Virology Blog: My letter to organizer of 4th Columbia Psychosomatics Conference (Vincent Racaniello)

Andy

Andy

Retired committee member
Yesterday I sent an email to Dr. Landa who had previously written to David Tuller about the 4th Columbia Psychosomatics Conference (link to David’s post). Like David, I was unhappy about Dr. Landa’s note so I decided to write her and see if she might respond better to a Columbia colleague. Apparently my faith in collegiality is misplaced – as of this writing I have not had a response. My email to Dr. Landa is reproduced below.
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http://www.virology.ws/2018/10/19/my-letter-to-organizer-of-4th-columbia-psychosomatics-conference/
 
quote Dr. Tuller: “You have decided to invite to your gathering a man involved in what can only be called the kidnapping and torture of a vulnerable young Danish woman diagnosed with the illness you have just indicated is a serious organic disease. This kidnapping and torture, conducted with the full authority of the state, was considered justified based on the sorts of claims about functional somatic disorders being presented at Columbia this weekend.”
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I am happy @dave30th is finding clear words here. It's exactly how he describes it. It saddens me deeply to know that the recipients of the critique won't understand the deeper problems they create. There already were times when unwanted people received arbitrary and unfounded psychiatric diagnoses (or if you go earlier: were called heretics or witches) which was viewed as a justification for kidnapping and torturing them.

Could psychiatry at least try not to repeat history?
 
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