Rethinking Madness(Again?)

What is that old saying: that if you keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result then you are insane? Why do we need to keep rethinking madness? If we're going to do that then do it properly rather than using polemical literature which so often leads to polarised views.

As some of my recent posts indicate I am more than willing to criticize modern psychiatry for some of its excesses. The problems of modern psychiatry are not just within the domain of psychiatry. The situation is very complex and I cannot do full justice to that issue here. Nonetheless I do feel that modern psychiatry lacks sufficient numbers of iconoclasts, that psychiatrists, generally speaking, are too willing to adopt the medical model of mental illness in spite of a dearth of evidence supporting those models.

Learn Something, Always Be Learning Something

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The Creation of Psychopharmacology - David Healy(Review)

This is a very difficult subject to address. It is contentious, opinions are divided, and I'm sure David Healy has made more than a few enemies because of this text. Be warned, I have neither time nor inclination to fully assess the merits of his argument. So in the interests of fairness I provide these links for reviews of this work. Be clear, not just because of this text but also because of a longstanding interest in understanding behavior(not professionally) I have to concur with the main thrust of Dr. Healy's argument. As recent posts on this blog have indicated(Psychotherapy and Drugs: A Dangerous Combination? , Psychiatry, Psychology, and Philosophy) I am, like David Healy, challenging some of the fundamental assumptions driving modern psychiatry and psychology.

I cannot address all the issues raised by this text. That would take 10,000 words and this post is 2,000 words. I do strongly advise those who are interested in this matter to find this book, read it, and think very carefully about it. 

BTW, I become very angry at the end of this post.