Psychiatry is “….a presumed medical specialty that has no reputable theory about the alleged internal dysfunction that causes mental illness, that has no biomarkers with which to diagnose those illnesses, yet that has a long history of coercing people to act, think, and feel in accordance with an ill-defined and ever-changing set of moral standards.”
Psychiatry is nothing more than a medicalized game of Blind Man’s Bluff. And it’s guilty of Willful Blindness until it changes.
Psychiatry has become the polite term for drug dealing, because instead of advocating for healthier mindsets, behaviors, and lifestyles, they create drug addicts.
So why wouldn’t they want their “patients” addicted to their “treatments” when that’s their business? Very paternalistic, i.e. “Big Daddy Knows Best”.
Generally, I like what Gabor Mate says. However, I always had the strange sense that he’s missing something, which always left me wondering: Does he not appreciate the way most people are forced to live?
I could never decide if he was being cowardly, or if it just never occurred to him how much deferential treatment he receives because he has “Dr.” in front of his name.
I read your essay yesterday and I’m in awe of it and you. Your insights and intelligence are AMAZING. I see it as a blueprint for the future.
And thank you, thank you, thank you Lisa, for being you, above all else.
I just took a look at “The Illusion of Psychotherapy” on Amazon and it sounds well worth reading as Epstein addresses the many social-relational causes of psychic distress.
I look forward to getting a copy once I find one less pricey.
True.
Often people with money and/or advanced education (the so-called “elites”) either don’t know or have forgotten what it’s like to be low man on the totem pole and the consequences that real people can face if they dare call out the powers that be.
“To see what “Science” is made of, we need only observe what happens when it collides with power, pounds, payola, politics or promotional prospects, perhaps?”
“People need to ask about all those patients who as teenagers became patients in the late 1980’s with Prozac and have been compliant and ask simply where are they today? Homeless? Jobless? Severely ill or dead?”
Psychiatry would hide that “data” if they had it—or try to give it a “positive” spin.
Correction: Whether psychiatry does this deliberately or not is of NO CONSEQUENCE, because the results are THE SAME: iatrogenic illness, disability and death, which makes psychiatry’s claims of bearing no responsibility completely invalid.
Aftab can soft-soap about psychiatry all he wants, but it doesn’t change the fact that psychiatry is a dishonest, exploitative organization whose long history of misinforming the public has allowed it to misuse its power against the most vulnerable people with virtually NO consequences and continues to do so TO THIS DAY.
And this has happened because until now the public has lacked access to information that tells them THE TRUTH behind psychiatry’s many FALSE CLAIMS:
1. That psychiatric diagnoses are physically rooted
2. That psychiatric drugs correct “chemical imbalances” or other physical processes
3. That these drugs pose little risk to people’s physical and/or psychological health
And whether not psychiatry does or has done this deliberately is of NO CONSEQUENCE, because the results are THE SAME: iatrogenic illness, disability or even death.
And no amount of charm or savvy on the part of any slickly packaged internet shill can change this AWFUL TRUTH.
Correction: Any non-drug therapies psychiatry lays claim to are already being done by people and organizations that have no connections to the drug world, legal or illegal. And as a result, people are experiencing better outcomes than psychiatry’s depraved world of “medication” side effects and any ensuing drug withdrawal.
Aftab is the face of something that has morphed into a world-wide, legalized drug ring. And no amount of philosophizing can change that.
Any other “therapies” it lays claim to are already being done by other people or organizations with no connections to the drug world which just happen to be showing “better outcomes”. And what are “better outcomes”? No drug-induced side effects or withdrawal effects.
No one is safe from psychiatry’s clutches. It strategically targets the entire globe through its trademark insidious fashion: Direct To Consumer Advertising —
“The DSM mindset is now so thoroughly embedded within the culture it’s massively eroding the ability of people in describe their uniqueness and shifting emotional reactions and states in anything other than psychiatric language.”
