“Yet more challenging, there were the staff members whose behaviour was difficult to understand. The staff who seemed to enjoy provoking patients into behaviours they were then punished for… It’s odd to see how readily we accept and even crave these characters in our films or books, but don’t want to believe that they exist within our real staff. Why is this?”
I’ve also noticed this tendency and don’t quite understand it. Similarly, people will readily admit that psychiatry throughout its history has been corrupt and abusive (the treatment of homosexuals for example). But for some reason, they are completely resistant to the idea that psychiatry might still be corrupt and abusive.
The theory is that relatively older players compete with relatively younger players, gaining a substantial advantage (particularly in youth sports). I wonder if something similar is happening with ADHD diagnoses. The relatively younger children perform worse in school simply because their brains are younger, and psychiatrists diagnose the contrived difference as a medical condition.
This is a disturbing topic, but I really appreciate you speaking out about it. I’ve been abused by psychiatry myself, and it’s quite difficult to talk about with people. Thank you for bringing attention to this important matter, and I’m interested in reading more of your work.
Thomsen claimed that ADHD drugs effectively reduce core symptoms of ADHD and lower the risk of crime and involvement in traffic accidents, which is not correct. He furthermore opined that “The study has great clinical significance, as we know that compliance with medical treatment among ADHD patients is low. The study emphasises the necessity of well-planned psychoeducation and help for retention in the medical treatment.”
—
The phrase “help for retention is the medical treatment” is unsettling. I’m worried that Thomsen is hinting at compulsory prescription.
“Conventional doctors responded to the challenge posed by medical dissidents by forming a guild in 1847. This was the American Medical Association. Some of the AMA’s early work was certainly important, but the guild also sought to monopolize medicine by outlawing the doctors who did not believe bloodletting was effective”
I wasn’t aware of this fact. It seems extremely relevant to the current situation
You bring up an interesting point about psychiatric services trying to appear hospitable in order to mask their hostility. That definitely seems relevant to the 988 Lifeline. I also resonate with your idea of the hospital editing the narrative to make the situation look hospitable and therefore avoid potential legal consequences of hostility.
Thanks, this is really interesting. I like the observation that disease is misunderstood as the “actual” and health is only perceived as an absence of that actual
I really enjoyed this piece. I think the concepts of “spirit” and “shamanism” are very important for development of effective mental health care. In fact, I suspect that the omissions of these concepts from our culture (and the substitution of psychiatry and psychology instead) is one of the reasons for high rates of mental health problems in the modern world.
“Yet more challenging, there were the staff members whose behaviour was difficult to understand. The staff who seemed to enjoy provoking patients into behaviours they were then punished for… It’s odd to see how readily we accept and even crave these characters in our films or books, but don’t want to believe that they exist within our real staff. Why is this?”
I’ve also noticed this tendency and don’t quite understand it. Similarly, people will readily admit that psychiatry throughout its history has been corrupt and abusive (the treatment of homosexuals for example). But for some reason, they are completely resistant to the idea that psychiatry might still be corrupt and abusive.
Report comment
It’s fascinating (and disturbing) how much of psychiatric diagnosis is just a response to poorly designed institutions
Report comment
“one of the strongest predictors of ADHD is birth-month.”
I find this correlation very fascinating. Birth-month actually correlates strongly with athletic success as well
https://freakonomics.com/2006/06/are-stars-born-or-made-heres-what-world-cup-2006-has-to-say-on-the-issue
The theory is that relatively older players compete with relatively younger players, gaining a substantial advantage (particularly in youth sports). I wonder if something similar is happening with ADHD diagnoses. The relatively younger children perform worse in school simply because their brains are younger, and psychiatrists diagnose the contrived difference as a medical condition.
Report comment
This is a disturbing topic, but I really appreciate you speaking out about it. I’ve been abused by psychiatry myself, and it’s quite difficult to talk about with people. Thank you for bringing attention to this important matter, and I’m interested in reading more of your work.
Report comment
Thomsen claimed that ADHD drugs effectively reduce core symptoms of ADHD and lower the risk of crime and involvement in traffic accidents, which is not correct. He furthermore opined that “The study has great clinical significance, as we know that compliance with medical treatment among ADHD patients is low. The study emphasises the necessity of well-planned psychoeducation and help for retention in the medical treatment.”
—
The phrase “help for retention is the medical treatment” is unsettling. I’m worried that Thomsen is hinting at compulsory prescription.
Report comment
Great article, thanks!
“Conventional doctors responded to the challenge posed by medical dissidents by forming a guild in 1847. This was the American Medical Association. Some of the AMA’s early work was certainly important, but the guild also sought to monopolize medicine by outlawing the doctors who did not believe bloodletting was effective”
I wasn’t aware of this fact. It seems extremely relevant to the current situation
Report comment
You bring up an interesting point about psychiatric services trying to appear hospitable in order to mask their hostility. That definitely seems relevant to the 988 Lifeline. I also resonate with your idea of the hospital editing the narrative to make the situation look hospitable and therefore avoid potential legal consequences of hostility.
Report comment
Thanks, this is really interesting. I like the observation that disease is misunderstood as the “actual” and health is only perceived as an absence of that actual
Report comment
I really enjoyed this piece. I think the concepts of “spirit” and “shamanism” are very important for development of effective mental health care. In fact, I suspect that the omissions of these concepts from our culture (and the substitution of psychiatry and psychology instead) is one of the reasons for high rates of mental health problems in the modern world.
Report comment