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Jon Ronson On

Factual: Life Stories

Jon Ronson and guests examine a series of diverse stories and subjects

Jon Ronson examines a series of diverse stories and subjects with the help of contributors from the worlds of comedy, journalism, entertainment and culture

Jon Ronson On: Series 7

Jon Ronson On: Series 7: Episode 3: Being Normal

Episode 3

Episode 3: Being Normal

Series 7

Being Normal

BBC Radio 4 - Jon Ronson On, Series 7, Being Normal

Travelling the UK, Jon Ronson puts a manual of mental disorders to the test.

What does it mean to be normal? Travelling the UK, Jon Ronson puts a manual of mental disorders to the test. From April 2013.

As a new edition of the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is published this year, writer and documentary maker Jon Ronson travels around the UK meeting people whose behaviour might be considered normal, but may soon fall under the criteria of some brand new disorders. 

He goes to a competitive eating competition in Bristol to speak to a man who has been obsessed with his weight. And he visits Adam Buxton, who may be a candidate for "intermittent explosive disorder" as he is prone to losing his temper in an explosive way.

Psychiatrist Dr Joanna Moncrieff says she believes the DSM is amplifying a tendency to label more and more people as having health problems. While Dr Jeffrey Lieberman, president elect of the American Psychiatric Association, which publishes the DSM, defends the manual saying it does not attempt to pathologise normal behaviour such as anger but look at repeated behaviour. 

Jon also hears from David Aaronovitch who was sent to a psychiatrist by his parents for being a shouty teenager and he wonders if, these days, he would be misdiagnosed? Finally Jon speaks to Alex Trenchard who tells his story for the first time of how his obsession with his music festival resulted in a prison sentence.


Producer: Lucy Greenwell
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.

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