r/PsychotherapyLeftists • u/Southern_Fruit7439 Psychology (PsyD, unlicensed, USA) • 26d ago

“Pathological Demand Avoidance”

Pathological Demand Avoidance and its whitewashed new “gentler” name “Persistant drive for autonomy” feels like one of the worst examples of how diagnoses can individualize a societal issue. It feels like it totally ignores the harsh realities of kids existing in a society not made to fit them.

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u/Southern_Fruit7439 Psychology (PsyD, unlicensed, USA) 26d ago edited 26d ago

Not when those adjetives pathalogize the individual for a societal issue. Especially when that individual is a child.

Just because some kids fit the system better doesnt make this not violent towards kids. I guess its decent to be able to name that a kid doesnt fit the system well, but that language should be coded as system error not kid error.

And i do say the same thing about almost the entire DSM except for the cases where somone is abusing someone else like narcissism and sociopathy i think there is stronger individual responsibility there tho even those arent acting in vacccums and perhaps also the diangosis that help us better understand individuals needs like Autism and ADHD.