It’s become the biggest source of cultural pollution.
“Recently, he [Aftab] has written a curious blog about the Power Threat Meaning Framework, in which he claims that a) no one has ever heard of it b) everyone thinks it is rubbish c) everyone needs to be warned against it….. and attributes the authors’ motivations to ‘active hostility….against diagnosis’. Which doesn’t really stand up as an evidence-based refutation.”
He says that stuff because the PTMF rattles his cage. And don’t be surprised if sooner or later he tries to hijack the idea with his own distorted version. But he’d be much better off if he’d a) own his own ‘active hostility’, b) quit his twitter habit, and c) stop dabbling in philosophy that only makes him sound more ridiculous.
And as for him claiming that no one has ever heard of the Power Threat Meaning Framework: it’s my understanding that people at the World Health Organization have heard of it.
I’ve learned one thing dealing with psychiatry: it’s best not to engage with it at all, because it’s full of people like Aftab who will defend their dubious “diagnoses” till their dying day.
Thank you for the extraordinary work you do. You’ve created a template based on honesty, respect, trust, personal agency and mutual growth, which are the only things that make any sense, and things I found sorely lacking both in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Listening deeply with an open heart and open mind is what’s most important in life.
You’ve given me a lot to think about.
And thank you for your links.
Birdsong
Psychiatry’s current recognition of trauma and neurodiversity just provides more opportunities for psychiatry to invent more meaningless and ultimately stigmatizing labels, and more opportunities for psychiatry to peddle more harmful drugs, which obviously means more money for them.
Psychiatry is Opportunistic Medicine, and labels and drugs are all they’ve got.
Tanya says, “…I think there is such a defensiveness on the part of many psychiatrists. I think that my narrative was perhaps just something that was too challenging and would’ve caused a lot of reflection on their part, and that reflection could probably be very painful, I’m sure.”
Psychiatry is the modern version of the Tower of Babel, and it’s DSM is its Book of Babble.
So expecting serious reflection from people schooled in psychiatry is like waiting for the second coming of Christ.
Psychiatry is immune to meaningful reflection, because it would mean the end of psychiatry.
Another look at Aftab’s twitter tells me he’s much too busy promoting himself to spend any time reading anything that doesn’t flatter his already inflated ego. So here’s something short and sweet from Psychology Today:
“Review: The Book of Woe: Why the DSM is doomed to fail”, by Helene Guldberg, PhD
And for something more visually entertaining, Aftab might watch this: “The Myth of Low-Serotonin & Antidepressants – Dr. David Horowitz”, courtesy After Skool
And if that’s not too taxing, Aftab might pick up a copy of “A Profession Without Reason: The Crisis of Contemporary Psychiatry—Untangled and Solved by Spinoza, Free-Thinking and Radical Enlightenment”, by Bruce Levine, PhD.
Thank you for sharing your poignant story. You’ve been through hell and back, but congratulations on making it out alive. I totally relate to your saying this:
“The only therapy that made sense to me was self-introspection and a lot of reading about trauma from compassionate experts…”
And you’re absolutely right that no one should have to experience and heal from psychiatric gaslighting and abuse. But it’s my belief believe that psychiatry’s current recognition of trauma and neurodiversity is no more than lip service.
Thank you very much, lcjohnstone. And thank you for the wonderful link.
Aftab’s inviting two senior psychiatrists to oppose you proves you set his pants on fire, but I bet he had the old farts lined up long before the interview, as anyone who dares speak the truth poses a threat their identity and Power. And Aftab’s insistence on proving abstractions proves he’s a fool, a fraud, and a fake.
Someone needs to ask Aftab about the philosophy of bait and switch.
Definition for Bait and Switch: Fraudulent or deceptive practice.
The ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (such as political support), then thwarting expectations with something less desirable.
Aftab’s the perfect front man for a “profession” that sees its days are numbered, but his carefully modulated hissy fits are a testament to MIA’s integrity. He sees the writing on the wall and it has him running scared…
You might find some videos and books by Daniel Mackler to be helpful, rasselas.redux. He’s a former therapist who addresses childhood trauma and breaking from one’s parents with a lot of understanding.
Psychiatry claims to be medicine, but it’s actually a socially acceptable form of drug trafficking that lobbied for DTCA at the end last century. It’s not about health, but the bottom line.
Definition for Blind Man’s Bluff:
TAKING A CHANCE ON A SOMETHING WITHOUT RHYME OR REASON TO YOUR POSITION
Definition for Willful Blindness: intentionally keeping unaware of facts that would render liability or implication
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Psychiatry is “….a presumed medical specialty that has no reputable theory about the alleged internal dysfunction that causes mental illness, that has no biomarkers with which to diagnose those illnesses, yet that has a long history of coercing people to act, think, and feel in accordance with an ill-defined and ever-changing set of moral standards.”
Psychiatry is nothing more than a medicalized game of Blind Man’s Bluff. And it’s guilty of Willful Blindness until it changes.
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And here’s where the “cure” lies:
“Digging In the Dirt”, by Peter Gabriel
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Psychiatry has become the polite term for drug dealing, because instead of advocating for healthier mindsets, behaviors, and lifestyles, they create drug addicts.
So why wouldn’t they want their “patients” addicted to their “treatments” when that’s their business? Very paternalistic, i.e. “Big Daddy Knows Best”.
It’s the new white collar crime.
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And here’s a song that should be on everyone’s playlist:
“Twisted”, sung by Joni Mitchell
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I’m dizzy with cognitive dissonance at the insanity of it all…
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Definitely one of Class and privilege.
Generally, I like what Gabor Mate says. However, I always had the strange sense that he’s missing something, which always left me wondering: Does he not appreciate the way most people are forced to live?
I could never decide if he was being cowardly, or if it just never occurred to him how much deferential treatment he receives because he has “Dr.” in front of his name.
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Your most welcome, Lisa.
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I read your essay yesterday and I’m in awe of it and you. Your insights and intelligence are AMAZING. I see it as a blueprint for the future.
And thank you, thank you, thank you Lisa, for being you, above all else.
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Fascinating.
Brought to mind this classic music video from once upon a time….
“Shock The Monkey”, by Peter Gabriel
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What speaks to people is entirely personal, and often can’t be anticipated. And I’ve no idea what “right-brain maleness” means.
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Absolutely. But I’m more committed to honoring the human being from which all art springs.
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Topher,
I just took a look at “The Illusion of Psychotherapy” on Amazon and it sounds well worth reading as Epstein addresses the many social-relational causes of psychic distress.
I look forward to getting a copy once I find one less pricey.
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And here’s something NO ONE should miss:
“May Cause Side Effects”, by Brooke Siem
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COMPLETELY INVALID!!!
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True.
Often people with money and/or advanced education (the so-called “elites”) either don’t know or have forgotten what it’s like to be low man on the totem pole and the consequences that real people can face if they dare call out the powers that be.
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“To see what “Science” is made of, we need only observe what happens when it collides with power, pounds, payola, politics or promotional prospects, perhaps?”
Welcome to the 21st century.
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“My Story Is Full of Lies”, by Pata Suyemoto
Moving. Haunting. AND FULL OF TRUTH.
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I feel the need to hurl every time I hear the term “character defect”.
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Big Pharma and Big Psychiatry are always planning ahead. It’s what Big Business does.
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“People need to ask about all those patients who as teenagers became patients in the late 1980’s with Prozac and have been compliant and ask simply where are they today? Homeless? Jobless? Severely ill or dead?”
Psychiatry would hide that “data” if they had it—or try to give it a “positive” spin.
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Agree 100%. All talk, no substance.
