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.
Allen Frances and the "Overdiagnosing" of Children
On October 31, 2016, the very eminent psychiatrist Allen Frances, MD, architect of DSM-IV, published an article on his Psychology Today blog, Saving Normal. The article is titled DSM-5 Diagnoses In Kids Should Always Be Written In Pencil. (The piece also appeared on the Huffington Post Blog on the same date.) The subheading is “Mislabelling children and adolescents is frequent and can haunt them for life”
As in many of Dr. Frances’s recent articles, the bulk of the text is written by someone else, and Dr. Frances provides an introduction and a summary/conclusion. In this case, the core of the article is written. by Juan Vasen and Gisela Untoiglich of Forum Infancias, an Argentine organization of mental health workers dedicated to the “proper diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents”.
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Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the President-Elect
CLARIFICATION
This post is a critique of psychiatry's spurious personality disorder diagnoses. It is neither a defense, nor a condemnation, of Mr. Trump. In my view, it is right and proper that we the people should comment freely on, and criticize, our political leaders, as we deem appropriate. But assigning spurious psychiatric labels is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, it adds nothing useful to the discussion. Secondly, it affords unwarranted validity and reliability to what are nothing more than loose collections of inherently vague thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, with no explanatory significance.
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The Biological Evidence for "Mental Illness"
On January 2, 2017, I published a short post titled Carrie Fisher Dead at Age 60 on Behaviorism and Mental Health. The article was published simultaneously on Mad in America.
On January 4, a response from Carolina Partners was entered into the comments string on both sites.
Carolina Partners in Mental Healthcare, PLLC, is a large psychiatric group practice based in North Carolina. According to their website, they comprise 14 psychiatrists, 7 psychologists, 34 Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioners/Physicians Assistants, and 43 Therapists and Counselors. They have 27 North Carolina locations.
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Carrie Fisher, Dead at Age 60
Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27, 2016, at the early age of 60.
In a 2001 article on Healthy Place, she was described as “Perhaps one of manic-depression’s best-known champions…”
Here’s another quote from the same article:
"I'm fine, but I'm bipolar. I'm on seven medications, and I take medication three times a day. This constantly puts me in touch with the illness I have. I'm never quite allowed to be free of that for a day. It's like being a diabetic."
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My Response to a Defender of Psychiatry
On October 13, an interesting article was published on the Huffington Post Blog. The author is Jessica Gold, MD, a psychiatry resident at Stanford University; the post is titled Inpatient Psychiatry: Not all Needles, Drugs And Locks.
The article is a personal experience/opinion piece, the gist of which is that people who criticize or condemn psychiatry simply don’t understand the complexities and needs of psychiatry’s “patients”, particularly the need for locked wards.
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Murphy Bill Being Sneaked Into House Legislation
This morning I received an email from Oldhead, who has been active in opposing the Murphy Bill. Here are two quotes from the email:
"As succinctly as possible -- the main language from MURPHY (including AOT funding) has been consolidated with another bill, the 21ST CENTURY CURES bill, which is being introduced as a House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 34, Tsunami Warning, Education and Research Act of 2015.' In other words, Murphy is being slipped through on another bill’s coattails, if Murphy, Jaffee & Co. have their say."
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Neuroleptic Drugs, Akathisia, and Suicide and Violence
Thirty-three years ago, in August 1983, an article titled Suicide Associated with Akathisia and Depot Fluphenazine Treatment appeared in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. The authors were Katherine Shear, MD, Allen Frances, MD, and Peter Weiden, MD.
Here are some quotes, interspersed with my comments/observations:
"Akathisia is a common and distressing side effect of neuroleptic medication that can be difficult to recognize and treat. Several previous reports mention maladaptive behavioral consequences, such as poor compliance with prescribed medication and aggressive or self-destructive outbursts. We are reporting suicides in two young Hispanic men who had developed severe akathisia after treatment with depot fluphenazine. Depression with suicidal behavior has been observed following fluphenazine injection, but suicide associated with akathisia has not been previously noted."
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A Bill to Explore the Relationship Between Veteran Suicides and Prescription Medication
On September 28, US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a bill in the Senate titled Veteran Overmedication Prevention Act (S. 3410). This is a companion bill to HR 4640, Veteran Suicide Prevention Act introduced in the House by Congressman David Jolly (R-FL) earlier this year. The objective of both bills is to combat suicide deaths by ensuring that accurate information is available on the relationship between suicides and prescription “medication”. At the present time, 20 US veterans a day are dying by suicide.
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ADHD: A Destructive Psychiatric Hoax
INTRODUCTION
Earlier this year, Alan Schwarz, an investigative reporter for the New York Times, published his latest book: ADHD Nation.
The blurb on the jacket states:
"More than 1 in 7 American children get diagnosed with ADHD—three times what experts have said is appropriate—meaning that millions of kids are misdiagnosed and taking medications such as Adderall or Concerta for a psychiatric condition they probably do not have. The numbers rise every year. And still, many experts and drug companies deny any cause for concern. In fact, they say that adults and the rest of the world should embrace ADHD and that its medications will transform their lives.
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Psychiatry
Hi All,
Phil, I agree with you on the dismal and almost criminal state of psychiatry, today.
I have mixed feelings about Benzos, however, because of the almost unbearable chronic anxiety attacks I was having.
Take a pill and anxiety gone. It helped keep me alive at the time. But now, 3 years later I take a small dose of Benzos daily and I am an addict.
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