Normality: a more fragile concept than you might think

What is madness? This rather pejorative term is very difficult to define. Even today's psychiatrists feel uncomfortable trying to put a definition on the subject. Because the world has evolved, and what was once classified as "mad" has become far more nuanced in our time.

Autistic people were once categorized as such, until scientific research came up with clearer explanations. Indeed, the whole notion of neurodiversity, which emerged in the 1990s, has put many disorders that were once classified solely as madness into perspective.

In fact, psychiatrists are increasingly interested in the question of suffering. How can we ensure that individuals do not suffer from recurrent behaviors that deviate from the norm? Especially as, in some cases, people don't feel any harm at the time. If they're in a manic phase, everything's fine. It's afterwards that the repercussions of their actions resurface and create pain.

A hypothesis is often put forward, and is gaining increasing credibility: what if people with mental health problems simply feel more strongly what others feel from time to time?

We know, for example, that 6-8% of the population have symptoms and thoughts approaching psychosis without ipso facto being psychotic. What's more, this departure from the norm has enabled many creative people to create works of art, books, films and so on that have an aura of genius with the general public.

Ultimately, the question we should be asking ourselves is rather "what is normality and shouldn't we stop judging those who deviate from it so harshly from time to time?"

Running time: 28min20

Image: Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay