25 GOOD REASONS WHY PSYCHIATRY MUST BE ABOLISHED

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by Don Weitz

1. Because psychiatrists frequently cause harm, permanent disabilities, death - death of the body-mind-spirit.
2. Because psychiatrists frequently violate the Hippocratic Oath which orders all physicians "First Do No Harm."

3. Because psychiatrists patronize and disempower people, especially their patients.

4. Because psychiatry is not a medical science.

5. Because psychiatry is quackery, a pseudo-science which lacks independent diagnostic tests, testable hypotheses, and cures for "schizophrenia" and all other types of alleged "mental illness" or "mental disorder".

6. Because psychiatrists can not accurately and reliably predict dangerousness, violence, or any other type of human behaviour, yet make such claims as "expert witnesses", and with the media promote the "dangerous mental patient" myth/stereotype.

7. Because psychiatrists have caused a worldwide epidemic of brain damage by promoting and prescribing brain-disabling treatments such as the neuroleptics, antidepressants, electroconvulsive brainwashing (electroshock), and psychosurgery (lobotomy).

8. Because psychiatrists manufacture hundreds of "mental disorders" classified in its bible called "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (a modern witch-hunting manual); such "mental disorders" and "symptoms" are in fact negative, class-and-culturally-biased moral judgments for dissident ways of coping with personal problems and alternative ways of perceiving, interpreting or being in the world.

9. Because psychiatrists, blinded by their medical model bias, fraudulently pathologize and label people's serious life or existential crises as "symptoms" of "mental illness" or "mental disorder" such as "schizophrenia","bipolar affective disorder", and "personality disorder".

10. Because psychiatrists compound this fraud by falsely claiming, without scientific proof, that these "mental disorders" are caused by a "biochemical imbalance" in the brain, genetic factors or "genetic predispositions", despite the fact that there are no genetic factors in "mental illness".

11. Because psychiatrists frequently misinform their patients, families and the public by claiming that brain-disabling procedures such as the neurotoxins (e.g.,"antipsychotic medication" and "antidepressasnts"), electroconvulsive brainwashing (electroconvulsive therapy/"ECT"), psychosurgery (lobotomy) and other behaviour modification-mind control procedures are "safe, effective and lifesaving". The exact opposite is tragically true.

12. Because psychiatrists routinely deceive or lie to patients, prisoners, their families, and the public.

13. Because psychiatrists routinely and willfully violate the medical-ethical principle of "informed consent" by misinforming or not informing their patients about the numerous toxic, disabling and frequently permanent effects of the neuroleptics such as memory loss, tardive dyskinesia, tardive psychosis, parkinsonism, dementia (all signs of brain damage), and death.

14. Because psychiatrists routinely threaten, intimidate or coerce many patients - particularly women, children, the elderly, and prisoners - into consenting to health-threatening/brain-damaging "treatment" such as the antidepressants, neuroleptics, electroconvulsive brainwashing, and hi-risk experiments.

15. Because psychiatrists frequently fail to fully inform psychiatric inmates and prisoners about existing safe and humane, non-medical alternatives in the community such as survivor-controlled crisis centres, drop-ins, self-help or advocacy groups, diet, massage, wholistic medicine, affordable supportive housing, and jobs.

16. Because psychiatrists are sexist in frequently stereotyping women in crisis as "hysterical" or "over-emotional", blaming women whenever they voice real complaints and assertively express their feelings and emotions, prescribing massive doses of tranquilizers and antidrepressants to disproportionately large numbers of women, and in sexually assaulting women in their offices and institutions.

17. Because psychiatrists, particularly white male psychiatrists, are homophobic - the American Psychiatric Association (APA) once labelled homosexuality as a "mental illness" or "mental disorder" - and have used forced electroshock on lesbians, trying to coerce them into adopting a heterosexual life style.

18. Because psychiatrists are ageist in prescribing tranquilizers, antidepressants ("medication") and electroconvulsive brainwashing for disproportionately large numbers of elderly people - a form of elder abuse.

