud Pública, Escuela de Salud Pública, UBA. Doctora Honoris Causa de la Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Investigadora categorizada I.

Published

2022-04-02

How to Cite

1.
Barukel A, Stolkiner A. The diagnosis in mental health: labeling and the concept of disease. Saúde debate [Internet]. 2022 Apr. 2 [cited 2025 Mar. 14];42(118 jul-set):646-55. Available from: https://saudeemdebate.emnuvens.com.br/sed/article/view/345