This episode is the first in a series of four episodes that we are calling "the architecture of the self" wherein we explore human development, genetics and epigenetics, memory and trauma, and, today, diagnosis and the delineation of "normal" and "abnormal" in the field of mental health. These episodes can all be listened to on their own, but each of them is exploring contributions from medicine, psychiatry, and psychology to shed light on the complicated question of how we become who we are.
Kurt speaks with Smith College Professor Emeritus Randy O. Frost, whose decades of teaching, research, and publication experience -- as well as his participation in working groups which helped revise diagnostic criteria (for Hoarding Disorder, though that topic is not the focus today) -- make him the perfect person to help us unpack what "diagnosis" in mental health IS and ISN'T, from historical, research, and cultural perspectives. In a special "in-studio" sit down, they dive deep into this topic from the code of Hammurabi to DSM-5 and set the table for the series of episodes to come!
Bio:
Dr. Randy O. Frost is the Harold and Elsa Siipola Israel Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Smith College. He is an internationally recognized expert on obsessive-compulsive disorder and hoarding disorder and has published more than 200 scientific articles, books, and book chapters on these topics. Dr. Frost has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and has been co-editor of the Hoarding Center on the IOCDF website. He has co-authored several books on hoarding including Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding. Buried in Treasures received a Self-Help Book of Merit Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy in 2010. This book is the backbone of the Buried in Treasures Workshops that have been found to produce significant improvements in hoarding behaviors and are now running in many locations around the world. He has also published the Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring Therapist Guide and client Workbook. All three of these books are in their second editions. His book, Stuff: Compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things, was a finalist for the 2010 Books for a Better Life Award. Stuff was also a New York Times Bestseller and named a Must-Read Book for 2011 by Massachusetts Book Awards. Stuff has been translated into 4 languages. His newest book, Hoarding Disorder: Comprehensive Clinical Guide, was published in June of 2022. His work has been funded by the IOCDF and the National Institute of Mental Health. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in innovation, treatment, and research in the field of hoarding and cluttering by the Mental Health Association of San Francisco. He has also received a Career Achievement Award from the International OCD Foundation for his work on hoarding and a Distinguished Contribution Award from the New England Psychological Association.
He has given hundreds of talks and workshops on hoarding. His research has been featured on numerous radio and TV news shows including Dateline, CBS Morning News, Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20 Downtown, BBC News, Fresh Air, The Infinite Mind, and the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s The Nature of Things.
