Review of Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
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Ram Sahni
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Review of Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
[Following is a volunteer review of "Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age" by Elliott B. Martin, Jr..]
Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age by Elliott B. Martin is not your average mental health textbook. It is throwing a spanner in the works of well-oiled diagnostics, forcing us to ponder the implications of our overly interconnected world on a rising tide of mental health woes. And when this picture is painted by Martin, the future looks bleak, with depression topping the list of global health burdens, suicide rates skyrocketing, and an entire generation living on a leash of their gadgets.
Those days of unawareness and detached diagnoses are already gone. Martin draws an alarming picture: a depressed world where anxiety dominates and focused attention is shattered by the endless ping and vibrating of notifications. He claims that it is not even symptoms but a set of new ailments, “digital disorders,” acquired through the constant efforts of various arousals and utmost social comparison on the Internet.
At the very least, the book certainly questions the status quo; it argues that traditional mental health frameworks may be ill-suited for the challenges of our digital age. Martin is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects. He provides a brief historical overview of mental illness at the beginning of the book, showing how the definition of diseases has changed over the years. It is difficult not to ask oneself after which universe defines our society in a certain way.
Nevertheless, the book is not stumbling-causing. Focusing on the digital aspect feels like a growing light, while other stakeholder groups that have also contributed to increased mental struggles, such as social disparities or fiscal obligations, tend to be left in the periphery areas. Furthermore, a complete “reconceptualization” can seem a bit too much for some people. While Martin has a strong image of the issue, the guide to working in this new mental illness world is less clear-cut. Nevertheless, the editing was decent, so I will rate the book as a whole at 5/5 stars.
Whether you agree with Martin's complete thesis or not, the book serves as a reminder: our perception of mental health and its management must adapt to the evolution of the digital revolution. We need to move away from seeing mental health as solely the digital equivalent of it. Probably, in the near future, mental health will be at the level of providing a software upgrade.
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Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age by Elliott B. Martin is not your average mental health textbook. It is throwing a spanner in the works of well-oiled diagnostics, forcing us to ponder the implications of our overly interconnected world on a rising tide of mental health woes. And when this picture is painted by Martin, the future looks bleak, with depression topping the list of global health burdens, suicide rates skyrocketing, and an entire generation living on a leash of their gadgets.
Those days of unawareness and detached diagnoses are already gone. Martin draws an alarming picture: a depressed world where anxiety dominates and focused attention is shattered by the endless ping and vibrating of notifications. He claims that it is not even symptoms but a set of new ailments, “digital disorders,” acquired through the constant efforts of various arousals and utmost social comparison on the Internet.
At the very least, the book certainly questions the status quo; it argues that traditional mental health frameworks may be ill-suited for the challenges of our digital age. Martin is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects. He provides a brief historical overview of mental illness at the beginning of the book, showing how the definition of diseases has changed over the years. It is difficult not to ask oneself after which universe defines our society in a certain way.
Nevertheless, the book is not stumbling-causing. Focusing on the digital aspect feels like a growing light, while other stakeholder groups that have also contributed to increased mental struggles, such as social disparities or fiscal obligations, tend to be left in the periphery areas. Furthermore, a complete “reconceptualization” can seem a bit too much for some people. While Martin has a strong image of the issue, the guide to working in this new mental illness world is less clear-cut. Nevertheless, the editing was decent, so I will rate the book as a whole at 5/5 stars.
Whether you agree with Martin's complete thesis or not, the book serves as a reminder: our perception of mental health and its management must adapt to the evolution of the digital revolution. We need to move away from seeing mental health as solely the digital equivalent of it. Probably, in the near future, mental health will be at the level of providing a software upgrade.
******
Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Kovalenko Secret by Philip L Rettew