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And psychiatry DOESN’T GIVE A DAMN about the people it harms; it only sees “patients” as COLLATERAL DAMAGE —
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“…ideology over reality..”
That’s the perfect definition for psychiatry.
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Correction: Whether psychiatry does this deliberately or not is of NO CONSEQUENCE, because the results are THE SAME: iatrogenic illness, disability and death, which makes psychiatry’s claims of bearing no responsibility completely invalid.
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Removed for moderation.
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Aftab can soft-soap about psychiatry all he wants, but it doesn’t change the fact that psychiatry is a dishonest, exploitative organization whose long history of misinforming the public has allowed it to misuse its power against the most vulnerable people with virtually NO consequences and continues to do so TO THIS DAY.
And this has happened because until now the public has lacked access to information that tells them THE TRUTH behind psychiatry’s many FALSE CLAIMS:
1. That psychiatric diagnoses are physically rooted
2. That psychiatric drugs correct “chemical imbalances” or other physical processes
3. That these drugs pose little risk to people’s physical and/or psychological health
And whether not psychiatry does or has done this deliberately is of NO CONSEQUENCE, because the results are THE SAME: iatrogenic illness, disability or even death.
And no amount of charm or savvy on the part of any slickly packaged internet shill can change this AWFUL TRUTH.
Report comment
Removed for moderation.
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Correction: Any non-drug therapies psychiatry lays claim to are already being done by people and organizations that have no connections to the drug world, legal or illegal. And as a result, people are experiencing better outcomes than psychiatry’s depraved world of “medication” side effects and any ensuing drug withdrawal.
Report comment
Aftab is the face of something that has morphed into a world-wide, legalized drug ring. And no amount of philosophizing can change that.
Any other “therapies” it lays claim to are already being done by other people or organizations with no connections to the drug world which just happen to be showing “better outcomes”. And what are “better outcomes”? No drug-induced side effects or withdrawal effects.
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But maybe he’d be able to catch the beat by cranking up the hurdy gurdy to this snappy tune: “One Thing Leads To Another”, by The Fixx
But I doubt he could handle the lyrics.
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No one is safe from psychiatry’s clutches. It strategically targets the entire globe through its trademark insidious fashion: Direct To Consumer Advertising —
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Correction: Psychiatry’s a profession of Power, HUGE egos, and deliberate MISREPRESENTATION.
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Or maybe it’s groupthink. Or even gaslighting….
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And dispensing an endless supply of cognitive dissonance.
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And VERY thirsty for validation.
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He’s tripping over himself trying to dance the Ad Hominem Shuffle.
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Here’s Aftab’s idea of progress:
1. More diagnoses
2. More drugs
3. Less dissenting opinion
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“The DSM mindset is now so thoroughly embedded within the culture it’s massively eroding the ability of people in describe their uniqueness and shifting emotional reactions and states in anything other than psychiatric language.”
It’s become the biggest source of cultural pollution.
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Aftab’s keeping busy, alright. He just posted a response to Mr. Whitaker’s essay, which, unsurprisingly, is quite condescending.
All I can say is Aftab seems like one touchy guy.
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lcjohnstone says:
“Recently, he [Aftab] has written a curious blog about the Power Threat Meaning Framework, in which he claims that a) no one has ever heard of it b) everyone thinks it is rubbish c) everyone needs to be warned against it….. and attributes the authors’ motivations to ‘active hostility….against diagnosis’. Which doesn’t really stand up as an evidence-based refutation.”
He says that stuff because the PTMF rattles his cage. And don’t be surprised if sooner or later he tries to hijack the idea with his own distorted version. But he’d be much better off if he’d a) own his own ‘active hostility’, b) quit his twitter habit, and c) stop dabbling in philosophy that only makes him sound more ridiculous.
And as for him claiming that no one has ever heard of the Power Threat Meaning Framework: it’s my understanding that people at the World Health Organization have heard of it.
