I almost hate to quote this source, BUT. The Church of Scientology — yes, I know — The Church of Scientology has produced a video documentary called “Are We All Insane?” It’s a pretty thorough treatment of the dubiousness of psychiatric diagnoses, the proliferation of psychotropic drugs, the highly subjective manner in which these drugs are prescribed (piggybacking on the highly subjective manner in which the psychiatric diagnoses are created). It does a great job of showing the drug company profit incentive… the more “diseases” like bipolar disorder we make up, the more people we tag with that, the more we can stick people on lifetime supplies of super-expensive pills.
I am not normally an “anti-corporate” type, and the Church of Scientology obviously carries a lot of its own weird baggage. But the video has a lot of sourceable facts, and I tend to agree with the thrust of the documentary.
I say check it out. “Mental illness” is both a real phenomenon, and a major industry. No, we are not all insane. Most of us have some depression, some anxiety, and some mood swings. All well within the range of normality. The pills are GROSSLY overprescribed. The marketers have convinced everyone on Earth that slight depression or anxiety is a “disease” that must be treated. It’s a lie. I could go on but I’ll shut up. This story is right up there with the abuses against children shown in the video.
Giving credence to a video produced by the Church of Scientology about mental health professionals is like giving credence to a video produced by Monsanto about food safety. The self-styled Church is an industry of its own that depends on public mistrust of mental health professionals. “Mental illness” is an industry no more or less real than that of cancer. I am concerned about the ‘sourceable’ facts you describe but do not detail that you claim are in this video. Scientology, Inc. is not exactly known for its ability to source facts; has hundreds of important-sounding front groups that it seems to create solely to lend credibility to its outlandish claims; and is eager to dismantle the mental health industry in order to insert its own, non-peer-reviewed policies and procedures, the efficacy of which it is policy-driven to blow out of proportion. Really.
“Mental illness” is an industry no more or less real than that of cancer? You have to be kidding me. If you get cancer you can go to a doctor and he can show you your cancer and proove that you have it. If you get “depression” you can go see a “metal health professional” and they can say (not proove) that you are depressed, bi-polar or whatever else they want to call it. They can’t proove any of these mental-illnesses they claim exist. All they do is offer medication to fix a chemical imbalance which they also cannot proove is real as they cannot demonstrate what a propper chemical balance is.
Hello Banchuka. I am a Scientologist. Am I offended by your blatant prejudice? Yes. But it doesn’t really matter. Scientologists have spoken against the over-medication of children for decades. We are accustomed to the idea that those who profit will try to silence us by spreading disinformation. But times are changing. Behavioral control of ever increasingly younger and younger children with powerful psychiatric drugs has gotten to the point where virtually everyone can see there is something wrong. The “solution” has become the problem. Yes, children can have severe behavioral problems. Yes, medicine has its place. But no, wanton drugging of an entire generation is not the answer.
Yes, I know the “Church of Scientology” is a troubling source and they of course have an agenda of their own. The lawyer in me can imagining cross-examining them on belief in “thetans” and so on. But one can take their criticism and reject their proposed alternative, as well. As for the video and its sources, anyone can watch. I don’t need much persuading, personally: I have seen in my own circle of friends, family and associates how common it is for people — and CHILDREN — to be diagnosed with some kind of mental illness. Always requiring the expensive pills that, to my observation, just kind of dull a person into having NO emotions. Just a flat affect, a disconnectedness from the world and other people. This is better? I just violently disagree with so much about the trend — life is about so much more than walking around purposeless in a drugged stupor. Never mind the Church of Scientology — I’m reminded of “Brave New World” and other literary treatments/predictions of this phenomenon.
I also disagree that mental illness and cancer are comparable. Cancer can be measured in the blood, tumors are physical objects that appear in the body, etc. Mental illness is far more subjective — not totally, but far more.
“Wanton drugging of an entire generation is not the answer” — very much agreed. We just don’t know what we’re doing to these kids’ brains. We are in hyper-dangerous territory here.
The french doctor who discovered the drugs that allow seriously ill mental patients to live outside an institution used to pass by the mental hospital on his way to work. When the drug he was trying to relieve post operative discomfort didn’t work up to his expectation, he noticed that patients were in a better mood. He stopped by the mental hospital and suggested that patients there might be helped. What a wonderful thing! – people could be relieved from a lifetime institutionalization. For God’s sake mental illness is very real. Drugs have been miraculous.
Has there been misuse of drugs and diagnosis. You bet. People want an advantage for there kids, especially if care is heavily subsidized. New York City gets more money for troubled children in its schools, and it has over-classified special needs.
My friend told me his son was diagnosed with autism but he is highly functional. The truth is that my friend’s wife is one of those over-educated women who obsessed about her son until she got the diagnosis. Senator Harkin believes in this kind of crap. He, like our President, has no idea of the absolute evil in their world.
The work at the 9/11 site was outdoors were the are was completely turned over every few minutes. There was no evidence whatsoever that the air was bad after the dust settled the day of the collapse of the world trade towers. Senator Gillibrand graduated from law school and can not understand evidence at all. She is disgusting! But Jon Stewart has fallen for the trap that the mere assertion of 9/11 harm means it is true. He is upset that help for those harmed by 9/11 air is resisted. He is a brilliant man, and a decent guy, who just failed to question what harm means. If the WMD claims were lies, why couldn’t the 9/11 claims be so?
Those interested in the claims made for and against Scientology can readily find a wealth of information on that subject on other sites. If there are further comments, I hope they’ll focus on the Boston Globe series and its implications.