19. Because psychiatrists are racist in disproportionately incarcerating and drugging people of African descent, aboringal people, other people of colour and labelling them "psychotic" or "schizophrenic".

20. Because psychiatrists routinely violate people's civil rights, human rights and constitutional rights such as imprisoning innocent people without court trial or public hearing ("involuntary commitment"), and subjecting them to cruel and unusual punishments or tortures such as forced drugging, electroconvulsive brainwashing, psychosurgery, solitary confinement, "chemical restraints", and 4-point or 5-point restraints.

21. Because psychiatrists masterminded the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people including disabled children, the elderly and psychiatric patients during The Holocaust in Nazi Germany, and "selected" hundreds of thousands of concentration camp prisoners for death ("T-4 euthanasia" program) - historical facts still missing in psychiatric textbooks and histories.

22. Because psychiatrists have willingly participated in and administered mind-control experiments in the United States and Canada since the early 1950s - its chief targets have been poor patients, women, dissidents and prisoners.

23. Because psychiatry, particularly institutional-biological psychiatry, is based on the 3 Fs: Fear, Fraud,and Force.

24. Because psychiatry is a form of social control or punishment - not treatment.

25. Because psychiatry, particularly institutional-biological psychiatry, is fascist - a direct threat to democracy, human rights and life.

A note from the author:This statement is a slightly revised version of the original written in Spring 1998. Feel free to add and publish your own reasons. I am a psychiatric survivor and antipsychiatry activist who has been involved in the psychiatric survivor liberation movment for 24 years. I am also co-editor of "Shrink Resistant: The Struggle Against Psychiatry in Canada" (1988), host-producer of the antipsychiatry program "Shrinkrap" on CKLN radio (88.1 FM) in Toronto, member of People Against Coercive Treatment (P.A.C.T.), and member of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP).]

PLEASE SNOWBALL, COPY AND PUBLISH THIS STATEMENT INCLUDING THE NOTE. NO COPYRIGHT OR PERMISSION REQUIRED.

The author, Don Weitz can be reached at his e-mail address: [email protected]

http://www.antipsychiatry.org/25reason.htm

While some of these are correct, I think these are reasons to have a strong ethical code for psychiatrists, but no reasonf or a total abolition to psychiatry. If people now diagnosed with psych illnesses, were to be viewed as not sick (because after all psychiatry would be abolished), how could they be accepted in society? It isn't like psychiatry created itself out of nowhere and then scared the rest of society into rejecting its patients, so if psychiatry doesn't exist, those thought of as crazy or weird will not suddenly find a place in the world.

I don't suppose you offer any evidence behind this mass generalization of an entire occupation?

Stereotype much?

Pretty sure that website is actually owned by Scientology. Say hello to Xenu for me. If not then the views are strangely paralled by Scientology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_and_psychiatry

Is there any evidence for anything you've just listed here? I smell BS here....

Well most of it seems opinion to me. So maybe reorganize you ideas into a factual based argument?

You see nuth-thing

Double Post

Last edited by Fayed on 12 Sep 2009, 11:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

actually they don't look like reasons to abolish, they look like the same reasons the medical industry in general needs an overhaul.

I am skeptical about psychiatry as well. The psychiatrist tells someone they have a mental illness and then says "your getting sick again" whenever the person questions the diagnosis.
Psychotropics often create counterproductive side effects in patients. It seems more about subduing and less about quality of life.
I, generally, mistrust psychiatry. My fear is, if they ever get their hands on me and start prescribing any sort of psychotropic medication, it will make me much worse than I am now. I am terrified to try any of them! I've had one life altering, negative, run in with the medical profession and do not want to experience another.
I don't mistrust all of it. Some areas of medicine, especially life saving areas, have made so many miraculous advancements, they deserve nothing but praise. However, Psychiatry is not one of those areas. Not at the moment, anyway.
Yes, it needs critiquing.

I'm with Hmmmn on this. Those statements look like something a Scientologist would say; they all hate mental health workers with a passion. Supposedly, L. Ron Hubbard, the founder, had a bad experience with a shrink. And so, the movement began.

