Opinion Piece: Current Psychiatry and its Discontents

[TiredSam]

And, yet, after many decades of claiming that CFS is psychiatric/psychosomatic, not a single psychiatrist has offered a shred of credible evidence to prove that this is the case.

Or any help or compassion. Even if it were true that we are all perpetuating our deluded false illness beliefs, since when is hatred, public shaming and bullying of sufferers an acceptable treatment?

Now all we need is Trump to declare a war on illness terrorism. I hesitate to tempt fate by writing that, because stranger things have happened ...

 

[sarah darwins]

Oi! I lecture Cultural Studies undergrads. I resent the venemous implication that they should do any reading.

Heh. I took CS courses for a couple of years at uni. I'm sure you're nothing like my tutors, who were all quite happy to dish out high grades for 'carnivalising' pieces that avoided the need for fact-checking on the part of either student or prof.

p.s. you're right — I don't remember there being much reading, apart from a couple of short Roland Barthes essays that could be quoted repeatedly and exclusively.

 

[TiredSam]

Heh. I took CS courses for a couple of years at uni. I'm sure you're nothing like my tutors, who were all quite happy to dish out high grades for 'carnivalising' pieces that avoided the need for fact-checking on the part of either student or prof.

p.s. you're right — I don't remember there being much reading, apart from a couple of short Roland Barthes essays that could be quoted repeatedly and exclusively.

These days they just watch "Coach Carter" and summarize it.

I had one student who quickly read a book about punk music and thought that as a young person he could blag his way through his oral presentation with two middle-aged examiners. After he had started his presentation the professor I was examining with turned to me and said "I used to pogo dance". We failed him. I mean - he didn't even know who the original bass player of the Sex Pistols was, or why he was fired (Glen Matlock - because he could play the bass).

Lesson - if you're going to try and blag your way through the exam, don't choose the music and time period of your examiners' formative teenage years.

 

[Sean]

The Curse of the Ninja Patient

The latest blockbuster from Psycho-Hysteria Studios!


"Another tired old farce that couldn't even raise itself from the bed. The ultimate inaction movie."
Fatigue Monthly

"Could barely keep my eyes open. Best insomnia cure on the market."
Journal of Sleep Hygiene

"Nothing a good kick up the seat of the pants couldn't fix."
Attitude Adjustment in the Uncooperative Patient, edited by What, Colder, Dull, Creepy, and Weasel (2nd Edition).

'Complete drivel. Don't waste your money.'
Appeal judges in Matthees v. Scumbag Inc.

 

[sarah darwins]

I had one student who quickly read a book about punk music and thought that as a young person he could blag his way through his oral presentation with two middle-aged examiners. After he had started his presentation the professor I was examining with turned to me and said "I used to pogo dance". We failed him.

Great work, Sam. Just think how much that student learnt about memory, perspective and time. He now has no need to read Proust.

 

[user9876]

This one hurts Kaplan far more than us.

I was thinking if he is an expert witnes then this would be a good article to bring up to discredit him.

 

[Cheshire]

Kaplan got the (highly-coveted) Shorter Quality Label:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/753145050901602304

(From maxwhd twitter account)

 

[sarah darwins]

the Shorter Quality Label

Isn't that an oxymoron?

 

[GreyOwl]

My experience with the psychiatrists in Australia who work in this area (ie, on workers compensation claims) is that they are extremely incompetent and ill-informed (even for psychiatrists).

In Victoria insurance groups even have an occupational medicine specialist on board, which must be pretty embarrassing for him professionally given the opinion he has to defend in full view of his peers.

Sadly a GP I have seen was one also. You just don't know...

 

[Molly98]

These days they just watch "Coach Carter" and summarize it.

I had one student who quickly read a book about punk music and thought that as a young person he could blag his way through his oral presentation with two middle-aged examiners. After he had started his presentation the professor I was examining with turned to me and said "I used to pogo dance". We failed him. I mean - he didn't even know who the original bass player of the Sex Pistols was, or why he was fired (Glen Matlock - because he could play the bass).

Lesson - if you're going to try and blag your way through the exam, don't choose the music and time period of your examiners' formative teenage years.

Brilliant @TiredSam
I also studied cultural studies for degree, wanted to continue at post grad but health not well enough at the time. A paper on the culture of the BPS brigade and the powerful psych lobby would be good, have you got any postgrads you could point in that direction?

 

[lilpink]

Damn, no wonder your chronically fatigued, anyone living without cerebrospinal fluid is gonna be extremely ill

Nice!

 

[Hugo]

And, yet, after many decades of claiming that CFS is psychiatric/psychosomatic, not a single psychiatrist has offered a shred of credible evidence to prove that this is the case.

They dont think they need to. For some strange reason the dogma is that we need to find out exactly whats wrong with us (proof of PEM, POTS and a faulty immune system doesnt matter). They dont need to have any proof cause they have a beautiful simple theory that explains everything. Every illness that right now isnt perfectly explained by science can fit into this model. And when you are in the model its a Kafka world indeed. If you dont get better you are so far gone in your psychosis that the poor psychatrist need to force you do GET and so on.

