Nexus - 0701 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

ailments showed an improvement rate of 72%. Eysenck's study showed a recovery rate in untreated neurotics of 45% within a year of the onset of the condition, and 70% after two years. After five years, 90% had either significantly recovered or were cured altogether.* In a television interview, the author of the study, Joan McCord, when asked if she was able to explain the results, postulated that those who receive therapy come to see themselves as being in need of help and therefore become dependent and thus do not develop the coping skills of others.” UNRELIABLE PREDICTIONS THE MANUFACTURE OF MENTAL ILLNESS Psychiatrists have entered the legal arena by attempting to pre- Mental illness is presently classified and diagnosed according dict the future dangerousness of defendants charged with criminal to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, offences. However, there is a low level of reliability when it Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). It is interesting to note that in 1840 comes to predictions of dangerousness and conditions for involun- there was only one classification of mental problems, and that was tary commitment to institutions. "idiocy/insanity".® Four decades after the formation of the Lawyer Bruce Ennis, in his book Mental Patients, Psychiatry American Psychiatric Association (APA), the number of cate- and the Law, cites a well-known study concerning the accuracy gories had risen to seven, namely "mania", "melancholia", "mono- of these predictions, of which the results are singularly unimpres- mania" (irrationality on one subject), "paresis" (syphilitic brain sive. The study involved 989 people who were deemed to be so _ condition), "dementia", "dipsomania" (alcoholism) and "epilep- dangerous by psychiatrists that it was recommended they be sy". incarcerated in maximum security institutions. There was then a Wiseman observes that the psychiatric profession followed the US Supreme Court decision which led to the people being incar- practice of changing the definition of illness. Prior to the advent cerated instead in normal, non-maximum-security institutions. A of the American Psychiatric Association, "illness" meant an review of the patients 12 months later revealed that one-fifth had observable derangement of the body: infection, a cancerous een discharged and over half had organ, inflamed lungs. agreed to remain as voluntary Psychiatrists initiated the practice atients. During the 12 months of of declaring illnesses that they incarceration, only seven of the 989 . : assumed were there, instead of atients had either committed or A study reported In American naming the behaviour that they threatened to commit any violent Psychologist in 1978 revealed some observed. Thus the view grew up alarming evidence to substantiate J (it (be Paient must be sick acts®—which means that the proba- ility of a psychiatrist being wrong in ecause he/she behaved irra- stating that Somieone is dangerous isa the claim that psychiatry and tionally So they declared con- staggering 99.29 per cent! . uct to be symptoms and con- The most common cause for invol- psychology may simply be cluded that they must be caused untary commission to a psychiatric nothing more than fraud. y an illness. institution is that a person constitutes a danger to either themselves or oth- ers. In some jurisdictions, the danger that one may constitute to oneself Wiseman comments that psy- chiatry has spent the past century trying to justify its position. °° However, no brain lesions have may merely be a danger to one's own reputation. Ultimately, been found, nor have any mutant nerve connections; nor has any however, the person who will assess the potential dangerousness genetic proof come forward, even with the advent of modern tech- of the person is a psychiatrist. By their own admission, psychia- nology. In an attempt to justify its position, psychiatry often trists concede that they have a poor track record in this area. It is advances pseudo-scientific explanations, such as "depression is staggering that a society will allow the deprivation of liberty on due to a chemical imbalance in the brain". The hypothesis is the say-so of a group with such a low level of accuracy. completely untestable, because there is no way that brain chemi- A study reported in American Psychologist in 1978 revealed cals can be measured in a living person without either killing some alarming evidence to substantiate the claim that psychiatry them or injuring them, in order either to verify or falsify this and psychology may simply be nothing more than fraud. In 1939, hypothesis. Never mind; at least it sounds impressive! a study was done with a view to reducing juvenile crime. More In 1933, psychiatrists organised the first standard manual for than 600 individuals between the ages of five and 13 were ran- categorising mental illness. The manual was called the Standard domly divided into two groups. The first group was given psychi- Classified Nomenclature of Disease. It was in 1952 that the first atric counselling and the other group was given no treatment at Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was pub- all. The therapists reported that two-thirds of those who received lished by the APA. The number of mental disorders had now treatment had "substantially benefited". More than 35 years later, grown to 112.” In 1968, a revised edition, DSM-II, was brought 80% of the original group were located and a follow-up study out; it contained 163 mental disorders.’ Commentary in the man- done. The results showed that the treated group compared very ual reveals that the disorders were established by a committee unfavourably with the untreated group. People in the treated who voted as to whether the disorders existed.” DSM-III was group were more likely to have committed more than one serious published in 1980 and a further 61 new disorders had been added, crime than those in the control group and, when evaluated for thus the new total of mental disorders was 224.” In 1987, the alcoholism, mental illness, stress-related diseases and job satisfac- manual was revised again, and the total number of mental disor- tion, the treated group consistently fared worse than the control ders was now increased to 253 by DSM-III-R." DSM-IV was group. The program seemed not only to have failed in preventing released in 1994 and the number of mental disorders had now violent crime, but also to have produced negative side-effects. grown to 374.” The failure to prevent violent crime has been corroborated by Psychiatrist Al Parides, after observing the way disorders were other studies." voted in or out of existence depending on the prevailing views of NEXUS - 31 DECEMBER 1999 — JANUARY 2000