Public Why Is Psychiatry So Defensive About Criticism? By Philip Hickey, PhD

Part 2
https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/02/psychiatry-defensive-criticism-part-2/#

Part 1
https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/01/psychiatry-defensive-criticism/


Thought this would be interesting to those anti pyschiatry among the forum.

 

“There are also too many ‘unhappy customers’ when it comes to psychiatry, so to speak: recipients of psychiatric care who have been left traumatized, disenchanted, even devastated by their experiences. There has been [a] tendency within the profession to not take such individuals seriously, at least not without being forced to do so.”

As I have said before, people like Wessely and White should be fully familiar with unhappy customers. Why did the ME ones get the stick in public? Presumably because they didn't play ball and, being in sound mind, actually had something to say that threatened the psychiatrists.

 

I should add that, having read Part 1, I don't have any time for the viewpoint of the author either. Psychiatry can be life saving and some psychiatrists are impressively humble and well informed.

Having read part 2 I think the author's view is far more pernicious even than BPS. For him/her I guess ME is just imagined.

 

To me it seems that psychiatry is attempting to treat poorly understood conditions and it shouldn't come as surprise that this can easily go wrong. On the other hand, is it worse than making no attempt to treat patients? Generally it's probably doing more good than harm. For someone that was harmed, it won't look like that though.

Maybe psychiatry needs to be less dogmatic and keep this in mind.

 

Thank you.

 

Racism in the US psychiatry--- NYTimes article https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/30/health/psychiatry-racism-black-americans.html?smid=url-share


(I agree that psychiatry is higly necessary. If seriously mentally ill, I would of course, see a psychiatrist over a psychologist because the former can sort you out with pharma, ECT, and other treatments. There may be some professional jealousy by the psychologist in his blog about shrinks, who make more money, have more prestige.)

 

Agreed. My reaction after reading Part 1 & 2 was I'd hate to hear his opinion on ME. Soon, my curiosity getting the best of me, I googled Philip Hickey & ME & CFS Nothing. Phew.

 

You could write a whole story on the failings of the DSM bible too
Medication of mental disorders
Side effects addiction and withdrawal effects of pyschiatry medicines
Ineffectiveness of psychotherapy
There is plenty to the chew the fat for anti pyschiatry