So far, you may think I’m in the “anti-psychiatry” camp, but I am not. By no means! For all of the problems with psychiatry I’ve pointed out so far, I think the anti-psychiatry folks are far more dangerous to those with mental illnesses, than even the worst psychiatrists.

When I talk, here, about the “anti-psychiatry movement,” I refer to a number of renegade doctors who’ve dedicated their careers to abolishing psychiatry. I do not presume that they are part of a conspiracy, in that I don’t think they collaborate directly with one another, but I do think that they espouse similar ideas, and behave in ways which make them appear to be an iconic movement. So I’ll speak of them collectively.

The anti-psychiatry movement has, at present, focused its efforts on wiping out the notions of ADD and ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder). They do not think these are “disorders” that children need to be treated for. Presumably because there are a lot of ADD/ADHD-diagnosed children, they hope to get more press for their ideas, this way.

But mood disorders are on their hit-lists nonetheless. They consider antidepressant medications to be ineffective and unsafe, and the same goes for mood stabilizers. Further, they consider ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) to be “barbaric” and want it abolished.

But in addition to treatments which they don’t like, the anti-psychiatry movement doesn’t like the way many illnesses are defined. Some, such as ADD and ADHD, they think ought to be eliminated, as they aren’t really disorders, but simply an alternate learning method that the child requires. Others, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) need to be redefined, as too many people (they think) fall under it. Some in the anti-psychiatry movement explicitly claim that there is no such thing as mental illness at all; what we perceive as such, is merely individual eccentricity. There is nothing wrong with them, in this view, and nothing to treat.

If the anti-psychiatry movement has a valid point, it’s that psychiatry as a whole isn’t as responsive as it should be, to those it serves. I cannot argue this, not one iota.

What concerns me, though, is that the anti-psychiatry movement is based on all the worst stereotypes of mental illness, and in many cases, is founded on a desire to get rid of the notion of mental illness altogether. This is what makes this movement so dangerous. If they had their way, clinics all over the country would be emptied, and their residents dumped on the streets, without any treatment or medication, left to fend for themselves. That anyone would actually want to do this, is unconscionable, however, and indeed, is outrageously evil. No other word applies.

I would have more sympathy for the anti-psychiatry movement, if it offered alternative solutions to the problems that people face. But it does not. In some cases, the anti-psychiatry movement simply denies that there’s a problem at all; in others, they admit that something is there to be “fixed,” but they manage to find some fault with all of the known fixes, and have none of their own to offer. (Tom Cruise’s insistence on vitamins is not even worthy of discussion as an “alternative.”)

Perhaps the worst thing about the anti-psychiatry movement, is that it masquerades as an advocate for the truly mentally ill. Really, however, they don’t think that the mentally ill exist. Or if they do, they have no desire to see them get any meaningful help; what they want, rather, is to keep them ill so that they have a “cause” to fight for, and thus continued employment. Or worse yet — those who define all mental illness as non-existent — actually want to propagate misery (now you see why I call them “evil”). Their position is utterly ridiculous, however, and a quick walk through any psych ward will prove it … there truly are some people who are very sick and in pain; defining their illness away will set their suffering in concrete. I can think of few things more despicable than that.

When the anti-psychiatry movement has something compelling to offer those with mental illness, I’ll listen, as should we all. But so long as all they do is weep and wail over treatment methods, or posit that there is no mental illness, offering nothing constructive in their place, they don’t deserve anyone’s ear.

< Previous   Next >