I’ve learned one thing dealing with psychiatry: it’s best not to engage with it at all, because it’s full of people like Aftab who will defend their dubious “diagnoses” till their dying day.
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Dear Lauren,
Thank you for the extraordinary work you do. You’ve created a template based on honesty, respect, trust, personal agency and mutual growth, which are the only things that make any sense, and things I found sorely lacking both in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Listening deeply with an open heart and open mind is what’s most important in life.
You’ve given me a lot to think about.
And thank you for your links.
Birdsong
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“BPD” is a wastebasket diagnosis…”.
So is every other “psychiatric diagnosis”.
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Correction: BPD is the medicalized TERM for “bitch”.
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Psychiatry’s current recognition of trauma and neurodiversity just provides more opportunities for psychiatry to invent more meaningless and ultimately stigmatizing labels, and more opportunities for psychiatry to peddle more harmful drugs, which obviously means more money for them.
Psychiatry is Opportunistic Medicine, and labels and drugs are all they’ve got.
Report comment
Tanya says, “…I think there is such a defensiveness on the part of many psychiatrists. I think that my narrative was perhaps just something that was too challenging and would’ve caused a lot of reflection on their part, and that reflection could probably be very painful, I’m sure.”
Psychiatry is the modern version of the Tower of Babel, and it’s DSM is its Book of Babble.
So expecting serious reflection from people schooled in psychiatry is like waiting for the second coming of Christ.
Psychiatry is immune to meaningful reflection, because it would mean the end of psychiatry.
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“This story is all too typical of psychiatric oppression.”
Absolutely. And it’s a story that needs to be told, desperately.
Thank you Tanya.
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But Aftab obviously has Schizoid disorder. Must be from trying to mix psychiatry with philosophy.
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More on Bait and Switch:
1. Psychiatry promises relief from pain through drugs that cause iatrogenic harm, which it then denies
2. Psychotherapy promises psychological freedom by creating emotional dependence on “therapy”, which it then denies
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Rasx says, “….ad hominem is psychiatry’s stock in trade…”.
You forgot drug pushing.
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Another look at Aftab’s twitter tells me he’s much too busy promoting himself to spend any time reading anything that doesn’t flatter his already inflated ego. So here’s something short and sweet from Psychology Today:
“Review: The Book of Woe: Why the DSM is doomed to fail”, by Helene Guldberg, PhD
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Correction: Aftab’s inviting two psychiatrists to oppose you proves his pants are on fire.
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But like all politicians, Aftab’s greatest strength lies in talking out of both sides of his mouth.
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And for something more visually entertaining, Aftab might watch this: “The Myth of Low-Serotonin & Antidepressants – Dr. David Horowitz”, courtesy After Skool
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Correction: psychiatry is a profession of insults (DSM) practiced by insulting people.
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And if that’s not too taxing, Aftab might pick up a copy of “A Profession Without Reason: The Crisis of Contemporary Psychiatry—Untangled and Solved by Spinoza, Free-Thinking and Radical Enlightenment”, by Bruce Levine, PhD.
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BPD is medical misogyny.
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Dear Lisa,
Thank you for sharing your poignant story. You’ve been through hell and back, but congratulations on making it out alive. I totally relate to your saying this:
“The only therapy that made sense to me was self-introspection and a lot of reading about trauma from compassionate experts…”
And you’re absolutely right that no one should have to experience and heal from psychiatric gaslighting and abuse. But it’s my belief believe that psychiatry’s current recognition of trauma and neurodiversity is no more than lip service.
Thank you again for your remarkable testimony.
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I believe it’s called collective insanity.
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Or their half-cocked “genetics” theory.
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Definition for Magical Thinking: believing that genetics explains psychic suffering
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Psychiatry is a profession of Power, big egos, and deliberate misperception.
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It’s obvious that getting under Aftab’s skin is easy.
He’d be well advised to fix the carefully concealed chip on his shoulder.
