Psychological Treatments That Cause Harm

[disequilibrium1]

@Roy S . I had difficulty with the link; could you kindly repost? I just posted about so-called conversion disorder and the Justina Pelletier case on my disequilibrium1 blog. It's an entirely new level of harm from psych industry turf grabbing.

 

[Roy S]

@@

@disequilibrium1 Sorry about that. I think I got that link fixed.

That outrageous Justina Pelletier case reminds me of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". If memory serves, the book that was adapted from was published in 1959.

 

[Roy S]

House of Cards
Psychology and Psychotherapy Built on Myth
Robyn M. Dawes
Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, 1994

I read this book 15 years ago, after finding it on display at the local library and now have three copies. These are some excerpts I made back then:

"My own decision to write [House of Cards] has been motivated by two factors in particular: anger, and a sense of social obligation.

... professional practitioners in psychology were to make clear to their clients and to society at-large that they were proceeding in the absence of relevant scientific knowledge when none existed. What was never envisioned was that a body of research and established principles would be available to inform practice, but that the practice would ignore that research and those principles. Worse yet, far too much professional practice in psychology has grown to achieve status by espousing principles that are known to be untrue in by employing techniques known to be invalid.

Instead of relying on research-based knowledge in their practice, too many mental health professionals rely on "trained clinical intuition." But there's ample evidence that such intuition does not work well in the mental health professions. Today there is plenty of evidence about the accuracy of their intuition, and it's negative.

Thus, I am angered when I see my former colleagues make bald assertions based on their "years of clinical experience" in settings of crucial importance to other's lives... I am particularly infuriated when they base these assertions on results of psychological techniques that have been proven to be invalid but that "I myself have found to be a great help in my clinical practice."

There really is a science of psychology that have been developed with much work by many people over many years, but it is being increasingly ignored, derogated, and contradicted by the behavior of professionals-who, of course, give lip service to its existence.

I feel an obligation to tell people my view of what's going on. Moreover, I will attempt to educate not just by drawing conclusions but by sharing the research and reasoning on which I base these conclusions.

... he then writes about his long and varied experience in the field of psychology...

I have also had personal experience with mental health experts as a client-for example, as a single male parent who has raised the brain-injured daughter from age nine.(observations concerning that experience as well as other personal experiences will be omitted from this book, for reasons of confidentiality and self-protection."

From the back cover:
"For generations voices crying in the wilderness have urged a close, critical, and continuing examination of the research and scholarly underpinnings of psychotherapy. Dawes adds his voice to this chorus of concern suggesting that many of our commonly held "myths" within psychology have little or no supporting data and/or scientific justification. This book is a wake-up call the psychologists and psychotherapists to be more responsible practitioners."

BonnieR. Strickland, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Past President of the American Psychological Association
　
Amazon has quite a bit about it here:http://www.amazon.com/House-Cards-Robyn-Dawes/dp/0684830914>
　
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Dawes (social and decision sciences, Carnegie Mellon Univ.) presents a strong argument, based on empirical research, that psychotherapy is largely a shill game. He argues that while studies have shown that empathetic therapy is often helpful to people in emotional distress, there is no evidence that licensed psychologists or psychiatrists are any better at performing therapy than minimally trained laypeople. Nor are psychologists or psychiatrists any better at predicting future behavior than the average person--a disturbing conclusion when one contemplates the influence such "experts" have on the U.S. judicial system. While other books have criticized the psychologizing of our society, none has been so sweeping or so convincingly argued. This book raises such important societal issues that all academic and public libraries have a duty to make a permanent place for it on their shelves.
- Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, Wash.

 

[jimells]

I, too, have been directly harmed by so-called "therapists", although not severely. For me, I suspect that depression is actually self-protective. Lethargy conserves extremely limited energy. A flat affect helps minimize strong emotional reactions, which are guaranteed to cause a crash.

Back on page 1 of this thread someone wrote:

A better comparison would be real psychotherapy with sham psychotherapy ....

Is there a difference? How can one tell?


"Some people say" Americans are opposed to "Science".

