“Lost in the Forest”: A Review of DSM-5

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A review in The London Review of Books of the DSM-5 concludes “The DSM is not a representation of the nature or reality of the varieties of mental illness, and this is a far more radical criticism of it than Insel’s claim that the book lacks ‘validity’. I am saying it is founded on a wrong appreciation of the nature of things. It remains a very useful book for other purposes.”

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13 COMMENTS

  1. Maybe somebody can write the Book of Order. Then, it will all make sense.

    Probably not.

    308.3 for Acute Stress Disorder

    It’s RIGHT and GOOD to recognize that somebody is severely stressed. The RESPONSE matters. A lot.

    If I’m stressed, I should drug myself – according to “science” and “medicine”.

    If I’m stressed, I should pray and meditate, light candles, burn Lavender, take an Epsom Salt bath, hug somebody, etc. – according to Humanity.

    If I’m stressed, I should …

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    • ” And trying to get it right, in revision after revision, perpetuates the long-standing idea that, in our present state of knowledge, the recognised varieties of mental illness should neatly sort themselves into tidy blocks, in the way that plants and animals do.”

      lol. Funny.

      Now that I think of it, it isn’t so funny anymore. Why?

      Because I am in a “tidy block” or, isolated in my apartment. For the longest time, I was locked in my bedroom. Trying to escape, I found myself unable to be in ANY room – bedroom, living room, kitchen. I’d go from room to room, completely unable to escape.

      Got me where you want me, but thanks to the internet I can still run my mouth and say things. I can still EXIST.

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    • mjk,

      I like your idea of “a book of order!” And your ideas to alleviate stress are much better than those of biopsychiatry, so keep up the good work.

      I suggest you get out of that apartment and go for a nice walk on sunny days to get some vitamin D and cheer up. Exercise is a great antidepressant.

      Yes, you do exist and I’m glad you are here with your great sense of humor!

      I guess we should be grateful to be “categorized” like plant categories.

      Did you ever read the book, The Collector?” It’s about a guy who tried to “collect” women, but they ended up dying by being forced to be his specimens. Sound familiar?

      Reminds me of Robert Spitzer, creator of the DSM III, who was inclined to treat people like rock specimens both in his real life and when inventing the bogus DSM when they sold out to Big Pharma! A real gift to mankind to shaft all the women in their lives!! Ha Ha

      How about some ideas from you about what you would put in your “book of order?” I bet you could come up with some brilliant, funny descriptions for that!

      How about finding some volunteer work to get you out of your apartment? Do you have a library nearby? Do you like to read? Reading groups? Some of these can be found online too. Any parks where you live? There are 12 step groups for just about everything and anything to meet people. Churches? Just a few ideas.

      Take care!

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      • “ideas to alleviate stress are much better than those of biopsychiatry”

        I can take no credit. They aren’t my own ideas. I was showing the two primary avenues.

        “go for a nice walk”

        I’ve been walking for years.

        “I’m glad you are here with your great sense of humor!”

        Thanks.

        “Did you ever read the book, The Collector?” It’s about a guy who tried to “collect” women, but they ended up dying by being forced to be his specimens. Sound familiar?”

        That book needs to be retitled. Let’s call it … Effexor XR.

        “Reminds me of Robert Spitzer”

        Which reminds me of Eliot and his shame.

        ““book of order?””

        I think God beat me to it, lol, but I might amuse myself and see what comes out of my pen while I mentally explore what such a thing might consist of. LOL.

        “How about finding”

        A medical malpractice attorney. Because … I’ve found EXACTLY what I’m looking for, what I need and what I want.

        EDIT: I’ve removed the smiley emoticon.

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        • re: Book of Order

          Someone beat me to it.

          From my inbox, America Needs Fatima (dot org)

          “In the new book Return to Order, backed by
          20 years of study, prayer and research, John Horvat II
          explains the real reason why politicians and economists
          can’t fix the economy.

          1. They don’t understand the problem

          The root cause of America’s economic meltdown is moral, not economic. The problem lies deep within the soul and thrives in a warped culture of unrestraint. Politicians and economists don’t get it.

          2. They don’t want the solution

          We’ve embraced Hollywood and neglected God, family and morals. We’re on the verge of a collapse. But no one has the courage to say “the party is OVER.” ”

          Well DUH.

          Sigh.

          And VERGE of collapse? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think the collapse(s) happened a while ago.

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  2. Glad this review of the bogus DSM was posted here since it cites many of the problems with this sordid book of junk science to provide “the collective fantasy of science” behind the DSM per Dr. Allen Francis, editor of DSM IV.

    I recently read this review and was glad that it was negative in many ways. But, as I reread this article, it is obvious that this author still believes that bogus invented stigmas like bipolar and schizophrenia are real mental illnesses that respond to lethal drugs like lithium. It would be nice if such authors would do a modicum of objective homework and research before subjecting all to their gross ignorance obtained via typical Big Pharma/psychiatry ad ploys. Or if such people know the truth, it would be nice if they’d be brave enough to speak out rather than protecting their powerful corrupt cronies.

    Anyway, the author criticizes the comorbidity problem like others using bipolar I as an example in DSM V:

    Throughout the book, many of the diagnoses include a paragraph headed ‘comorbidity’. Here is the entry for Bipolar I disorder:

    Co-occurring mental disorders are common, with the most frequent disorders being any anxiety disorder (e.g. panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobia), occurring in approximately three-fourths of individuals, ADHD, any disruptive impulse-control or conduct disorder (e.g. intermittent explosive disorder, oppositional defiance disorder), and any substance abuse disorder (e.g. alcohol abuse disorder) occur in over half of individuals with Bipolar I disorder.

    I’m glad the author of this article posted this here because it validates my reality that the criminals who created the junk science DSM III to V were deliberately including TRAUMA symptoms for the bogus bipolar stigma so they could misdiagnose all abuse, rape, combat and other trauma victims as bipolar and if caught, confronted or forced, they could pretend the trauma was a comorbid lower level problem with bipolar I the first and foremost “severe mental illness” so the fiend could create a lifelong patient by deliberately updiagnosing to prescribe the latest lethal drugs on patent to make a literal killing per Dr. David Healy in his great book, MANIA: A SHORT HISTORY OF BIPOLAR DISORDER.

    I am totally disgusted with this monstrous profession of deadly lies perpetrating such fraud all along as is clear in the bipolar fad fraud they are trying to inflict on everyone on the planet with Dr. Nassir Ghaemi leading the pack of wolves in sheep’s clothing using every Big Pharma ad ploy to push his sordid agenda. The reason is obvious; the white old boy network and their female whores were very opposed to the PTSD label as they were against anything else that would not be a victim blaming stigma while admitting the context of traumatic, stressful, toxic environments. Dr. Robert Spitzer, the original con artist creator of this junk science fraud, admitted that if any environmental, social stressors or contexts for any of their bogus stigmas were included, the whole vile, corrupt, bogus endeavor would fall apart. According to Wikpedia, the fraud Spitzer now claims regret about all the harm done by DSM III on by refusing to acknowledge any context of environmental stressors. Too little too late per usual with the mental death profession after it destroys countless lives deliberately over and over again!

    Notice how the description says “ANY anxiety disorder” is often comorbid with bipolar I. What a despicable lie and farce! This allows these monstrous lying frauds to include PTSD and so called borderline known to be complex PTSD or trauma related and all other trauma/stress reactions under the vile, life destroying bogus, victim blaming, horrific, death sentence bipolar fad fraud. No wonder the great bipolar pusher, Dr. Ghaemi, is in his glory that DSM 5 has such an expansion of bipolar babble mythology exposed by Dr. David Healy and he longs for the day that all the fraudulent junk science of biopsychiatry lying that bipolar is genetic, faulty brain wiring, chemical imbalance or whatever is the current lie du jour can be promoted with impunity since there never was or will be any real science to back it up. But, that has never stopped these psychopaths before, so it sure won’t now.

    This must be why the corrupt government hacks of DSM 5 changed the PTSD, bipolar, borderline, anxiety, depression and other labels’ symptoms so they could hoodwink everyone that PTSD is a frequent misdiagnosis for bipolar when the opposite is true.