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Correction: psychiatry is a religion more than anything else, because it believes in magical thinking.
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And psychiatry has no answers to explain that either.
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Psychiatry’s poisoned chalice is a jug of Kool-Aid. And Aftab’s the perfect Kool-Aid Man.
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He clearly loves being psychiatry’s latest Golden Boy.
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Thank you very much, lcjohnstone. And thank you for the wonderful link.
Aftab’s inviting two senior psychiatrists to oppose you proves you set his pants on fire, but I bet he had the old farts lined up long before the interview, as anyone who dares speak the truth poses a threat their identity and Power. And Aftab’s insistence on proving abstractions proves he’s a fool, a fraud, and a fake.
And thank you for lighting the match.
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Aftab’s a politician, more than anything else, because psychiatry is politics, more than anything else.
And if that were not the case, there’d be no cause for argument.
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Correction: Aftab needs to realize he can’t out-philosophize the truth.
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BPD is the medicalized form for “bitch”.
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I’m so glad you finally you finally heard a voice. It must have been your own.
Daniel was that voice for me.
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An even better question: What makes Aftab want to be a publicity hound?
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Here’s the “science” behind Aftab’s psychiatry: “It IS so because we SAY so!”
Yet for all his disorganized rhetoric, he fails to answer the most basic philosophical question: WHAT THE FUCK IS PSYCHIATRY TRYING TO DO?
Here’s more food for thought: “On the Heels of Ignorance: Psychiatry and the Politics of Not Knowing” by Owen Whooley
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Is psychiatry mostly hard or soft power?
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How is Brand a hypocrite?
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I think Aftab wears two hats at the same time: drug-pushing theologian AND drug-pushing propagandist.
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You gotta hand it to Aftab. After all, it must be tough being an apologist for psychiatry in this day and age.
But as the saying goes, “It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it.”
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Maybe Aftab should spend a little less time twittering and a little more time listening.
And here’s something that just might expand his awareness a wee bit:
“Psychiatry’s Cycle of Ignorance and Reinvention: An Interview with Owen Whooley”, a conversation with Ayurdhi Dahl, PhD, courtesy MIA
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Someone needs to ask Aftab about the philosophy of bait and switch.
Definition for Bait and Switch: Fraudulent or deceptive practice.
The ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (such as political support), then thwarting expectations with something less desirable.
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Psychiatry needs to go the way of the girdle.
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Believe this:
Psychiatry has no facts to back up its claims, by god.
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Doctors in general give me the creeps.
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It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same:
“Mother’s Little Helper: The History of Valium”, historyhit.com
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If Aftab felt secure in his convictions, he wouldn’t bother with MIA —
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Psychiatry doesn’t “treat disease”, it creates iatrogenic illness.
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Correction: Aftab needs to realize he can’t outtalk the truth.
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What Aftab fails to see is this:
Psychiatry will eventually collapse under the weight of its own lies—with or without MIA.
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Aftab needs to check his calendar: it’s 2023, not 1983, so controlling the narrative’s a thing of the past, thanks to the internet.
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It used to be barefoot and pregnant. Now it’s drugged and compliant.
“Mother’s little helper”: Vintage Drug Ads Aimed at Women, goretro.com
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Aftab needs to realize he can’t outrun the truth.
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Aftab’s the perfect front man for a “profession” that sees its days are numbered, but his carefully modulated hissy fits are a testament to MIA’s integrity. He sees the writing on the wall and it has him running scared…
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No, but the robots who prescribe sure do.
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You might find some videos and books by Daniel Mackler to be helpful, rasselas.redux. He’s a former therapist who addresses childhood trauma and breaking from one’s parents with a lot of understanding.
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Psychiatry claims to be medicine, but it’s actually a socially acceptable form of drug trafficking that lobbied for DTCA at the end last century. It’s not about health, but the bottom line.
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What world do these researchers live in?
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Sad how much things have changed….
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