Is it just possible that we are actually opposed to liars and charlatans?

 

[A.B.]

Is there a difference? How can one tell?

I wasn't completely serious. I don't think it's possible to do "fake" and "real" psychotherapy. If it were possible, psychotherapy would be able to fully account for the placebo effect.

 

[Roy S]

50 Warning Signs of Questionable Therapy and Counseling
　
This blog now has 849 comments.
http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/warning-signs-of-bad-therapy/
　
　
　
The items listed below are significant red flags and important information for anyone in therapy <http://www.goodtherapy.org/individual-therapy.html> or considering therapy. If any of the following red flags appear during the course of your counseling, it may be time to reevaluate your counselor or therapist. Should you recognize one of these red flags, the first step, in most cases, is to discuss your concern with your counselor. Try talking candidly about what’s bothering you. A good therapist should be open and willing to understand your concerns. If your counselor doesn’t take your concerns seriously or is unwilling to accept feedback, then it’s probably in your best interest to consult with another therapist about it. Most therapists mean well and are willing to take accountability for their own "stuff." So, it’s also important to give your therapist the benefit of the doubt… all people make minor mistakes. And sometimes what people think is their therapist’s issue is actually their own. These "blind spots" can be the most difficult to see and are well worth talking about with your therapist.
　
It’s also important to note that the following red flags have varying degrees of significance. Some of them are very serious violations of ethical standards, such as a therapist attempting to have a sexual relationship with a client. There is no exception to this rule, and if you find yourself in such a situation, you are advised to report to the state professional licensing board and consult with other professionals. However, a number of the red flags listed below do have "exceptions to the rule" and depend partly on the context. For example, it’s generally unacceptable for therapists to have dual relationships with their clients. So if a counselor is treating the neighborhood barber for his or her depression <http://www.goodtherapy.org/therapy-for-depression.html>, the counselor goes to a different barber to avoid confusing the "client-therapist" relationship. However, in small communities it can be impossible to avoid certain dual relationships. Ethical guidelines <http://www.goodtherapy.org/ethics-therapy.html > are flexible enough to take this, and some other exceptions, into account.
　
In no particular order, it is a red flag if you find that your:
Counselor does not have sufficient and specific training to address your issues and/or attempts to treat problems outside the scope of the practice.
　
Therapist is not interested in the changes you want to make and your goals for therapy.
　
Counselor cannot or does not clearly define how he or she can help you to solve whatever issue or concern has brought you to therapy.
　
Therapist provides no explanation of how you will know when your therapy is complete.
　
Counselor does not seek consultation with other therapists.
　
Therapist makes guarantees and/or promises.
　
Therapist has unresolved complaints filed with their licensing board.
　
Therapist does not provide you with information about your rights as a client, confidentiality, office policies, and fees so you can fairly consent to your treatment. Note: The information provided to new clients by therapists differs by state and licensure requirements.
　
Counselor is judgmental or critical of your behavior, lifestyle, or problems.
　
Therapist "looks down" at you or treats you as inferior in subtle or not so subtle ways.
　
Counselor blames your family, friends, or partner.
　
Counselor encourages you to blame your family, friends, or partner.
　
Therapist knowingly or unknowingly gets his or her own psychological needs meet at the expense of focusing on you and your therapy.
　
Counselor tries to be your friend.
　
Therapist initiates touch (i.e., hugs) without your consent.
　
Counselor attempts to have a sexual or romantic relationship with you.
　
Therapist talks excessively about him- or herself and/or self-discloses often without any therapeutic purpose.
　
Counselor tries to enlist your help with something not related to your therapy.
　
Therapist discloses your identifying information without authorization or mandate.
　
Counselor tells you the identities of his or her other clients.
　
Therapist discloses that he or she has never been in his or her own therapy.
　
Counselor cannot accept feedback or admit mistakes.
　
Therapist focuses extensively on diagnosing without also helping you to change.
　
Counselor talks too much.
　
Therapist does not talk at all.
　
Counselor often speaks in complex "psychobabble" that leaves you confused.
　
Therapist focuses on thoughts and cognition at the exclusion of feelings and somatic experience.
　
Counselor focuses on feelings and somatic experience at the exclusion of thoughts, insight, and cognitive processing.
　
Therapist acts as if she or he has the answers or solutions to everything and spends time telling you how to best fix or change things.
　
Counselor tells you what to do, makes decisions for you, or gives frequent unsolicited advice.
　
Therapist encourages your dependency by allowing you to get your emotional needs meet from the therapist. Therapist "feeds you fish, rather than helping you to fish for yourself."
　
Counselor tries to keep you in therapy against your will.
　
Therapist believes that only her or his counseling approach works and ridicules other approaches to therapy.
　
Therapist is contentious with you or frequently confrontational.
　
Counselor doesn’t remember your name and/or doesn’t remember your issues from one session to the next.
　
Therapist does not pay attention or demonstrate he or she is listening and understanding you.
　
Counselor answers the phone during your session.
　
Therapist is not sensitive to your culture or religion.
　
Counselor denies or ignores the importance of your spirituality.
　
Therapist tries to push spirituality or religion on to you.
　
Counselor does not empathize.
　
Therapist empathizes too much.
　
Counselor seems overwhelmed with your problems.
　
Therapist seems overly emotional, affected, or triggered by your feelings or issues.
　
Counselor pushes you into highly vulnerable feelings or memories.
　
Therapist avoids going near any emotional or vulnerable feelings.
　
Counselor does not ask your permission to use various psychotherapeutic techniques.
　
Therapist tries to get you to exert overt control over your impulses, compulsions <http://www.goodtherapy.org/therapy-for-obsessions-compulsions.html>, or addictions <http://www.goodtherapy.org/therapy-for-addiction.html> without helping you to appreciate and resolve the underlying causes.
　
Counselor prematurely and/or exclusively focuses on helping you to appreciate and resolve the underlying causes of an issue or compulsion when you would instead benefit more from learning coping skills to manage your impulses.
　
Your counselor habitually misses, cancels, or shows up late to appointments.
　
　
　
　
　

