Understanding the Phenomenon "Pandemic of Mental Disorders in the 21st Century" Based on the Notions of Performance Societyand the Cult of Diagnosis.

• Grant number: 25/09292-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Fernando de Almeida Silveira
• Grantee: João Augusto Pedroso Carvalho dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In recent decades, psychiatric diagnoses have gained undeniable relevance in the social sphere. Beyond the evident rise in the incidence of mental disorders such as ADHD, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Bipolar Affective Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Burnout, these diagnoses have been widely disseminated not only within therapeutic settings but also increasingly present in education, everyday language, mass media, and cultural productions.In this context, the present research aims to analyze the phenomenon of the pandemic of mental disorders in the 21st century from two perspectives: a society in distress, drawing on Byung-Chul Han's concept of the performance society, and the cult of diagnosis, outlining psychosocial dynamics that promote the incorporation of psychiatric culture into contemporary Western culture. (AU)