I'm actually marginally more supportive of psychiatry than psychology. With psychiatry, at least you can get medication that had a possibility of being helpful. Many cases of anxiety, bipolar disorder, and even autistic spectrum conditions have been helped by medication. In fact, I actually support pill pushers. You can get medication without making yourself depressed answering the doctor's questions.

With psychology, you just get poked and prodded with questions about your feelings. Oftentimes, the psychologist won't even accept the answers you give (i.e. "that's not how you really feel"). I'd go as far as saying that psychology only works if you practice it on yourself. If you practice it on other people, it involves projecting your own feelings on someone else, something that psychologists look down upon.

Last edited by Aspie1 on 12 Sep 2009, 12:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.

no, sientologists have their own anti-psychiatry website, not all anti-psychiatry movements are Scientologists and they were far older than Scientology itself.

Scientology is a crazy cult, but I can't say that their views about psychiatry are wrong.

So unless someone comes up with some support for this, its all just opinion. As it is most of it is worded as such that it comes across extremely opinionated.

Still its nice to know LPP is dedicated to his agenda.

Because of my neurology, I do not support people who push neuroleptics and psychotropics. I don't know what kinds of effects they will have on me. They might give me more side effects than they do others. Last time I was on an SSRI, it didn't exactly lessen my anxiety, nor did it make my depression go away. I didn't feel like being more social. My resolve wasn't strengthened, but my special interest became MUCH stronger and more demanding. In this case, my special interest wasn't, exactly, in my best interest. I didn't have enough money or room to support my interest but it didn't matter. I was convinced I did.
What I was hoping from my SSRI, was for it to make my anxiety go away, make me more confident about talking to strangers without fear and hesitation; second guessing, and more resolved and confident about gaining and keeping employment; a "can't give up" attitude.
The SSRI did none of that.

I think I was lucky with my psychiatrist, because he didn't act so judgmental at all. All of my sessions with him were very much like, "How'd your week go?" and I would spend the time just talking about what was on my mind at the time, and the psychiatrist would just sit there, very expressionless, just listening. He'd prod me a little bit like "how did you feel when xyz happened?", etc.. and it would make me think more about things going on around me. Since I'm very much a problem solver, I'd start off talking but then it'd end up more like a thinking session, trying to make the various pieces of a jigsaw puzzle fit. I think my psychiatrist helped me a lot in trying to find all the puzzle pieces without outwardly pushing me very hard to do so. I started seeing him to try to get an AS diagnosis, but I think in the end he was really hesitant about doing so. Maybe it's because he might've thought that had I gotten diagnosed, I would've gotten dependent on the diagnosis? I don't know, that's just a guess. There were a few times when I thought that what he might be suggesting was flat-out wrong, but between the appointments I would think about it more. He helped me a lot, and I'm really thankful for that.

Because of my neurology, I do not support people who push neuroleptics and psychotropics. I don't know what kinds of effects they will have on me. They might give me more side effects than they do others. Last time I was on an SSRI, it didn't exactly lessen my anxiety, nor did it make my depression go away. I didn't feel like being more social. My resolve wasn't strengthened, but my special interest became MUCH stronger and more demanding. In this case, my special interest wasn't, exactly, in my best interest. I didn't have enough money or room to support my interest but it didn't matter. I was convinced I did.
What I was hoping from my SSRI, was for it to make my anxiety go away, make me more confident about talking to strangers without fear and hesitation; second guessing, and more resolved and confident about gaining and keeping employment; a "can't give up" attitude.
The SSRI did none of that.

I have nothing against the Psychiatrist or their bedside manner. It's the medication and the idea take this pill and you will be able to do things you can't normally do because you aren't doing them since you are depressed and that's what stopping you that I disagree with. That wasn't the case with me. I wasn't depressed and the SSRI didn't help me in the way I was seeking. I don't wish to be a guinea pig for the Psychiatric community.

Last edited by ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo on 12 Sep 2009, 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yea, there's a very evil agenda behind my threads, I want to rule the world.