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Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 1 Mental Illness OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS ® Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 2 Other Books of Related Interest OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS SERIES Alcohol An Aging Population Chemical Dependency Child Abuse The Death Penalty Health Care Health and Fitness The Homeless Suicide Teens at Risk CURRENT CONTROVERSIES SERIES Alcoholism Capital Punishment The Disabled Mental Health Suicide Teen Addiction AT ISSUE SERIES Teen Suicide CONTEMPORARY ISSUES COMPANION Depression Eating Disorders Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 3 Mental Illness OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS ® Tamara L. Roleff and Laura Egendorf, Book Editors David L. Bender, Publisher Bruno Leone, Executive Editor Bonnie Szumski, Editorial Director David M. Haugen, Managing Editor Greenhaven Press, Inc., San Diego, California Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 4 Cover photo: PhotoDisc, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mental illness / Tamara L. Roleff, Laura K. Egendorf, book editors. p. cm. — (Opposing viewpoints series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7377-0348-2 (hc : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7377-0347-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Mental illness—Public opinion. 2. Mental illness—Social aspects. 3. Mental illness—Miscellanea. I. Roleff, Tamara L., 1959– . II. Egendorf, Laura K., 1973– . III. Series. RC454.4 .M463 2000 616.89—dc21 99-055632 CIP Copyright ©2000 by Greenhaven Press, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electrical, mechanical, or otherwise, including, but not limited to, photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher. Every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyrighted material. Greenhaven Press, Inc., P.O. Box 289009 San Diego, CA 92198-9009 Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 5 “Congress shall make no law. .abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution The basic foundation of our democracy is the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of expression. The Opposing Viewpoints Series is dedicated to the concept of this basic freedom and the idea that it is more important to practice it than to enshrine it. Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 6 Contents Why Consider Opposing Viewpoints? 9 Introduction 12 Chapter 1: How Should Mental Illnesses Be Defined? Chapter Preface 17 1. Mental Illness Is Too Broadly Defined 18 L.J. Davis 2. Mental Illness Is Not Too Broadly Defined 28 American Psychiatric Association 3. Mental Illness Is a Disease 37 Hillary Rodham Clinton and Steven Hyman 4. Mental Illness Is Not a Disease 42 Martin Bobgan and Deidre Bobgan 5. Some Unusual Behaviors Are Signs of Mental Illness 47 John Ratey and Catherine Johnson 6. Normal Women’s Behavior Is Erroneously Classified as Mental Illness 55 Paula J. Caplan 7. Immoral Behavior Should Not Be Excused as a Sign of Mental Illness 62 Dennis Prager Periodical Bibliography 66 Chapter 2: How Should Society Deal with the Mentally Ill? Chapter Preface 68 1. Severely Mentally Ill Persons Should Be Institutionalized 69 E. Fuller Torrey 2. Institutionalization Harms Most Mentally Ill Persons 74 Ira A. Burnim Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 7 3. Mental Health Should Be Treated on a Par with Physical Health 81 Lewis L. Judd 4. Mental Health Should Not Be Treated on a Par with Physical Health 85 Richard E. Vatz 5. The Mentally Ill Should Be Accommodated in the Workplace 89 Mary Conroy 6. Personality Disorders Should Not Be Accommodated in the Workplace 93 G.E. Zuriff Periodical Bibliography 98 Chapter 3: What Mental Health Issues Do Children Face? Chapter Preface 101 1. Antidepressants Are Helpful for Depressed Children 102 Harold S. Koplewicz 2. Antidepressants for Children Are Overprescribed 108 Arianna Huffington 3. Childhood Attention Deficit Disorder Is a Serious Problem 112 Peter Jaksa 4. The Extent of Childhood Attention Deficit Disorder Is Exaggerated 119 Thomas Armstrong 5. Ritalin Is Safe and Effective for Children with Attention Deficit Disorder 126 Russell A. Barkley, George J. DuPaul, and Anthony Costello 6. Ritalin Is Dangerous 134 Mary Eberstadt Periodical Bibliography 143 Chapter 4: What Mental Health Treatments Are Beneficial? Chapter Preface 145 Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 8 1. Psychotherapy Is Effective 146 Consumer Reports 2. Psychotherapy Is Harmful and Ineffective 154 Al Siebert 3. Electroconvulsive Therapy Is an Effective Treatment for Schizophrenia and Depression 160 Rael Jean Isaac 4. Electroconvulsive Therapy Causes Severe Brain Damage 169 Peter R. Breggin Periodical Bibliography 178 For Further Discussion 179 Organizations to Contact 181 Bibliography of Books 184 Index 187 Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 9 Why Consider Opposing Viewpoints? “The only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind. No wise man ever acquired his wisdom in any mode but this.” John Stuart Mill In our media-intensive culture it is not difficult to find dif- fering opinions. Thousands of newspapers and magazines and dozens of radio and television talk shows resound with differing points of view. The difficulty lies in deciding which opinion to agree with and which “experts” seem the most credible. The more inundated we become with differ- ing opinions and claims, the more essential it is to hone critical reading and thinking skills to evaluate these ideas. Opposing Viewpoints books address this problem directly by presenting stimulating debates that can be used to en- hance and teach these skills. The varied opinions contained in each book examine many different aspects of a single is- sue. While examining these conveniently edited opposing views, readers can develop critical thinking skills such as the ability to compare and contrast authors’ credibility, facts, argumentation styles, use of persuasive techniques, and other stylistic tools. In short, the Opposing Viewpoints Se- ries is an ideal way to attain the higher-level thinking and reading skills so essential in a culture of diverse and contra- dictory opinions. In addition to providing a tool for critical thinking, Op- posing Viewpoints books challenge readers to question their own strongly held opinions and assumptions. Most people form their opinions on the basis of upbringing, peer pressure, and personal, cultural, or professional bias. By reading carefully balanced opposing views, readers must di- rectly confront new ideas as well as the opinions of those 9 Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 10 with whom they disagree. This is not to simplistically argue that everyone who reads opposing views will—or should—change his or her opinion. Instead, the series en- hances readers’ understanding of their own views by en- couraging confrontation with opposing ideas. Careful ex- amination of others’ views can lead to the readers’ understanding of the logical inconsistencies in their own opinions, perspective on why they hold an opinion, and the consideration of the possibility that their opinion requires further evaluation. Evaluating Other Opinions To ensure that this type of examination occurs, Opposing Viewpoints books present all types of opinions. Prominent spokespeople on different sides of each issue as well as well- known professionals from many disciplines challenge the reader. An additional goal of the series is to provide a forum for other, less known, or even unpopular viewpoints. The opinion of an ordinary person who has had to make the de- cision to cut off life support from a terminally ill relative, for example, may be just as valuable and provide just as much insight as a medical ethicist’s professional opinion. The editors have two additional purposes in including these less known views. One, the editors encourage readers to re- spect others’ opinions—even when not enhanced by profes- sional credibility. It is only by reading or listening to and objectively evaluating others’ ideas that one can determine whether they are worthy of consideration. Two, the inclu- sion of such viewpoints encourages the important critical thinking skill of objectively evaluating an author’s creden- tials and bias. This evaluation will illuminate an author’s reasons for taking a particular stance on an issue and will aid in readers’ evaluation of the author’s ideas. As series editors of the Opposing Viewpoints Series, it is our hope that these books will give readers a deeper under- standing of the issues debated and an appreciation of the complexity of even seemingly simple issues when good and honest people disagree. This awareness is particularly im- portant in a democratic society such as ours in which people enter into public debate to determine the common good. 10 Mental Illness Frontmatter 3/1/04 8:45 AM Page 11 Those with whom one disagrees should not be regarded as enemies but rather as people whose views deserve careful examination and may shed light on one’s own. Thomas Jefferson once said that “difference of opinion leads to inquiry, and inquiry to truth.” Jefferson, a broadly educated man, argued that “if a nation expects to be igno- rant and free . it expects what never was and never will be.” As individuals and as a nation, it is imperative that we consider the opinions of others and examine them with skill and discernment. The Opposing Viewpoints Series is in- tended to help readers achieve this goal. David L. Bender & Bruno Leone, Series Editors Greenhaven Press anthologies primarily consist of previ- ously published material taken from a variety of sources, in- cluding periodicals, books, scholarly journals, newspapers, government documents, and position papers from private and public organizations.