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PSEUDOSCIENCE—Psychiatry's False Diagnoses

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PSEUDOSCIENCE—Psychiatry's False Diagnoses CCHR_DSM CVR R25-1.ps 10/22/04 8:32 AM Page 1 “In short, the whole business of creating psychiatric categories of ‘disease,’ formalizing them with consensus, and subsequently ascribing diagnostic codes to them, which in turn leads to their use for insurance billing, is nothing but an extended racket furnishing psychiatry a pseudo-scientific aura. The perpetrators are, of course, feeding at the public trough.” — Dr. Thomas Dorman Member of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom and Canada PSEUDOSCIENCE Psychiatry’s False Diagnoses Report and recommendations on the unscientific fraud perpetrated by psychiatry Published by Citizens Commission on Human Rights Established in 1969 CCHR_DSM CVR R25-2.ps 10/22/04 8:33 AM Page 2 Citizens Commission on Human Rights RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS ducation is a vital part of any initiative to reverse becoming educated on the truth about psychiatry, and that social decline. CCHR takes this responsibility very something effective can and should be done about it. IMPORTANT NOTICE Eseriously. Through the broad dissemination of CCHR’s publications—available in 15 languages— CCHR’s Internet site, books, newsletters and other show the harmful impact of psychiatry on racism, educa- For the Reader publications, more and more patients, families, tion, women, justice, drug rehabilitation, morals, the elderly, professionals, lawmakers and countless others are religion, and many other areas. A list of these includes: he psychiatric profession purports to be know the causes or cures for any mental disorder the sole arbiter on the subject of mental or what their “treatments” specifically do to the THE REAL CRISIS—In Mental Health Today CHILD DRUGGING—Psychiatry Destroying Lives health and “diseases” of the mind. The patient. They have only theories and conflicting Report and recommendations on the lack of science and Report and recommendations on fraudulent psychiatric T results within the mental health industry diagnosis and the enforced drugging of youth facts, however, demonstrate otherwise: opinions about their diagnoses and methods, and are lacking any scientific basis for these. As a past MASSIVE FRAUD—Psychiatry’s Corrupt Industry HARMING YOUTH—Psychiatry Destroys Young Minds 1. PSYCHIATRIC “DISORDERS” ARE NOT MEDICAL president of the World Psychiatric Association Report and recommendations on a criminal mental Report and recommendations on harmful mental health DISEASES. In medicine, strict criteria exist for stated, “The time when psychiatrists considered health monopoly assessments, evaluations and programs within our schools calling a condition a disease: a predictable group that they could cure the mentally ill is gone. In of symptoms and the cause of the symptoms or the future, the mentally ill have to learn to live PSYCHIATRIC HOAX—The Subversion of Medicine COMMUNITY RUIN—Psychiatry’s Coercive ‘Care’ Report and recommendations on psychiatry’s destructive Report and recommendations on the failure of community an understanding of their physiology (function) with their illness.” impact on health care mental health and other coercive psychiatric programs must be proven and established. Chills and fever are symptoms. Malaria and typhoid are diseases. 4. THE THEORY THAT MENTAL DISORDERS PSEUDOSCIENCE—Psychiatry’s False Diagnoses HARMING ARTISTS—Psychiatry Ruins Creativity Diseases are proven to exist by objective evidence DERIVE FROM A “CHEMICAL IMBALANCE” IN Report and recommendations on the unscientific fraud Report and recommendations on psychiatry assaulting the arts and physical tests. Yet, no mental “diseases” have THE BRAIN IS UNPROVEN OPINION, NOT FACT. perpetrated by psychiatry UNHOLY ASSAULT—Psychiatry versus Religion ever been proven to medically exist. One prevailing psychiatric theory (key to SCHIZOPHRENIA—Psychiatry’s For Profit ‘Disease’ Report and recommendations on psychiatry’s subversion of psychotropic drug sales) is that mental disorders Report and recommendations on psychiatric lies and religious belief and practice 2. PSYCHIATRISTS DEAL EXCLUSIVELY WITH result from a chemical imbalance in the brain. false diagnosis ERODING JUSTICE—Psychiatry’s Corruption of Law MENTAL “DISORDERS,” NOT PROVEN DISEASES. As with its other theories, there is no biological THE BRUTAL REALITY—Harmful Psychiatric ‘Treatments’ Report and recommendations on psychiatry subverting the While mainstream physical medicine treats or other evidence to prove this. Representative Report and recommendations on the destructive practices of courts and corrective services diseases, psychiatry can only deal with of a large group of medical and biochemistry electroshock and psychosurgery “disorders.” In the absence of a known cause or experts, Elliot Valenstein, Ph.D., author of ELDERLY ABUSE—Cruel Mental Health Programs PSYCHIATRIC RAPE—Assaulting Women and Children physiology, a group of symptoms seen in many Blaming the Brain says: “[T]here are no tests Report and recommendations on psychiatry abusing seniors Report and recommendations on widespread sex crimes different patients is called a disorder or syndrome. available for assessing the chemical status of against patients within the mental health system Harvard Medical School’s Joseph Glenmullen, a living person’s brain.” CHAOS & TERROR—Manufactured by Psychiatry M.D., says that in psychiatry, “all of its diagnoses DEADLY RESTRAINTS—Psychiatry’s ‘Therapeutic’ Assault Report and recommendations on the role of psychiatry in international terrorism are merely syndromes [or disorders], clusters of 5. THE BRAIN IS NOT THE REAL CAUSE Report and recommendations on the violent and dangerous use of restraints in mental health facilities symptoms presumed to be related, not diseases.” OF LIFE’S PROBLEMS. People do experience CREATING RACISM—Psychiatry’s Betrayal As Dr. Thomas Szasz, professor of psychiatry problems and upsets in life that may result in PSYCHIATRY—Hooking Your World on Drugs Report and recommendations on psychiatry causing racial emeritus, observes, “There is no blood or other mental troubles, sometimes very serious. But Report and recommendations on psychiatry creating today’s conflict and genocide biological test to ascertain the presence or to represent that these troubles are caused by drug crisis CITIZENS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS absence of a mental illness, as there is for most incurable “brain diseases” that can only be REHAB FRAUD—Psychiatry’s Drug Scam The International Mental Health Watchdog bodily diseases.” alleviated with dangerous pills is dishonest, Report and recommendations on methadone and other harmful and often deadly. Such drugs are disastrous psychiatric drug ‘rehabilitation’ programs 3. PSYCHIATRY HAS NEVER ESTABLISHED THE often more potent than a narcotic and capable CAUSE OF ANY “MENTAL DISORDERS.” Leading of driving one to violence or suicide. They mask WARNING: No one should stop taking any psychiatric drug without the psychiatric agencies such as the World Psychiatric the real cause of problems in life and debilitate advice and assistance of a competent, non-psychiatric, medical doctor. Association and the U.S. National Institute of the individual, so denying him or her the oppor- Mental Health admit that psychiatrists do not tunity for real recovery and hope for the future. This publication was made possible by a grant from the United States International Association of Scientologists Members’ Trust. Published as a public service by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights CCHR in the United States is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. PHOTO CREDITS: Page 9: Tom & Dee Ann McCarthy/Corbis; page 14: LA Daily News/Corbis; page 20: David Buffington/Getty; page 21: Jim Cummins/Getty; page 22: Tom & Dee Ann McCarthy/Corbis. © 2004 CCHR. All Rights Reserved. CITIZENS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS, CCHR and the CCHR logo are trademarks and service marks owned by Citizens Commission on Human Rights. Printed in the U.S.A. Item #18905-9 CCHR_DSM-1.ps 10/18/04 3:49 PM Page 1 PSEUDOSCIENCE Psychiatry’s False Diagnoses CONTENTS Introduction: ‘Disease’ by Psychiatric Opinion and Decree ....................................2 Chapter One: A Scientific Fraud............................5 Chapter Two: Junk Science in Our Schools ............................11 Chapter Three: False Testimony in Our Courts ..............................15 Chapter Four: A Workable Mental Health System ..................19 Recommendations ......................23 Citizens Commission on Human Rights International ........24 ® CCHR_DSM_R1-2.ps 10/17/04 8:46 PM Page 2 INTRODUCTION ‘Disease’ by Psychiatric Opinion and Decree ave you ever heard of the following ders are established without scientific basis and proce- mental disorders: reading disorder, dis- dure,” a psychologist attending the DSM hearings ruptive behavior disorder, disorder of said. “The low level of intellectual effort was shocking. written expression, mathematics dis- Diagnoses were developed by majority vote on the order, caffeine intoxication disorder, level we would use to choose a restaurant. Then it’s Hnicotine withdrawal disorder, noncompliance with typed into the computer. It may reflect on our naiveté, treatment disorder, or “physical abuse of a child prob- but it was our belief that there would be an attempt to lem” and “sexual abuse of a child problem?” look at the things scientifically.”2 These are a few of the 374 mental disorders In 1987, a “self-defeating personality disorder” that are listed in the American
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