Friday 1 August 2014

accusations, not diagnoses...

psychiatric labels are accusations. let's make no bones about it. they cannot be considered to be something as benevolent as 'diagnoses'.

and invariably, accusations bring punishment.

a diagnosis is merely a tentative impression offered by a clinician following careful and thorough study that typically involves an extensive interview, a physical examination, a trip to a lab for the study of blood, urine, etc. and sometimes other procedures.

then - and only then - will a responsible physician offer up an idea of what is happening. and the final decision on any response belongs to the patient.

psychiatry turns this responsible clinical behavior on its head. a psychiatric label is established and assigned through an interrogation consisting of the most convoluted, asinine, self-incriminating questions one could possibly imagine. the outcome of this grilling almost inevitably results in a pejorative label and a prescription for some chemical 'nostrum'.

and god/dess help you should you try thinking for yourself by disagreeing with the shrink. in psychiatry's circular, fascistic 'reasoning' this is seen as the person 'lacking insight' into their 'illness' and proof positive they are undeserving of freedom - and let's just skip the judicial process and oversight, thank you very much.

where i live, any physician can strip you of your physical liberty - and all of your civil rights - for up to 72 hours with the stroke of a pen. add the signature of a psychiatrist to another piece of paper and someone can be shitcanned for much longer periods - up to three months at a time, with an infinite number of renewals - with only limited recourse for challenging these decisions. thus the punishment begins.

this doesn't end with discharge from an institution. in Ontario, a little legislative nasty called a community treatment order (CTO) can keep you legally bound to the whims of the 'mental health' oligarchy for years.

in Ontario two hospital stays (voluntary or otherwise) over a three-year period or a cumulative stay for thirty days or longer is sufficient to bring about this highly restrictive form of psychiatric parole. violating the terms of such an order can result in arrest and detention - again without charge or trial. more punishment, merely for being alive, human and in distress.

the physical and social consequences of psychiatrization are legion. the drugs prescribed by shrinks cause a host of unpleasant and sometimes deadly adverse effects including diabetes, cardiac problems, obesity, crippling movement disorders indicative of neurological damage and an encephalitis-like condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome which can be fatal. they can cause or contribute to the very behaviors and ideas they are purported to help prevent, such as violent or suicidal impulses. other 'treatments' such as electroconvulsive 'therapy' (ECT) can result in permanent brain damage and devastating memory loss.

psychiatric drugs 'work' by blunting painful feelings and the sense of fear, hopelessness and desperation that often accompanies them. as such they may provide a distressed human being with a temporary illusion of self-control and stability. plus, they undoubtedly quiet (and immobilize) 'bothersome' individuals, making them easier to manage.

but the underlying cause of the distress cannot be touched by these chemicals. any attempt to stop the drugs, and the issues come bounding to the fore once again, often with redoubled ferocity from the 'rebound' effect of withdrawing from these addictive substances.

the social consequences? many psychiatrized people find themselves facing a life sentence of poverty, isolation, discrimination, abuse and compromised physical health resulting in premature death. this is society's failing, not that of psychiatrized persons. but once labeled, people make convenient scapegoats. i mean, who listens to 'crazy' people?

using the word 'stigma' is an insult. this is a made-up word which essentially blames the innocent for the discrimination and bigotry they face. it is predicated on 'oh, if only these poor 'mentally ill' souls would comply with the experts, life would be so much sweeter for everyone' kind of thinking. this official mindset only guarantees the victimization and oppression will continue endlessly.

the medical model itself lies at the root of all this. in embracing a theory (it certainly isn't fact) that essentially pathologizes every aspect of our humanity that fails to fit within a limited societal mold, we are essentially allowing others to define our lives, our feelings and perceptions, our humanity and our ability to interact meaningfully with the world, all in accordance with their own agenda.

the medical model illustrates psychiatry's profound disconnect from the social construct we have made for ourselves and its often devastating effect on peoples' minds and hearts. it is without proven scientific or clinical basis.

yet the state grants powers to this specialty far beyond those afforded to any other medical specialty or helping profession, based on ludicrous but horrifying presumptions about how distressed human beings will act rather than anything they have actually done.

psychiatrists can draw on state resources such as law enforcement or the courts in order to enforce their agenda. and they remain the only medical specialty authorized to imprison people without charge or trial, or deprive people of their decision-making rights. more punishment.

the whole discourse on human distress has been hijacked and unacceptably constrained by the medical model as it originates from a group of people wearing white coats and with the letters 'MD' appended after their names. on this basis alone most people are extremely loath to dispute it. but these are human beings as well - fallible, subject to the allure of power and ego, and with a very well-defined agenda.

unfortunately, people view a medical response - even when imposed through deception and violence - as the only 'compassionate' option. nothing could be further from the truth. there is nothing compassionate about this level of power and control being directed at the innocent.

we need to take back the right to define our lives, our experiences and our humanity on our own terms. we need to end the silencing and invalidation imposed upon us by the medicalizing of our experiences. we need to find our voices and use them to call out and confront this oppressive nonsense whenever and wherever it manifests. we need to assert our own abilities (along with our failings) rather than letting the doctors tell us what we can or cannot do. these are our lives and we need to take them back!