 

[Roy S]

http://kspope.com/therapistas/index.php
　
"This survey of psychologists found that of 84% who had been in therapy, 22% found it harmful, 61% reported clinical depression, 29% reported suicidal feelings, 4% reported attempting suicide, 26% reported being cradled by a therapist, 20% reported withholding important (mostly sexual) information, and 10% reported violations of confidentiality."
　
22% found it harmful?? The highest percentage I've seen anywhere else for harm from psychotherapy is 20.5%.

　
　

 

[disequilibrium1]

An article by Allen Frances about the dangers of mislabeling medical illness which he posted prior to release of DSM-5. I perused some of his other posts and so far really like this guy. I haven't read his "Saving Normal," but it also sounds interesting.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-frances/mislabeling-medical-illne_b_2265198.html

 

[Esther12]

Ta. Suzy Chapman (who Frances consulted on that blog) posts here and has done a lot of good work over the years.

 

[disequilibrium1]

I like Frances' "The golden rule: an underlying medical illness or medication side effect has to be ruled out before ever deciding that someone's symptoms are caused by mental disorder."

 

[Roy S]

@disequilibrium1, here is a thread by Suzy Chapman:
　
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...apman-opposition-to-dsm-5-ssd-category.20848/
　
She was also hit by a SLAPP suit by the American Psychiatric Association. It was one of those times I didn't feel proud to be an American.
　
http://dxrevisionwatch.com/2012/01/...and-patients-saves-free-speech-allen-frances/

 

[biophile]

Reminds me of this recent study:

"One in three intensive care survivors develop depression that typically manifests as physical symptoms."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140406214411.htm

Why the assumption that the physical symptoms are 'depression' despite the lack of psychological symptoms?

 

[Griffin]

@Roy S I enjoyed the Sunday Times article which started me thinking. I'm amused that someone has to do a categorical exploration of why psych practitioners resist scientific research. .

I'm not surprised. For me it rather depends on the area of practition; psych. practitioners covers a whole host of beasts and also there's the big issue of what is measurable and what is not, and how it is measured.

