Maryannaville™

I’m greatly impressed with Dr Szasz, psychiatrist and academic. I enjoy his point by point logic in his argumentation regarding mental illness. On the same note, there is a difference between behaviors and mis-behaviors. Both are choices and not related to disease. Each one is learned and what is learned can be unlearned. On the other hand, disease is a physical disorder. Disease is pathology; and, pathology is the scientific study of the nature of disease, its causes, its processes, its development, and its consequences.

“His title was not hyperbole. “Psychiatry is conventionally defined as a medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of mental diseases,” he wrote. “I submit that this definition, which is still widely accepted, places psychiatry in the company of alchemy and astrology and commits it to the category of pseudoscience. The reason for this is that there is no such thing as ‘mental illness.’” Szasz’s attack targeted the cornerstone of modern American psychiatry: the marriage of mind and molecule, the notion that behavior can safely be classified as “sickness” and that the mind can safely be “treated” just like any other organ. Jerry Oliver, New Atlantis

The Myth of Mental Illness provides sound argument point by point with substantiated medical truths. Although as human beings there are many of us who have living problems. The problems aren’t necessarily mental health or brain disease issues. Problems experienced in life are arduous ‘living problems’ that most of us endure at one time or another, believe it or not. And as Dr. Szasz claims, it’s “a part of the vicissitudes of life.”

A note:
For the sake of posterity, I’m not into Scientology nor am I presently employed in the mental health field. I had read this paper years ago and was greatly impressed with it then as I am still impressed with it still today. Actually, I’m impressed with Dr Szasz and how he delivers his point by point logic alongside very sound reasoning.

Originally posted 2008-02-02 17:09:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter