Psychiatry's civil war - open conflict has broken out among the upper echelons of US psychiatry.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427381.300-psychiatrys-civi...
When doctors disagree with each other, they usually couch their criticisms in careful, measured language. In the past few months, however, open conflict has broken out among the upper echelons of US psychiatry. The focus of discord is a volume called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, which psychiatrists turn to when diagnosing the distressed individuals who turn up at their offices seeking help. Regularly referred to as the profession's bible, the DSM is in the midst of a major rewrite, and feelings are running high.
Two eminent retired psychiatrists are warning that the revision process is fatally flawed. They say the new manual, to be known as DSM-V, will extend definitions of mental illnesses so broadly that tens of millions of people will be given unnecessary and risky drugs. Leaders of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which publishes the manual, have shot back, accusing the pair of being motivated by their own financial interests - a charge they deny. The row is set to come to a head next month when the proposed changes will be published online. For a profession that exists to soothe human troubles, it's incendiary stuff.
First published in 1952, the DSM has its origins in a book used by the US military to determine if recruits were mentally fit for combat. The difficulty of separating mental disorders from normal variation in behaviour made it controversial from the start. Over the years, the book's influence has grown, and today it is used by doctors across the globe.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427381.300-psychiatrys-civi...
When doctors disagree with each other, they usually couch their criticisms in careful, measured language. In the past few months, however, open conflict has broken out among the upper echelons of US psychiatry. The focus of discord is a volume called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, which psychiatrists turn to when diagnosing the distressed individuals who turn up at their offices seeking help. Regularly referred to as the profession's bible, the DSM is in the midst of a major rewrite, and feelings are running high.
Two eminent retired psychiatrists are warning that the revision process is fatally flawed. They say the new manual, to be known as DSM-V, will extend definitions of mental illnesses so broadly that tens of millions of people will be given unnecessary and risky drugs. Leaders of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which publishes the manual, have shot back, accusing the pair of being motivated by their own financial interests - a charge they deny. The row is set to come to a head next month when the proposed changes will be published online. For a profession that exists to soothe human troubles, it's incendiary stuff.
First published in 1952, the DSM has its origins in a book used by the US military to determine if recruits were mentally fit for combat. The difficulty of separating mental disorders from normal variation in behaviour made it controversial from the start. Over the years, the book's influence has grown, and today it is used by doctors across the globe.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427381.300-psychiatrys-civi...
Comment
-
Comment by Jeff on December 18, 2009 at 10:18pm
-
Comment by Marklar on December 16, 2009 at 5:53am
A vague but useful pseudoscience at it's best, an utter nightmare at it's worst.
That about says it. Succinct and to the point.
I'm very typically far more wordy. Psychiatry is based on opinion while medicine is based on science. There are no medical diagnostic tests for ANY psychiatric diseases and this includes Schizophrenia and other such so-called diseases. There are no blood tests, no brain imaging devices, no neurological tests to prove any of these diseases exist. None.
ALL of Psychiatry is based on opinion.
If I were a Psychiatrist and my opinion were that global warming was caused by man, would I be right?
-
Comment by Ron Cesek on December 18, 2009 at 3:21pm
-
" . . free and unnecessary drugs."
Like Fluoride Water for Baby Formula ?
-
Comment by Anti Oligarch on December 18, 2009 at 2:24am
-
Let's hope this escalates to a full out war between them.
-
Comment by Marklar on December 16, 2009 at 5:53am
-
A vague but useful pseudoscience at it's best, an utter nightmare at it's worst.
"Destroying the New World Order"
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!
Latest Activity
- Top News
- Everything
"This screenshot is from a book found by a blogger in his research and gives an eye witnessed…"
The Hunt - Official Trailer [HD]
"A former ANTIFA member was interviewed here recently and this would not be far from actual reality…"
Legacy of Supposedly Inferior Aircraft Outmatching Their Enemies
We think of the Korean War aerial combat as the classic dogfights between the American F-86 Sabre…See More
"This is just another form of a feudal globalism dictated by corporate technocrats bragging about…"
What is Area 2 and What Goes on There?
We have all heard of Area 51 and S-4, along with such terms as Water Town, Papoose Lake,…See More
STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING IN YELLOWSTONE
It’s not the fact that Yellowstone National Park sits atop a super volcano that hasn’t erupted in…See More
Austrian police raid house of man who leaked Israeli ambassador video making genocidal comments
In a new ITV documentary, Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, former Israeli soldiers describe how Gaza civilians were killed, often without warning, in an ...
WARHAMMER 40,000 | 1980's GRIMDARK MOVIE
WARHAMMER 40,000 | 1980's GRIMDARK MOVIEThis is a Concept Movie Trailer made with the help of AI. This video is created purely for fun and out of curiosity a...
"Tavistock Timing"
The Ringside View
Down in the streets where the animals meetWhere tear gas flies and people get beatWhere…See More
© 2025 Created by truth.
Powered by
You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!
Join 12160 Social Network