It's only in recent years that scales for harmful psychotherapy have been around and I'm not sure if anyone actually uses them. That is surprising !

If anyone is interested, I am calling for volunteers to be interviewed for my research project which is nearly finished looking at effects of invalidation of illness belief in psychotherapy for people diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). I am looking at it from the angle of harns in psychotherapy. Project details are here.

I'd be happy to hear from anyone about it, even if you are not volunteering. The criteria for volunteering is not fixed in stone either.

 

[A.B.]

Why the assumption that the physical symptoms are 'depression' despite the lack of psychological symptoms?

Psychologists/psychiatrists continually assert their relevance because it is in doubt. Everything must be labelled as psychological or psychosomatic. Doing so pushes perception of the problem into the metaphysical space where nothing can be proven or disproven, they can get away with the deception of pretending to have answers when in reality they have none, and patients can be pressured and manipulated.

Freud was a simple charlatan, and his intellectual offspring is still using the same techniques to deceive. The cures he claimed to have achieved were lies, and he privately admitted to never having actually cured anyone.

 

[Roy S]

This reviewer doesn't exactly mince words.
　
Manufacturing Victims: What the Psychology Industry Is Doing to People
　
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/1552070328/R3D9C56KT87A6H?cursor=1&sort=sd
　
The Most Important & Meticulously Researched Book ever writtern by a Psychologist
Customer rating 5.0/5.0
May 11, 2013 By Dr Max H "drmaxh"
4 out of 5 found this helpful

Psychologists and especially psychotherapists (the masters degreed practitioners Thomas Sowell called "fad-driven little jackasses") have made manipulating people a science. Many drawn to the profession have messianic and/or megalomaniacal tendencies -- they want to be GURUS or CULT-leaders -- and have a following. THEY DESPERATELY WANT OTHERS TO BELIEVE THEY ARE WISE, regardless of their actual level of intelligence, and many are very average people with very much out-sized needs to tell other people how to live.

Back when I was an intern and visiting various clinics and practices, my more established, potential associates were most interested in my ability to capture and hold on to clients, for as long as possible. -- Keep them coming back whether it was good for them or not. I have always been sensitive to authenticity and this was not something I thought was either good for people or ethical. Especially since research shows that those who keep circling their bad life experiences are the ones who get sicker and sicker, and more and more "dysfunctional." The reality is, the longer someone is in "therapy," the more damaged they are likely to be/become. People are better off "processing" their experience with a close friend, a pastor, a relative, and other who actually care about them and have a real, genuine interest in their lives, rather than someone with a made up profession build on faked pseudoscience and psychobabble, (see Robyn Dawes' "House of Cards: Psychotherapy Built on Myth") who charges you real money to pretend to care about you and your life, your experiences, problems, feelings, etc. etc.

Like other brave men and women who have spoken truth to power, Tana Dineen was persecuted by the Canadian Psychological Association for telling the truth: they stripped away her psychologist license.

Psychologists throughout the western world were livid over being outted as scammers and con artists by Dr. Dineen's meticulously researched and consequently unassailable testimony. It took the Supreme Court of Canada to restore her license to practice, such was the resentment and ire of her colleagues in Canada and North America who sought to silence her and depreive her of her rights to speak out.

 

[Griffin]

Why are they reviewing it in 2013 when it was published in 1999?

It is hardly a balanced view of psychology/psychotherapy.

 

[peggy-sue]

Freud's silly notions are a lot older than that and are still being promulgated.

I'm afraid I do not believe psychology has progressed, it's not science, it's still stuck in the past.

ok, I did my degree in the '90s - but I was utterly shocked to discover that I was expected to spend a whole 2 terms studying Piaget - going through his experiments, being expected to analyse and criticise them - when I was already aware of Donaldson's work, had never considered the mountains task as being relevant to "theory of mind" (I can't do it!).

Ok, Piaget had a place in the history - but it could have been covered in a 15 minute section of one lecture. (Along with Freud!)
I didn't need to waste a whole 2 terms of lectures and practical classes on him and his ancient history.