Alternative perspective on psychiatry’s so-called mental disorders PHILIP HICKEY, PH.D.
I am a licensed psychologist, presently retired. I have worked in clinical and managerial positions in the mental health, corrections, and addictions fields in the United States and England. My wife and I have been married since 1970 and have four grown children.
The phrase “mental health” as used in the name of this website is simply a term of convenience. It specifically does not imply that the human problems embraced by this term are illnesses, or that their absence constitutes health. Indeed, the fundamental tenet of this site is that there are no mental illnesses, and that conceptualizing human problems in this way is spurious, destructive, disempowering, and stigmatizing.
The purpose of this website is to provide a forum where current practices and ideas in the mental health field can be critically examined and discussed. It is not possible in this kind of context to provide psychological help or advice to individuals who may read this site, and nothing written here should be construed in this manner. Readers seeking psychological help should consult a qualified practitioner in their own local area. They should explain their concerns to this person and develop a trusting working relationship. It is only in a one-to-one relationship of this kind that specific advice should be given or taken.
Yesterday I received the following comment from Dr. Huda, who, believe it or not, still seems to be under the impression that I want to debate him on Twitter!
"Hi I don't read your blog so only found out about this from someone else Debates on social media are usually a non meeting of minds and a waste of time
In any case they don't demonstrate your understanding of psychiatry just debating skills
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Dr. Huda Still Dodging the Issues
After Monday’s post, I received the following tweet from Dr. Huda:
"Dear @BigPhilHickey I find debates over Twitter r largely pointless I am (slowly) writing a book outlining my views"
To which I reply: I never suggested a debate over Twitter. In fact, I stated very clearly that "… Twitter, while an excellent medium for certain kinds of communication, is not a suitable vehicle for serious debate." This entire matter was started by Dr. Huda's assertion on Twitter that I hate psychiatry, and that I get its concepts wrong. In response, I invited Dr. Huda "… to critique any of my writings – to set out which of psychiatry’s concepts I 'get wrong', and to point out the flaws in my analysis." I also made the point that Dr. Huda's original tweet was a way of avoiding the issues. Today's follow-up tweet strikes me as more of the same. So, at the risk of laboring the point, let me make myself perfectly clear. I am inviting – indeed encouraging – Dr. Huda to critique any of my writings. They can be found at Behaviorism and Mental Health. He may write his critique anywhere he chooses, and if he will let me know where it can be found, I promise to reply.
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An Invitation to Debate
A few days ago, I received notification via Tweetdeck that my handle (@BigPhilHickey) had appeared in a Twitter conversation between one of my Twitter followers and Samei Huda, MD. My follower had mentioned me, and had pointed out that I critique “… the ideas, value systems, politics, practice etc of psychiatry…” To which Dr. Huda replied:
"he hates psychiatry and gets its concepts wrong. Anyway I am busy today so will have to ciao :-) "
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Intermittent Explosive Disorder: The 'Illness' That Goes On Growing
According to the APA, intermittent explosive disorder is characterized by angry aggressive outbursts that occur in response to relatively minor provocation.
This particular label has an interesting history in successive editions of the DSM.
DSM I (1952) Intermittent explosive disorder does not appear as such in the first edition of DSM, but the general concept is clearly discernible in “passive-aggressive personality, aggressive type”:
"A persistent reaction to frustration with irritability, temper tantrums, and destructive behavior is the dominant manifestation." (p 37)
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ADHD: A Destructive and Disempowering Label; Not an Illness
In recent years, we’ve seen an increasing number of articles and papers from psychiatrists in which they seem to be accepting at least some of the antipsychiatry criticisms, and appear interested in reforms. It is tempting to see this development as an indication of progress, but as in many aspects of life, things aren’t always what they seem.
Last month (June 2015), The Lancet Psychiatry published a paper online in their Personal View series. The paper is titled Childhood: a suitable case for treatment?, and the authors are Ilina Singh and Simon Wessely. Dr. Singh is Professor of Science, Ethics & Society at King’s College London, and is cross-appointed to the Institute of Psychiatry. Dr. Wessely is professor of psychological medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, and President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
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Benzodiazepines: Miracle Drugs?
The first benzodiazepine – chlordiazepoxide – became available, from Hoffman-La Roche, in 1960, under the brand name Librium. It was soon followed by:
diazepam (Valium) 1963; nitrazepam (Mogadon) and oxazepam (Serax) in 1965; temazepam (Restoril) 1969; clorazepate (Tranxene) 1972; flurazepam (Dalmane) 1973; clonazepam (Klonopin) 1975; lorazepam (Ativan) in 1977; and alprazolam (Xanax) in 1981; etc.
Benzodiazepines are categorized as sedative/hypnotics, which means that they have a relaxing, generally pleasant, sleep-inducing effect, and were embraced promptly by psychiatry for the "treatment" of anxiety, tension, worry, sleeplessness, etc. In this respect, the benzodiazepines largely replaced the earlier barbiturates, which had received a great deal of negative publicity because of their much publicized role in lethal overdoses, both accidental and intentional.
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The way we were brought up and now
I have written before in this. I am hoping to make something all known for you who have worked hard for freedoms we may not always get. Also i have seen some anger from the members who rightfully get angry and want to get through to the people who are not getting what the drugs can do to many. it is not just about the meds with mental health. It is a big part, but see we need to have autonomy within mental health or it will be warring forever over the things that we were duped about in the beginning.
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Allen Frances Saving Psychiatry From Itself?
On October 12, 2014, the eminent psychiatrist Allen Frances, MD, participated in a panel discussion at the Mad In America film festival in Gothenburg, Sweden. After the festival, he wrote an article – Finding a Middle Ground Between Psychiatry and Anti-Psychiatry – for the Huffington Post Blog, summarizing the positions he had discussed at the festival. The article was re-published on MIA on October 26, 2014.
The article is ostensibly an attempt to find common ground between psychiatry and its critics, but the piece contains numerous distortions and omissions which I think need to be identified and discussed.
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Psychiatric Drugs and Mass Murder
On June 12, an interesting and important article was posted on pharmabuse.com. The article is titled Army Report: Fort Hood Mass Shooter Ivan Lopez On Psychotropic Cocktail Of Celexa, Wellbutrin, Ambien, Lunesta. Ivan Lopez-Lopez is the second Fort Hood shooter, who killed three people and then himself on April 2, 2014.
Here are some quotes:
"On January 23, 2015, the Army released its long anticipated report on the second fatal mass shootings at Fort Hood that occurred on April 2, 2014. In support of the report, the Army simultaneously released five appendices contained in nineteen other files pertaining to Specialist Ivan Lopez's deadly shooting rampage."
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Allen Frances 'Replies'
BACKGROUND
On June 19, 2015, I published a post titled Allen Frances’ Ties to Johnson & Johnson. In that post, I set out some very serious allegations against Dr. Frances. I drew these allegations from a document titled Special Witness Report dated October 15, 2010. The report was written by David Rothman, PhD, Professor of Social Medicine at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Rothman’s report was produced in the context of a lawsuit filed by the State of Texas against Janssen Pharmaceutica, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
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