A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders

Recently Nick Stuart, a regular commenter on this website, drew my attention to Dr. Steven Novella. Dr. Novella is a strong supporter of the standard psychiatric system, and routinely refers to those of us who challenge these concepts as “mental illness deniers."(Mental Illness Denial Part I) Nick referred me to some of Dr. Novella’s articles, and I published a brief response. I have been giving these matters some thought, however, and I think the subject matter warrants more attention. This is because Dr. Novella does indeed marshal some compelling arguments in other areas, and also because he routinely condemns us “deniers” as illogical employers of “…semantic misdirection and evasion…” ...

I’ve recently come across another DSM critic – or as Dr. Novella terms us – a mental illness denier. His name is Peter Kinderman, and he is head of the Institute of Psychology, Health and Society at the University of Liverpool. He has recently written an article called "Grief and anxiety are not mental illnesses." Here are some quotes: "For a few of us, our experiences of abuse or failure lead us to feel that life is not worth living. We need to recognise these human truths and we need to offer help. But we should not regard these human experiences as symptoms of a mental illness." ...

This post was updated on March 22, 2015 to incorporate suggestions from a reader. Recently I was asked by an acquaintance for some suggestions for dealing with a bout of depression. As I was writing these out it occurred to me that the material might have some general interest, so I decided to publish it as a new post. Over the years I have worked with a great many people who expressed concerns about dealing with depression. These are the suggestions I gave these individuals which I believe were the most helpful: ...

I routinely state that there are no mental illnesses, but I also make it clear that the behaviors, habits, and problems which are labeled as mental illnesses are very real and can be very disturbing to the individuals involved and to those around them. My general position is that dysfunctional and counterproductive habits are acquired in exactly the same way as productive habits. For this reason, I emphasize the importance of childhood and adolescence as the time of life when many of our habits, stances, and orientations are being laid down. ...

Jay Joseph, PhD has posted an interesting piece: “Five Decades of Gene Finding Failures in Psychiatry” on Mad in America (Robert Whitaker’s site). It is well worth a read. The general content of the article is clear from the title. Here are some quotes: "Two generations of molecular genetic researchers have attempted, yet failed, to discover the genes that they believe underlie the major psychiatric disorders." "Despite the sequencing of the human genome and the publication of more than 1,700 schizophrenia molecular genetic studies, we have witnessed over 40 years of gene finding claims, and over 40 years of subsequently non-replicated findings." ...

Christopher Lane, author of Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness, has a new post, in which he attacks the APA for including somatic symptom disorder (SSD) in the upcoming DSM-5. Dr. Lane quotes from Allen Francis (former DSM guru who has now seen the light) and Suzy Chapman, a UK health advocate. Both of these commentators attack the new “diagnosis” as invalid, unreliable, and potentially over-inclusive. Here are some quotes: ...

Elsewhere on this site, I have argued that depression is not an illness, but rather is an adaptive mechanism that encourages us to make changes in our habits or our circumstances. I have written about what I call the seven natural anti-depressants: good nutrition; fresh air; sunshine (in moderation); physical activity; purposeful activity; good relationships; and adequate and regular sleep. But the question has often been posed: Why does this adaptive mechanism apparently not work in some cases? Why is it that for some people the unpleasant feeling fails to act as a spur to make changes, and instead the person sinks further into despondency and inactivity? ...

I have written frequently on this website about the hand-in-glove relationship between psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical companies. It is my general position that the business-first orientation of the pharmaceutical companies, coupled with their willingness to pay large sums of money to co-operative psychiatrists, has been, and continues to be, a corrupting influence. I have recently come across two articles by Carl Elliot, MD, PhD. “How to Get Away with Academic Misconduct at the University of Minnesota,” and “And That’s the News from the Department of Psychiatry." ...

By now I guess everybody knows that psychiatry is under attack. The attack is four-pronged: the “diagnoses” are spurious; the drugs are damaging; the deception is blatant and deliberate; and the ties to Big Pharma are corrupting. I have discussed all of these topics in great detail throughout the website. This week I’ve come across interesting responses from two different psychiatrists. First, Adrian Preda, MD, from California. Dr. Preda apparently attributes at least some of the anti-psychiatry groundswell to the ignorance of the general public and the bias of the media, whom he contrasts to the well-informed experts who understand the nuances. The article is brief and vague, but by experts I think he means psychiatrists! ...

A regular commenter to this website has drawn my attention to a bill that has been proposed in the Connecticut state legislature. The bill would require public school and homeschooled children to be assessed by mental health practitioners at grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. The bill, sponsored by Senator Toni Harp and Representative Toni Walker, is in response to the recent Sandy Hook murders. And so it starts. Given the built-in vagueness of the DSM, and the inclusiveness bias of the mental health business, the outcome of these screenings (should the bill become law) is predictable: more and more parents disempowered with regards to their parenting responsibilities; more drugged children, and, tragically, more mass murders. ...