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Behind the Stigma
Hosted and produced by Seiara Imanova, a PhD student from University of Birmingham, Behind the Stigma is a pioneering podcast that bridges the gap between the general public and the fields of Psychology, Psychiatry and Mental Health.
Each episode offers a deep dive into cutting-edge research, featuring conversations with leading experts and top researchers in the field. Take a listen, as we uncover the science, challenge misconceptions, and bridge the crucial gap between academia and the everyday.
Behind the Stigma
Mental Disorder as a Harmful Dysfunction with Dr. Jerome Wakefield
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In this episode of Behind the Stigma, I sit down with Jerome Wakefield, NYU Professor and originator of the influential “harmful dysfunction” theory of mental disorder. We explore what makes something truly pathological, the fuzzy boundary between normal suffering and disorder, and the philosophical foundations shaping modern psychiatry.
We also discuss the DSM and it's removal of the bereavement exclusion in depression, evolutionary perspectives on neurodiversity movements and his work on harmful dysfunction. This conversation asked a central question: when does human distress become a mental disorder, and does that distinction matter?
About Jerome Wakefied
Dr. Wakefield is an NYU University Professor and Professor at NYU Silver, known internationally for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of philosophy, psychiatry, and psychology. He has authored over 300 publications on the conceptual foundations of mental health theory.
He is best known for developing the influential “harmful dysfunction” analysis of mental disorder, the most cited framework for distinguishing true disorder from normal distress. His work has shaped debates on DSM diagnoses, grief, depression, anxiety, and the boundary between pathology and everyday suffering. He is also the coauthor of the award-winning books The Loss of Sadness (2007) and All We Have to Fear (2012), and has contributed major analyses in psychoanalysis, social work theory, and evolutionary perspectives on mental health.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NkiWM10AAAAJ&hl=en
Paper on Harmful Dysfunction analysis: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2174594/
Paper on the Theory of generativity: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-07139-005
Books: https://www.amazon.com/Loss-Sadness-Psychiatry-Transformed-Depressive-ebook/dp/B001CHRHHO
https://www.amazon.com/All-Have-Fear-Psychiatrys-Transformation/dp/0199793751
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