Labels for the purposes of professional classification have proven to be valuable tools. They help psychologists describe psychological disorders, find the initial causes of the disorders, define possible future complications and, in turn, develop beneficial treatment for the patient. Without being able to label these disorders, the studies and treatments involved would then be confused and disorganized. However, labels have significant negative effects that can greatly hinder the perspectives and opinions of professionals, patients and the general public. One must be aware of both positive and negative effects so that one can use labeling and treat those who have been labeled in a way that does not cloud one's thoughts and actions. With this in mind, one should view labels as a way to describe the disorder, but not the person. While the psychologist can use the DSM-IV-TR- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Addition, 2000 “Text Revision”) -To diagnose and classify disorders, it is easy to fall prey to a biased thought process when offered ideas and suggestive words associated with a diagnostic label. This negative effect of labels is visible in the famous experiment conducted by David Rosenhan. This experiment involved “patients” who were actually associates of Dr. Rosenhan. These “patients” entered psychiatric hospitals and reported having auditory hallucinations. Although these patients showed no other observable behavioral deviations, each was admitted to the hospital or psychiatric institute and then released after a short period with the label "schizophrenic in remission." This shows that associating certain words or phrases with a label can create its own... middle of paper ......f having a psychological disorder made her feel more special and unique than others. This type of treatment only added to her anxiety and made it even more difficult for her to stay calm at school. After she had a panic attack in class, her teachers began treating her differently, as if everything she said or did would break her. Being treated like an invalid only made her feel worse about herself. For a long time, she dreaded having to leave the house and often made herself sick thinking about going to school. This shows once again that labels can be extremely beneficial when used to diagnose and treat a disorder. However, one must remember to only use the label to describe the disorder and not the individual suffering from it. This will help maintain a focused, sympathetic and open mindset about both the diagnosis, the treatment and the individual...