In the United States (and Western Europe), we have a problem with over-pathologizing human beings, medicalizing how individuals choose to react to the challenges of existence.

"Healthy" and "unhealthy" are very normative, moral, value-laden terms for describing our emotional lives. These are not objective or purely scientific terms. The number of disabled mentally ill in the United States has tripled over the past three decades. Depression, in many cases, looks identical to grief, which is a natural response to a variety of human tragedies.

To what degree is labeling something a disorder or mental illness detrimental to human flourishing, and in what ways are these medical approaches to human well-being beneficial?

This list was originated by Erraticus, an online publication focused on human flourishing.

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