GET by the way is also a very bad understanding of the illness itself. I would have other kind of symtoms if I was in to avoidance behaviour. I know a person that isolates herself she absolutly are in to avoidance and have different symptoms but they are not so physicall and definitly not symptoms similair to MS (a relative of mine have MS and we are very close in symptoms). Also Im much worse of after infection than straining myself.

I would be scared of excersise or walking if I had that kind of problems, Im not instead its the opposite I do to long walks because my worst symptoms will come in 24 hours or a little more. Its totally illogical if I where in to avoidance behaviour.

 

[TiredSam]

Brilliant @TiredSam
I also studied cultural studies for degree, wanted to continue at post grad but health not well enough at the time. A paper on the culture of the BPS brigade and the powerful psych lobby would be good, have you got any postgrads you could point in that direction?

Unfortunately not - it's just a course they do for one semester while they're training to become teachers.

 

[stridor]

The ever-expanding DSM appears to be on course to pathologize the totality of human behaviours by the middle of the century, at the latest. The plan then is to divide all the diagnosis' into two piles. The first half to be treated with atypical antipsychotics and the second with SSRI's.

You know, I was called upon in my job to deal with some pretty tough characters. These guys were diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder and came to us from jail. We learned that it was best to put the cards on the table early and in a way that conveyed an unequivocal message in a recognizable format .

"You want respect? Then show me some (expletive of your choosing) respect". In other words, do not expect anything that you are not willing to reciprocate.

The total lack of respect and empathy in this article for people with CFS is quite representative of what I have encountered in my recovery from the psychiatric profession as a whole....and yes, I accept that there will be exceptions, but in general terms many of our stories will be similar.

Twenty years ago, those fighting for recognition of Fibro (FSM) would have been painted with the same disdainful brush. But those "Illness Terrorists" have been vindicated and we are nearly there as well.

All I am trying to say is that if we had been listened to and if as much effort was invested in helping us as throwing roadblocks in our way, then things might have been different.

 

[IThinkImTurningJapanese]

Even if it were true that we are all perpetuating our deluded false illness beliefs, since when is hatred, public shaming and bullying of sufferers an acceptable treatment?

Now, that's the right question.

 

[Valentijn]

I wouldn't be surprised if this attack on patients is the result of Wessely's latest whine-fest about how harassed he feels. Which has been pretty well proven to be bullshit recently, when his buddies couldn't provide any evidence of such harassment to a court.

None of these quacks can stand on the science, so they result to slandering the people who create and support the science. They are utterly vile and toxic human beings with no sense of morals or ethics.

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

Well I've had a right laugh reading this thread. Thanks to all.

I wonder how far this ridiculous campaign will go ......will simon throw himself down his own stairs and claim he was a victim of an illness terrorist? He might be that deluded to do it?

It certainly feels like they are quite desperate.

 

[Mohawk1995]

The problem with this thinking in psychiatry is a pervasive problem in much of medicine. That is, whatever your specialty everything becomes related to it. Orthopedist = it is musculo-skeletal. Neurologist = everything is a nerve problem. Psychiatry = everything is a thought problem. Even my own profession of Physical Therapy = everything is can be rehabilitated or it is related to my specific therapeutic approach. When it is not that cut and dry, then it has to be something else or it is "not organic".

There are, of course good psychiatrists in the world. They like other good providers in medicine know that there is far more to the picture than just our own little world. They know their limitations. For a Psychiatrist to admit that there are far more functions of the Brain and Nervous system that are beyond one's control than those that are, they would need to be humble enough to do so. For the new graduate just heading into the field, making the mistake of oversimplification is forgiveable. For someone with the experience of this Psychiatrist or those in the Weesely camp, it is foolish and most likely the result of arrogance. To hold to it in the face of so much resistance and evidence to contrary is truly insanity!

 

[MEMum]

The Curse of the Ninja Patient

The latest blockbuster from Psycho-Hysteria Studios!


"Another tired old farce that couldn't even raise itself from the bed. The ultimate inaction movie."
Fatigue Monthly

"Could barely keep my eyes open. Best insomnia cure on the market."
Journal of Sleep Hygiene

"Nothing a good kick up the seat of the pants couldn't fix."
Attitude Adjustment in the Uncooperative Patient, edited by What, Colder, Dull, Creepy, and Weasel (2nd Edition).

'Complete drivel. Don't waste your money.'
Appeal judges in Matthees v. Scumbag Inc.

Brilliant! I just love your sense of humour

 

[IThinkImTurningJapanese]

For the new graduate just heading into the field, making the mistake of oversimplification is forgiveable. For someone with the experience of this Psychiatrist or those in the Weesely camp, it is foolish and most likely the result of arrogance. To hold to it in the face of so much resistance and evidence to contrary is truly insanity!

That's it!!

No one is immune from mental illness.