Self-justification through medical conditions.

[Oskuro]

Today, thanks to the magic of Wikipedia hyperlinks, I found this: Delayed sleep phase syndrome.

DSPS is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, a chronic disorder of the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, hormonal and other rhythms. People with DSPS tend to fall asleep well after midnight and also have difficulty waking up in the morning.
Often, people with the disorder report that they cannot sleep until early morning, but they fall asleep at about the same time every "night", no matter what time they go to bed. Unless they have another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea in addition to DSPS, patients can sleep well, and have a normal need for sleep. Therefore, they find it very difficult to wake up in time for a typical school or work day since they have only slept for a few hours. However, they sleep soundly, wake up spontaneously, and do not feel sleepy again until their next "night" if they are allowed to follow their own maladjusted schedule, e.g. sleeping from 4 a.m. to noon.
The syndrome usually develops in early childhood or adolescence, and sometimes disappears in adolescence or early adulthood. It can be to a greater or lesser degree treatable, depending on the severity, but cannot be cured. A reported 200,000 teenagers in the United States and Canada suffer from the disorder.

I found it while looking at the article about Insomnia, since I sometimes have trouble sleeping, and wanted to learn more. So, the scary part is that DSPS symptoms match my sleeping patterns (and other aspects of my life) with uncanny precision.

This, of course, immediately fired off my self-awareness alarms. Is it true that I have a psychological condition? Or am I just clinging to this handy justification for my laziness and lack of willpower?

Nowadays it seems like every single human flaw is being systematically labeled and cataloged, the blame then dumped into the condition. It is specially hairy with things such as this DSPS, wich have both a low volume of confirmed cases (around 0.17%), and are, and I quote, "frequently misdiagnosed or dismissed".

How far does a "character flaw" have to go to become an actual condition? How much of the responsibility for the effects of said condition is lifted off the person? I don't think it is right to use a medical condition as a shield against responsibility, but is there a point where I should blame some of my mistakes to something that is obviously out of my control?

Things are more clear cut with more serious illness, but in the case of these "rare" psychological conditions, the lines between normal and abnormal, or healthy and unhealthy, are so blurred you can't tell the outline even from orbit. And it is tempting, and easy, to fall into a victimist mindset, and blame this for everything, from sleepiness to taxes.

So, in a nutshell, how should re-naming laziness as DSPS affect my life? How much blame should I place on it? Or to make it a more general question, how much should one of these non-critical conditions alter a person's mindset?




For the record, I'll get tested for the syndrome before assuming I actually have it, of course.

[Ace Pace]

I'm not sure theres a specific problem of labeling flaws with nice names. I think the bigger problem is the cult of entitlement taking over this and turning it into excuses.

Just look at schools nowdays, "I have ADHD, i'm exempt from actually learning to sit down and focus," and many variations on that. Thats the real issue, that people go get labeled, and treat it as an excuse to not work on themselves any longer, as if their personality is unchangeable.

[Oskuro]

Indeed that's the issue. In my case I'm worried about falling into that mindset myself (subconsciously at least), that's why I brought it up.

[Superman]

LordOskuro, you are talking to the poster boy of DSPS. I've had this diagnosis for years.

I can give you some suggestions you might want to look into.

[Superman]

By the way, this is a real medical condition, complete with a diagnostic code.

[Darth Wong]

Aren't there numerous defined psychological conditions to describe what is essentially nothing more than "being an asshole"? Just call it social cognitive disorder or some other fancy-sounding term, and all of a sudden, it's a disease!

[Superman]

Aren't there numerous defined psychological conditions to describe what is essentially nothing more than "being an asshole"? Just call it social cognitive disorder or some other fancy-sounding term, and all of a sudden, it's a disease!

I think it depends how you define "asshole." If it's someone with a bad attitude, I don't think that many doctors would consider that a mental disorder. If it's someone who has a history of torturing animals, feels no guilt, and has a problem following the laws of society, that person might have an Anti Social Personality Disorder.

