Review of Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
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Himanshu K Yadav
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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..]
To make it clear that "Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age" by Elliott B. Martin isn't a classical book on screen time blues, the author relentlessly challenge the traditional wisdom that most people often hold. It is an engrossing space that interrogates the very foundations of our digital lives and their influence on notions of health and mind.
Martin shows us a depressing scenario. The continuous flow of information, the carefully chosen superficiality of social media feeds, and the beguiling veil of digital commotion are invisible and unlike any space in which humanity has ever lived before. He further contends, which is a cause for great concern, that it is bringing about a steadfast increase in mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and addiction.
The book's main advantage is that it is not afraid of revolutionary changes in the concept of mental disease. In trying to challenge our thoughts, Martin narrows it down to us and asks whether the things we might consider pathological—isolation, for instance—are in fact just the natural human response to the storm of digital age stimuli. This restates the issue in such a way that we find ourselves at the crossroads, where on one side lies the environment that we ourselves constructed and where on the other side might lie the problem. Despite the fact that the book evades the unbeneficial aspects of technology, it concludes with a digital direction. Among different periods of history, we have different diagnoses of mental illness, justified as a normal course of events by Martin. This historical resolution, through this statement, insinuates the difficulty that our current definitions have to face in trying to comprehend the complex and ever-growing nature of the digital world.
I highly recommend this book. It is a must-read. I will give it 5 out of 5 stars. And the editing was incredible, but the book isn't exempt from flaws. Whereas mental health experts suggest that society needs to undergo a significant review of mental health, I was expecting a more detailed explanation of that.
With these considerations made, the book has nonetheless revealed the significance of the digital age. Its goal isn't to give people answers; the intention is rather to create a platform for discussion. Martin’s call for us to challenge the existing belief structures about mental health in the digital era helps develop a wider view of the issue, and hopefully a more practical alternative can be found. This book, therefore, must be read by anyone who is worried about the mental health status of societies that are becoming more and more digitalized.
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Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
To make it clear that "Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age" by Elliott B. Martin isn't a classical book on screen time blues, the author relentlessly challenge the traditional wisdom that most people often hold. It is an engrossing space that interrogates the very foundations of our digital lives and their influence on notions of health and mind.
Martin shows us a depressing scenario. The continuous flow of information, the carefully chosen superficiality of social media feeds, and the beguiling veil of digital commotion are invisible and unlike any space in which humanity has ever lived before. He further contends, which is a cause for great concern, that it is bringing about a steadfast increase in mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and addiction.
The book's main advantage is that it is not afraid of revolutionary changes in the concept of mental disease. In trying to challenge our thoughts, Martin narrows it down to us and asks whether the things we might consider pathological—isolation, for instance—are in fact just the natural human response to the storm of digital age stimuli. This restates the issue in such a way that we find ourselves at the crossroads, where on one side lies the environment that we ourselves constructed and where on the other side might lie the problem. Despite the fact that the book evades the unbeneficial aspects of technology, it concludes with a digital direction. Among different periods of history, we have different diagnoses of mental illness, justified as a normal course of events by Martin. This historical resolution, through this statement, insinuates the difficulty that our current definitions have to face in trying to comprehend the complex and ever-growing nature of the digital world.
I highly recommend this book. It is a must-read. I will give it 5 out of 5 stars. And the editing was incredible, but the book isn't exempt from flaws. Whereas mental health experts suggest that society needs to undergo a significant review of mental health, I was expecting a more detailed explanation of that.
With these considerations made, the book has nonetheless revealed the significance of the digital age. Its goal isn't to give people answers; the intention is rather to create a platform for discussion. Martin’s call for us to challenge the existing belief structures about mental health in the digital era helps develop a wider view of the issue, and hopefully a more practical alternative can be found. This book, therefore, must be read by anyone who is worried about the mental health status of societies that are becoming more and more digitalized.
******
Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Somawise by Luke Sniewski