8 Comments
I almost hate to quote this source, BUT. The Church of Scientology — yes, I know — The Church of Scientology has produced a video documentary called “Are We All Insane?” It’s a pretty thorough treatment of the dubiousness of psychiatric diagnoses, the proliferation of psychotropic drugs, the highly subjective manner in which these drugs are prescribed (piggybacking on the highly subjective manner in which the psychiatric diagnoses are created). It does a great job of showing the drug company profit incentive… the more “diseases” like bipolar disorder we make up, the more people we tag with that, the more we can stick people on lifetime supplies of super-expensive pills.
I am not normally an “anti-corporate” type, and the Church of Scientology obviously carries a lot of its own weird baggage. But the video has a lot of sourceable facts, and I tend to agree with the thrust of the documentary.
I say check it out. “Mental illness” is both a real phenomenon, and a major industry. No, we are not all insane. Most of us have some depression, some anxiety, and some mood swings. All well within the range of normality. The pills are GROSSLY overprescribed. The marketers have convinced everyone on Earth that slight depression or anxiety is a “disease” that must be treated. It’s a lie. I could go on but I’ll shut up. This story is right up there with the abuses against children shown in the video.
Giving credence to a video produced by the Church of Scientology about mental health professionals is like giving credence to a video produced by Monsanto about food safety. The self-styled Church is an industry of its own that depends on public mistrust of mental health professionals.
“Mental illness” is an industry no more or less real than that of cancer.
I am concerned about the ‘sourceable’ facts you describe but do not detail that you claim are in this video. Scientology, Inc. is not exactly known for its ability to source facts; has hundreds of important-sounding front groups that it seems to create solely to lend credibility to its outlandish claims; and is eager to dismantle the mental health industry in order to insert its own, non-peer-reviewed policies and procedures, the efficacy of which it is policy-driven to blow out of proportion.
Really.
“Mental illness” is an industry no more or less real than that of cancer? You have to be kidding me. If you get cancer you can go to a doctor and he can show you your cancer and proove that you have it. If you get “depression” you can go see a “metal health professional” and they can say (not proove) that you are depressed, bi-polar or whatever else they want to call it. They can’t proove any of these mental-illnesses they claim exist. All they do is offer medication to fix a chemical imbalance which they also cannot proove is real as they cannot demonstrate what a propper chemical balance is.
Hello Banchuka. I am a Scientologist. Am I offended by your blatant prejudice? Yes. But it doesn’t really matter. Scientologists have spoken against the over-medication of children for decades. We are accustomed to the idea that those who profit will try to silence us by spreading disinformation. But times are changing. Behavioral control of ever increasingly younger and younger children with powerful psychiatric drugs has gotten to the point where virtually everyone can see there is something wrong. The “solution” has become the problem. Yes, children can have severe behavioral problems. Yes, medicine has its place. But no, wanton drugging of an entire generation is not the answer.
By the way, if anyone wants to watch the video mentioned in the first comment, here is the link: http://www.cchr.org/videos/marketing-of-madness.html
Yes, I know the “Church of Scientology” is a troubling source and they of course have an agenda of their own. The lawyer in me can imagining cross-examining them on belief in “thetans” and so on. But one can take their criticism and reject their proposed alternative, as well. As for the video and its sources, anyone can watch. I don’t need much persuading, personally: I have seen in my own circle of friends, family and associates how common it is for people — and CHILDREN — to be diagnosed with some kind of mental illness. Always requiring the expensive pills that, to my observation, just kind of dull a person into having NO emotions. Just a flat affect, a disconnectedness from the world and other people. This is better? I just violently disagree with so much about the trend — life is about so much more than walking around purposeless in a drugged stupor. Never mind the Church of Scientology — I’m reminded of “Brave New World” and other literary treatments/predictions of this phenomenon.
I also disagree that mental illness and cancer are comparable. Cancer can be measured in the blood, tumors are physical objects that appear in the body, etc. Mental illness is far more subjective — not totally, but far more.
“Wanton drugging of an entire generation is not the answer” — very much agreed. We just don’t know what we’re doing to these kids’ brains. We are in hyper-dangerous territory here.
The french doctor who discovered the drugs that allow seriously ill mental patients to live outside an institution used to pass by the mental hospital on his way to work. When the drug he was trying to relieve post operative discomfort didn’t work up to his expectation, he noticed that patients were in a better mood. He stopped by the mental hospital and suggested that patients there might be helped. What a wonderful thing! – people could be relieved from a lifetime institutionalization. For God’s sake mental illness is very real. Drugs have been miraculous.
Has there been misuse of drugs and diagnosis. You bet. People want an advantage for there kids, especially if care is heavily subsidized. New York City gets more money for troubled children in its schools, and it has over-classified special needs.
My friend told me his son was diagnosed with autism but he is highly functional. The truth is that my friend’s wife is one of those over-educated women who obsessed about her son until she got the diagnosis. Senator Harkin believes in this kind of crap. He, like our President, has no idea of the absolute evil in their world.
The work at the 9/11 site was outdoors were the are was completely turned over every few minutes. There was no evidence whatsoever that the air was bad after the dust settled the day of the collapse of the world trade towers. Senator Gillibrand graduated from law school and can not understand evidence at all. She is disgusting! But Jon Stewart has fallen for the trap that the mere assertion of 9/11 harm means it is true. He is upset that help for those harmed by 9/11 air is resisted. He is a brilliant man, and a decent guy, who just failed to question what harm means. If the WMD claims were lies, why couldn’t the 9/11 claims be so?
Those interested in the claims made for and against Scientology can readily find a wealth of information on that subject on other sites. If there are further comments, I hope they’ll focus on the Boston Globe series and its implications.