[Broomstick]

I have my doubts about this - I'm a 'night person" myself, and since I've been unemployed I've tended to go back to staying up until the wee hours and sleeping "late" (if you go to bed at 2 am sleeping until 10 am is not "late", it's appropriate). Nonetheless, for years I've hauled my ass out of bed before dawn to go work for employers who view being a morning lark as the only normal and natural state of being. While there might be a few people for whom this is a real problem my hunch is that for the vast majority of sufferers it's a matter of too much caffeine in the afternoon and lack of self-discipline.

(My mother is a morning lark. Seriously. Wakes up at 4 am no matter what. Is convinced that, because I got up at similar hours for a couple decades that I, too, am a morning person. Fuck no. A morning person leaps out of bed and is ready to hit the streets a half an hour later. Me, I require 20 minutes to navigate to breakfast and I get up 2 hours before I leave because if I tried ot get out the door any sooner I wouldn't be safe to drive. I take a looooooong time to wake up in the morning. I deal with it anyway. I'm still a night owl, always will be, even if I shift my sleeping habits for sake of a paycheck.)

[Superman]

You have doubts about Circadian Rhythm Disorders?

[Oskuro]

What makes me suspect that I might have a disorder is that, looking back over the past... fifteen years... my daily sleep cycles keep changing, no matter what. But then again, I won't chalk it up to a disorder until I'm properly diagnosed.

And I'd love to hear your suggestions, Supes.

Aren't there numerous defined psychological conditions to describe what is essentially nothing more than "being an asshole"? Just call it social cognitive disorder or some other fancy-sounding term, and all of a sudden, it's a disease!

My (amateur) take on this is that the brain ain't as fine-tuned a machine as some would have us believe, thus resulting in some people having a more prominent tendency towards certain behaviors.
Detecting and labeling these tendencies is positive, but only as a means to recognize our personal limitations and tendencies, and act accordingly.

Some "assholes" maybe just can't help it, but those who, with effort, could help it, yet shield themselves behind their medical records, are Assholes with a capital A.

[Broomstick]

You have doubts about Circadian Rhythm Disorders?

Yes, I do.

Let me clarify - I have no doubt that there are disorders of those rhythms, but I doubt that is as common as some argue. I don't agree that every variation from a statistical norm - or a societal ideal - is pathological.

Some of us are slow to wake and favor the latter part of our "day" - that doesn't mean we are incapable of waking up early. For someone with a genuine disorder there are real problems, but too often I see this sort of thing used as an excuse, or children labeled with no consideration of how severely this could impact them in the real world when they have to make a living.

I am concerned about someone reading about a disorder then going "Aha! I have that!" when proper diagnosis is much more involved and would involve such basic things as noting caffeine consumption or the environment (noise, light, other people staying up late, etc.)

[Superman]

You have doubts about Circadian Rhythm Disorders?

Yes, I do.

Let me clarify - I have no doubt that there are disorders of those rhythms, but I doubt that is as common as some argue. I don't agree that every variation from a statistical norm - or a societal ideal - is pathological.

A diagnostic category for something like DSPS is generally applied by a clinician because the patient is suffering. If you have a person who has a hard time holding down a job, maybe even a relationship, struggles in going to morning classes, etc., because of the fact that he or she can't sleep and meet the demands of society, he or she might benefit from treatment. It's no different than any other medical problem in that treatment is about alleviating one's suffering.

Some of us are slow to wake and favor the latter part of our "day" - that doesn't mean we are incapable of waking up early. For someone with a genuine disorder there are real problems, but too often I see this sort of thing used as an excuse, or children labeled with no consideration of how severely this could impact them in the real world when they have to make a living.

For some people, I'm sure you're right. For others, there is plenty of clinical data that says you're not. You can't really use your own experiences as a reference point for anyone else, and I think the reasons for that are obvious.

I am concerned about someone reading about a disorder then going "Aha! I have that!" when proper diagnosis is much more involved and would involve such basic things as noting caffeine consumption or the environment (noise, light, other people staying up late, etc.)

I agree. The author indicated he thinks he might have a problem, and came up with what might be a solution. There's nothing wrong with that. He knows he needs to talk to a clinician for help.