I believe psychiatry tries to take every little human quirk that makes humans, humans and tries to call it a mental illnesses. They do this because most psychiatrists are mentally ill themselves and it makes them feel better to believe everyone else is. For example Sigmund Freud was deeply mentally ill and thought everyone was as sick as he was, therefore he projected his thoughts onto other people.
I don’t know why it is, but whenever I read or hear an opinion like yours I immediately assume the person holding that opinion has bipolar disorder.
You’re Tom Cruise, right?
You don’t know the history of mental illness. The OP does.
No I don’t have bipolar disorder or any mental problems for the record.
I have noticed that its common for psychiatry to accuse anyone who criticizes it of mental illness. That alone speaks volumes.
Total bullshit. We’ve heard it all before, and it hasn’t changed. It’s “Conspiracy Theory” thinking.
Freud was a pioneer. And, yes, like many pioneers, he made a lot of mistakes. Newton made a lot of mistakes too. He was probably mentally ill, but not to the degree that it undermines the validity of his ideas. His ideas suffer from being a bit primitive, but nothing more. His key insights – that there is an unconscious mind, and that it seeks to conceal itself, yet can be accessed by very delicate conversational probing – are essentially valid to this day.
And, no, modern psychiatry does not categorize “every little human quirk” as a mental illness. It reserves this for more severe issues, such as suicidal depression, which are real and dangerous and need to be treated.
When you find the major psychiatric associations defining stamp-collecting, folk-dancing, golf-playing, or participating on discussion boards (all little human quirks) as mental illness, come and let us know.
Yes it does categorize “every little human quirk” as a mental illness. Have you bothered to actually read through the DSM? Common sexual fetishes like foot fetish ect are classified as mental illness. Not to mention being gay was in the DSM as a mental illness until the 1970’s
They changed their minds about how icky gayness is, but a foot fetish is going to take longer, being ickier.
ETA: And there is a difference between liking feet and fetishistic behavior, which is very much like the difference between being normal and being a bit nuts.
Personally I believe schizophrenia is the only “real” mental disease. Dr. Thomas Szasz who is a psychiatrist even wrote a book about it called The Myth of Mental Illness. Read up on the Anti-psychiatry - Wikipedia movement. Peter Medawar, a Nobel Prize winning immunologist, said in 1975 that psychoanalysis is the “most stupendous intellectual confidence trick of the twentieth century”.
What does an immunologist know about psychiatry that any other non-psychiatrist doesn’t know? Hint: It rhymes with “nothing.”
Whilst it is true psychiatristsand psychologistsare disproportionately mentally ill and suicidal compared to the rest of the population, it does not follow that the diagnosis they give are always incorrect.
Ignore the last sentence if you want. Don’t ignore the first part. Btw immunologists use actual science not pseudo science made up fluff like psychiatrists.
Yes, but he, for instance, uses actual science to do immunology, not psychiatry. His opinion of psychiatry is just an opinion, same as if he was an engineer or drove a cab. I agree that educated laymen, like him or us, can see flaws in psychiatry, psychology, and other studies of mental illness, but they have made great strides and most of the woo, like Freud, was flushed decades ago.
As for the first guy, so what if he has a pet theory? Anybody can get their own pet theories published. But does he have sciencey stuff, like studies, to back him up, or is he just another crackpot shrink?
Have you actually read the book you cite? Foot fetishes are not listed as “mental illnesses.” Those are conditions that can be used to diagnose obsession. Feelings of sadness are not “mental illnesses,” but are conditions that can be used to diagnose depression.
And, yes, homosexuality was categorized as mental illness…but stopped being so a couple of generations ago. It’s as if you’d cited feminine hysteria or “inversion” or the like.
A reasonable person can definitely make some very sensible objections to the way psychiatry is practiced today. Your absurd screed is not even close. Come back when you have something balanced, nuanced, and contextual to offer. Extremism in pursuit of truth is no virtue.
So the OP is saying both that mental illness is over-diagnosed and that all psychiatrists are mentally ill :dubious:
Putting aside those more extreme claims, I would agree that psychiatrists over-diagnose / classify mental illness. Also I think the DSM is too influential, and there should be more open debate.
I don’t think most psychiatrists are mentally ill and/or that the whole pursuit is unsound.
While I will agree that several flavors of mental illness are real and present, I’d put forward that maybe there is an epidemic of over-diagnosing and over-medicating. Particularly I would note ADD and ADHD. It seems like half of all children are suddenly suffering from mental illness. Surely there isn’t some sudden generational, psychiatric epidemic striking the world’s youth, is there?
I’d also note autism and Asperger’s seen to be sharing in this fate.
I will note that I’m aware that advances in awareness and diagnostic testing play a part in all of this, but surely the majority of us are not bonkers?
Though I’ve cause to wonder, at times…
You really ought to get out of your mom’s basement more often. There are plenty of real mental illnesses that are not schizophrenia. I know people with OCD, anxiety disorders, bi-polar disease, dementia and others that are disabling.
What if the OP is agoraphobic?
I will put this here again since some people seemed to have skipped over it Personally I believe schizophrenia is the only “real” mental disease. Dr. Thomas Szasz who is a psychiatrist even wrote a book about it called The Myth of Mental Illness. Read up on the Anti-psychiatry - Wikipedia movement.