Categorical conceptions of mental disorder divide individuals’ functioning into the categories of normal and abnormal. It is well established that normal functioning is partially culturally defined and understood with reference to culturally expected responses to daily life. However, when a radical and unprecedented situation occurs, as in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, these expectations become less clearly defined, and any categorical account of mental disorder becomes obscured. We argue that, in the midst of this pandemic, traditional hierarchies between the clinician and their client are challenged, because categorical interpretations of mental disorder are less applicable. We use this observation to argue that incidents like the COVID-19 pandemic reveal the ambiguity and permeability of the divide between normal and abnormal functioning, while recommending more humanistic perspectives on individual distress.

中文翻译：

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我们现在都快疯了：COVID-19 大流行如何促进更富有同情心的临床观点

精神障碍的分类概念将个人的功能分为正常和异常两类。众所周知，正常功能是部分文化定义和理解的，参考文化预期对日常生活的反应。然而，当出现根本性和前所未有的情况时，例如在 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行中，这些期望变得不那么明确，并且对精神障碍的任何分类描述都变得模糊不清。我们认为，在这场大流行中，临床医生与其客户之间的传统等级制度受到挑战，因为对精神障碍的分类解释不太适用。