Posted by med_empowered on December 3, 2005, at 18:10:45
In reply to Re: Implants, ECT, posted by Squiggles on December 3, 2005, at 7:15:46
"anti-psychiatry" is a pretty broad term, and its one that seems to be used in a derogatory sense. So...let me make a couple point here.
1) epilepsy can be detected through physical means, and its symptoms are primarily phsyical, not behavioral/emotional (although these sometimes occur with the disorder).
2) serial killers aren't always "insane". They tend, actually, to be a little *too* sane--high IQs, extreme strategic thinking abilities, etc. Mentall illness can contribute to violence, but it appears that even in schizophrenia its more common for the patient to be a *victim* rather than a *perpetrator* of violence/crime. The crime rate for those with mental illness tends to be a bit lower than that of the general populace, except in cases where substance abuse is a big problem.
3) I'm not anti-psychiatry per se; I'm just not comfortable with the way things are currently done. A lot of it strikes me as unhelpful and downright immoral. In my idea world, there'd be more fact-sharing in psychiatry, the patient would have greater ability to start/stop/change treatment and choose drugs/therapies that appealed to them. Also, in my ideal world involuntary hospitalization would be abolished....
...although I can see some of the benefits of involuntary hospitalization, I think it violates the principles of due process. Generally speaking, someone has to be proven guilty of a crime (or plead guilty) before they can be deprived of liberty. You can't imprison someone b/c you think they *might* commit a crime (conspiracy charges are as close as you can get to this, and getting a conviction requires a lot more than showing someon e *might* do something illegal). Why, then, should someone be detained b/c they *might* hurt themselves/others?
Now...as for this long-suffering, severely depressed patient you mentioned. Of course I feel sorry for him/her. That sucks. What I *want* is for the patient to have access to any and all treatments that might help. If the patient wants Dexedrine and electroshock, then go for it. But what I don't want it: involuntary treatment or misinformation or coaxing/cajoling the patient into certain treatments.
So, there you go. And I think you'll find most "antipsychiatry" people are pretty much the same way. The problem lies in treatment that is dehumanizing, degrading, forced, or over-hyped and ineffective. Yes, if you read Foucault and what not there are some qualms about the idea of psychiatry itself, but thats something that is up to the individual to resolve as he/she sees fit.
poster:med_empowered
thread:584162
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051203/msgs/585119.html