Why Psychiatry Holds Enormous Power in Society Despite Losing Scientific Credibility

[Roy S]

Why Psychiatry Holds Enormous Power in Society Despite Losing Scientific Credibility
　
"Wall Street is not the only arena where one can be completely wrong and still retain powerful influence. Influential "thought leader" psychiatrists and major psychiatry institutions, by their own recent admissions, have been repeatedly wrong about illness/disorder validity, biochemical causes and drug treatments. In several cases, they have been discovered to be on the take from drug companies, yet continue to be taken seriously by the mainstream media."
　
This is an article with many links on subjects that have been in many cases already covered on Phoenix Rising
　
　
http://www.alternet.org/why-psychia...society-despite-losing-scientific-credibility
　
Thanks to Dr. Speedy for finding this.
http://niceguidelines.blogspot.com/

　

 

[Woolie]

@Roy S, thanks for posting this. Although to my mind, the weaknesses pointed out in this article are not the most serious ones:

- the insufficient questioning of some aspects of 19th century psychiatric "dogma". e.g., the idea that mental symptoms can "convert" into physical. How can I not mention this example in an ME post?

- the widespread problems of definition and classification of particular "conditions". Some e.g., depression, are made so broad as to be meaningless, and lack any theoretical content which could be used to meaningfully derive predictions about key symptoms. These problems go way beyond the DSM itself.

- the poor training of most psychiatrists in scientific method, which leaves them ill equipped to effectively question historical precedent in their field and develop new theories, and test their integrity empirically.

Not all psychiatrists are like this, I'm criticising the state of the specialty, not the individuals who practice it (was going to say "discipline" instead of speciality, but that implies a full set of research methods and modes of reasoning to discover more about the domain, and I don't think psychiatry's got there yet).

I wonder what will happen to psychiatry? As illnesses once in their domain become understood at a biological level, they will start to move into the domain of neurology. Their other functions - in providing therapy and advancing the "discipline" - are likely to be increasing taken over by psychologists, who generally have a stronger training in scientific method.

I think they are understandably worried.

 

[jimells]

"Wall Street is not the only arena where one can be completely wrong and still retain powerful influence.

What an understatement! The whole of US society is thoroughly perfused with fraud and corruption, much of it "legal". Most of us don't even notice any more. We accept as normal that most politicians are bought-and-sold like commodities, as if it is a Law of Nature. Establishment economists are seldom right about anything, but we still adore them as the high priests of Capitalism, and hang on their every word.

The police routinely confiscate anything they want by "accusing" the property of committing a crime and calling their theft "Civil Asset Forfeiture". The recent "job action" by New York City police (their refusal to write tickets for petty crimes and traffic infractions) demonstrates their role in raising municipal revenue.

The war industries making all those fun toys used to kill foreign and domestic Evildoers are well known for ripping off taxpayers for billions and billions *every year*, and few people object, as long as small shops in every congressional district get a piece of the loot.

Anyone following this forum is well aware of the rampant fraud in medical research and the research publication industry. Scientific fraud props up the Global Warming Scare and millions of dollars of research grants that build on phony models that don't work. (Although I'm not educated enough to properly evaluate the research, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that there is no evidence to support the ever-louder hysteria.)

Our Dear Leaders are immoral killers who order torture, brag about it, go to church on Sunday, and lie us into another war on Monday. Meanwhile half the citizens think that torture is just fine for Evildoers, and that invading and killing people all over the world is doing "God's work".

It's hard to see how such a depraved society can call itself "civilized".