Where Mental Illnesses Originate

by | Jun 14, 2011

Mental illness has been growing by leaps and bounds. Psychiatrist Irwin Savodnik declares,
“The original diagnostic manual [DSM-Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] appeared in 1952 and contained 107 diagnoses and 132 pages, by my count.
“…in 1994, the manual exploded to 886 pages and 365 conditions, representing a 340% increase in the number of diseases over 42 years.”
To what does Dr. Savodnik attribute this frightening escalation of mental illness?
“Unlike the rest of medicine, psychiatry diagnoses behavior that society doesn’t like. Yesterday it was homosexuality. Tomorrow it will be homophobia. Someone who declares himself the messiah, who insists that fluorescent lights talk to him or declares that she’s the Virgin Mary, is an example of such behavior. Such people are deemed – labeled, really – sick by psychiatrists, and often they are taken off to hospitals against their will. The “diagnosis” of such “pathological behavior” is based on social, political or aesthetic values.”
Dr. Savodnik states,
“The erosion of personal responsibility is, arguably, the most pernicious* effect of the expansive role psychiatry has come to play in American life.”
Janet Albrechtsen, a conservative Australian opinion columnist from The Australian writes,
“Pathologising people who don’t have real problems is bad enough. Even worse, modern psychiatry is pushing us further towards the medicalisation of crimes where personal responsibility is displaced by an ill-defined mental disorder.” 1
She continues,
“Do you spend a ‘great deal of time’ consumed by sexual fantasies? Using sex to deal with a stressful life? Having too much sex? We might say good luck to you. What is too much sex anyway? The experts know and they call it hypersexual disorder. Hence Tiger Woods was in a medical clinic apparently being cured of his sexual attraction to strippers.
“When you lost someone you loved, did you grieve for longer than deemed normal? DSM 5 wants to medicalise that, too. How does society decide what is normal grieving and what is not? How can experts measure the depth of a love that may explain the intensity of the grief? Death and grief — like life and love — are deeply personal experiences beyond the realm of something called normal behaviour.
“A long period of deep grieving is not a disorder. For most, it’s called life.
“These aren’t just silly labels. There are serious consequences. A small child we would once have called naughty or distracted or disorganised is now sent to experts for treatment. New drugs are produced and prescribed. Governments hand out taxpayers’ money based on recognised disorders.”
Ms. Albrechtsen’s words serve to remind us that the over prescribing drugs and the labeling of normal behavior as psychiatric disorders is a world-wide scourge.
Resources:
1. http://psychiatricnews.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/diagnostic-and-statistical-manual-of-mental-disorders/
*Having a harmful effect, esp. in a gradual or subtle way- Online Merriam Webster Dictionary

1 Comment

  1. Lizzette T. Santos

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
    Its publications are so accurate. I am the victim of psychiatry since 1987. In 1998 i first heard about what was happening with regard to this….. Hard to believe, incredible…! You may not be… .?? I said all of this for me at that time. It had to happen a lot of things,many losses, many suffering, broken families, …. advancing the technology, see several documentaries on the matter… .Study something different from what the masses does not usually are looking for, but something tells you it’s the only place save…. Until BOOM…! Reached the Marketing of the madness and see my full story as if you had written me. Sad that all these years that i have tried to leave that trash and i has been further complicated the existence will be used to make me believe that that it was me…the of of the effects of withdrawal… and with an excuse that the drug that was taking didn’t work… Vamo$$ to proba the other…! Haha and as well in exactly the order that they were leaving since i was diagnosed with “bipolar” in the anio accurate that said the film came out the “new condition” i were poisons. What is worse is that the society around, neighbors, family, is as real to change the “control” which is also believe the story of who is or how is the true lizzete. That game more stupid, they do not realize that we are all at risk , some as a child, other when young or old age. THANK YOU for being there, lizzete
    ——————————————–
    Sus publicaciones son tan certeras. Soy victima de la psiquiatria desde 1987. En 1998 me hablaron por primera vez de lo que estaba sucediendo con respecto a esto….. Dificil de creer, increible…!! No puede ser….?? Dije todo esto para mi en aquel entonces.
    Tuvo que suceder un monton de cosas,muchas perdidas, muchos sufrimientos, familias rotas,…. adelantar la tecnologia, ver varios documentales al respecto….Estudiar algo diferente de lo que las masas por lo regular no busca, pero algo te dice que es el unico lugar save….
    Hasta que BOOM…!! Llego el Marketing de la Locura y ver mi historia completa como si la hubiese escrito yo.
    Triste que todos estos anios que he intentado dejar esa basura y me ha complicado mas la existencia se aprovecharan para hacerme creer que ESA era yo…la de de los efectos de retirada… y con excusa de que esa droga que estaba tomando no funcionaba… Vamo$$ a proba la otra…!!! jaja y asi EXACTAMENTE en el orden que fueron saliendo desde que me diagnosticaron “bipolar” en el anio exacto que dice la pelicula que salio la “nueva condicion” me fueron intoxicando.
    Lo peor es que la sociedad alrededor, vecinos, familia, es tan real el cambio de “control” que tambien se creen el cuento de quien es o como es la verdadera Lizzette.
    Que juego mas estupido, no se dan cuenta que TODOS estamos en
    riesgo, unos cuando nino, otros cuando jovenes o en la vejez.
    GRACIAS POR EXISTIR,
    Lizzette

    Reply

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