    I have fought with Sidran, the famous trauma foundation, because they falsely claimed bipolar to be comorbid with PTSD. After I sent many articles exposing this fraud by domestic violence trauma and other experts, Sidran removed this offensive, despicable lie and pretense that bipolar and PTSD and related PTSD symptoms are comorbid. Bipolar is a junk science bogus, nonexistent entity with the pretense it is a continuation of Emil Kraepelin (or Craplyin’) since he’s full of crap and lyin’and he’s been used ad nauseaum to push the two most fraudulent and life destroying bogus stigmas of the mental death profession to prey on humanity at large when this is just ancient garbage junk science with NO EVIDENCE TO BACK IT UP. Kraepelin also focused on psychopaths, which the mental death profession has ignored for obvious reasons, but their victims should be very attuned to this horror since those who created biopsychiatry and continue to promote it despite the massive evidence against it are obviously malignant narcissists and/or psychopaths with no conscience, decency, honesty, compassion, empathy or fairness.

    Anyway, I’m grateful for this review in that is exposes what a piece of rubbish is the DSM. However, the author failed to do his homework to see that the bogus voted in junk science stigmas that make up the DSM are the real evil that needs to be exposed and eliminated. Those who knew it all along have been validated that the entire DSM is totally INVALID per Dr. Insel of the NIHM since the truth was so evident to one and all for so long! Thus, nobody should be subjected to this evil, monstrous demolition enterprise perpetrated against their lives by a bunch of self serving toxic drug pushers in bed with Big Pharma and corrupt government hacks.

    Warning: I have been seeing several articles on the web with the vile, disgusting, vicious out and out LIE that bipolar is often misdiagnosed as PTSD. Consider the sadistic con job lie behind this heinous claim in that the mental death profession only likes victim blaming stigmas like bipolar used to force their usual poison and bullying on their powerless abused, traumatized victims, so they often won’t diagnose PTSD even when the evidence is glaring. So, this is one more way for the mental death profession to invalidate those who by some good fortune got the correct label for their PTSD or trauma, so the fiends can either change it to bipolar or make it comorbid to make the bipolar the more critical stigma.

    Psychiatrist Dr. Mark Zimmerman did a study and found a large majority given the bipolar stigma didn’t have it, but did have PTSD or complex PTSD, so it’s obvious that the monsters creating the DSM 5 are out to expand the predatory bipolar stigma thanks in large part to the diabolical influence of Nassir Ghaemi!

    I won’t deny I feel nothing but disgust and contempt for these arrogant frauds!

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  3. “It remains a very useful book for other purposes.”

    Seeing as though I didn’t read the article, I’m going to take a stab at what those purposes could be:

    Origami. Toilet paper. Paper mache. Kindling…

    It also could make a good doorstop. Might I suggest using it for propping open the door to the locked ward in hospital?

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  4. Duane and Donna, glad you liked them!

    I have to say too that I’ve been admiring your respective comments on this site for quite a while now. You both seem to have a knack for keeping it real. Your comments have been invaluable to me as antidote to the nonsense psychiatry churns out.

    Keep up the good work!

    Shawn

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  5. Compare, “I am saying it is founded on a wrong appreciation of the nature of things.” with “It remains a very useful book for other purposes.” And you get some appreciation of this “transitional” time that we’re in.

    Like Insel’s statement of a couple months ago, we see again the equivocation that is going on within the field. The first statement can’t be readily harmonized with the second. Because if the first is correct the second is not. “Other things” is not defined and a bit misleading. The DSM has a stated purpose, namely the identification and classification of so-called mental disorders, so if it’s foundational assumptions are wrong (as I believe them to be) it isn’t “very useful” by definition.

    Insel said very much the same thing but was forced in to equivocating by saying we should keep using the DSM even though it’s not valid because there’s “nothing better” out there.

    As we move through this transitional period I look forward to less equivocation and more honesty.

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    • “The first statement can’t be readily harmonized with the second. Because if the first is correct the second is not. “Other things” is not defined and a bit misleading. The DSM has a stated purpose, namely the identification and classification of so-called mental disorders, so if it’s foundational assumptions are wrong (as I believe them to be) it isn’t “very useful” by definition. ”

      Zing!
      Excellent comment.

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    • There is “nothing better” out there. Correct. “Nothing” is better than the DSM! We’re far better off admitting our ignorance than pretending to know what we don’t, and let’s be honest, intentionally deceiving others into thinking we do.

      When I had to do psych diagnosis, I chose the one that would get the client the service I thought they needed and wanted. If they asked me about it, I’d say, “I just put that down there so the insurance company will pay. It doesn’t really mean anything at all.”

      That’s about the only thing the DSM is useful for – getting money from insurance companies. If clinicians were at least that honest, we might be able to get somewhere else than where we are today.

      —- Steve

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