DSM

DSM (noun) : 1. Distinguished Service Medal given to those mental health professionals who diagnose mental disorders; 2. the non-religious 'good book' referencing those mental disorders
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Apparently, the clinical usefulness of the DSM is more than a tool for making diagnoses - it´s a guide for communicating about mental health conditions. So when two clinicians discuss a diagnosis such as "major depressive disorder, single episode, severe with psychotic features," they both have the same visualization of the illness.

Categorizing conditions or disorders that people have helps with avoiding labels and further conditions. That means that while I may have suffered with depression, I was never a manic (or other kind of) depressive and therefore was able to eliminate or cure the depression with the help of my therapist (who, by the way, has been bugging me to say something nice about him in this blog; consider it done, dude). As with most therapy-like items, there are others who value the label because it may provide a sense of control over the illness as more can be learned about its treatment, causes, and outcome. With depression, I´m not convinced that this is true since the outcome of it as an illness usually is not good.

But look for that in MORE depression posts - coming soon to a blog near you!