Hmmm... I think maybe deficiences and the systematic problems within the psychiatric/psychology services could give you a PhD's worth of research... you'd be opening a whole can of worms, and it would possibly be difficult to know where to stop in terms of information gathering, and also how you analyse all that information, decide what's to be the focus of your paper, and draw conclusions. For example, what is the nature and what are the specifics of the 'corruption' you're referring to? Is this just a broad hypothesis that you have? Can you find evidence to prove it? What's behind the 'corruption'? Is it related to fundamental problems with the diagnostic criteria? Is it a lack of specialists? Is it a problem getting referral to specialists? Is it a lack of awareness among the general public and general practitioners that means people don't or can't access services? Is it a lack of motivation among professionals in the field to advance their theories or take on board 'service user' experiences? Are problems related to that very unbalanced relationship between 'expert' (i.e. the medical professional) and 'expert' (i.e. 'expert patient/client' someone who knows themself, knows their symptoms/traits). Is it just a lack of funds? If it's a lack of funds, why? What is government policy? Why is government policy the way it is? You address the issue of mental health services being 'Cinderella services'. It's such a broad proposal, you could get yourself into terrible problems being overwhelmed by an avalanche information that doesn't necessarily sit easily together in terms of building a narrative.
For a fairly simple paper for a health/careers class, you're probably better off limiting it to something narrower, like your first suggestions of an anti-autism-cure or anti-ECT paper.
It's not so much the labelling that's the problem; it's when they are too hasty and give an incorrect label and then go on to give the wrong treatment and don't listen properly to their patients.
The doctor sometimes thinks he always know better, he doesn't.
If you tell where you got it from you could possibly use this story:
http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/showthre...?tid=10589
It's pretty much the only story with detail that comes to my mind.
Also, it might be a topic whether doctors are too quick to give drugs when there's an autism diagnosis.
A good general reference on the shortcomings of the psychiatric system is the Citizens Commission on Human Rights site at
http://www.cchr.org/
In particular, they debunk the American Psychiatric Association's
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV
I think a big problem I've had is that therapists treat their 'work' like a religion - i.e. there are those who are hardcore freud-worshippers (or some are into psychodynamics which is pretty similar) in which they blame your past and parents for everything - even if this makes no sense.
I saw another therapist who believed really strongly in transactional analysis and who was saying my 'problems' were due to an imbalance between my inner adult, inner parent and inner child and kept drawing diagrams to illustrate this.
Each therapist believed that the school of thought to which the subscribed was completely right - to the extent that they ceased to be logical and impartial.
When the therapy didn't work (because I was at the time undiagnosed autistic) they just became abusive towards me because as far as they concerned their 'beliefs' were not to be contradicted so I must be deliberately 'refusing' to get better as an attack on their beliefs.
...and I know there are quite a few of us on AFF, so I was wondering if I could ask you guys for some help.
I'm doing a big big huge project for my Health/Careers class; we have to write a long research paper on a health-related issue. About half the class is going to regurgitate their class notes on drugs and alchohol abuse, so I didn't want to do anything like that. At first I thought about an anti-autism-cure paper, then an anti-electroshock-therapy paper, but then I decided to just write a paper about the all-around corruption of the psychiatric "help" system. But since this is not a widely-discussed topic, I don't really know where to start looking for sources.
So, if you guys know of any websites or books that could help with this, I would be very grateful. Also, if you have any quotes or thoughts that I could add, I'd be grateful for those, too. (You would be credited, of course.)
In short words,What did yopu think was corrupted?
I bet there's some psychiatrists who might abuse their authority, I have however had a rather pleasent experience with psychiatry.
I think a big problem I've had is that therapists treat their 'work' like a religion - i.e. there are those who are hardcore freud-worshippers (or some are into psychodynamics which is pretty similar) in which they blame your past and parents for everything - even if this makes no sense.
I saw another therapist who believed really strongly in transactional analysis and who was saying my 'problems' were due to an imbalance between my inner adult, inner parent and inner child and kept drawing diagrams to illustrate this.
Each therapist believed that the school of thought to which the subscribed was completely right - to the extent that they ceased to be logical and impartial.
When the therapy didn't work (because I was at the time undiagnosed autistic) they just became abusive towards me because as far as they concerned their 'beliefs' were not to be contradicted so I must be deliberately 'refusing' to get better as an attack on their beliefs.
It pays to keep an open mind and treat everyone as an individual, my son's psych. was like this, he wasn't into labelling. He couldn't understand or connect with my son, he really had no idea at all.
To get an idea, he needed to comprehend the label / diagnosis of austism / aspergers. But because he wasn't into labelling he could't understand. Mental illness is very different to autism spectrum disorders, he was looking for mental illness, or a personality disorder. This is where labelling can become important, a label helps to clarify and define and this goes on to promote understanding. Only when my son got the label he needed, was he able to get the help and understanding he needed at that time.
We're puppets in the hands of psychiatry. All they want to know about is our damn parents. That's projection on their part. That's the reason why they became psych-people in the first place; to ask us about our parents just because they've put their own parents on a pedestal. I've never spoken to a psychiatrist et al that has not blurted out that question as if I, who actually sits there before their very faces, was there not on behalf of my own personal problems, but only wanted to chat about my parents.
The psych-people must be using us to placate their own twisted gratitude towards their parents as they reiterates the notion that parents are never to blame while behind the veil of their neurosis hovers the ghost of all freuds; sigmund f***ing fraud!!! !!! !
Next time it happens I'll behave like a stereotypical aspie and tell them all about my parents. I think I'll prepare some photos too, that I can fish out of an inner pocket as though it was a cue for a different topic. The problem is that it is the psych-people who write my prescriptions to the pharmacy...
The doctor sometimes thinks he always know better, he doesn't.
If you tell where you got it from you could possibly use this story:
http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/showthre...?tid=10589
It's pretty much the only story with detail that comes to my mind.
Also, it might be a topic whether doctors are too quick to give drugs when there's an autism diagnosis.
I'm really not certain that it's for you to grant permission to use another poster's story and details.
Surely, the etiquette should be for SheWhoblahblahblah to contact mysticaria and ask if they wouldn't mind?
I know it's technically in the public domain and we can't be too picky and we should be aware that other people might choose to copy and use it (btw, there are copyright issues regarding using someone else's writings), but I for one would be really annoyed if other posters felt they were entitled to take anything I'd written here in a members only, fairly private forum, and use it elsewhere in other contexts without my knowledge and consent.
When I went into therapy the last time I did it out of the notion that I'd be dead or something in five years time if I didn't do something to reverse the downward spiral of depression (+ a multitude of other symptoms). In my mind I thought that I had nothing to lose so off I sent five letters and then waited for replies...
I started therapy in april 2003. He was honest in his opinion that therapy wasn't enough help in my situation so he made a referral to the "state psychiatric care" for evaluation. He said I might have Aspergers but that he didn't work out of those kind of limitations, which I understood and accepted. I did some tests and was then referred to a team that would do the Asperger tests; or so we thought because "person/s unknown" did not file the proper paperwork to put me on the waiting-list to be tested.
The therapist wanted to keep an open mind to the causes of my problems but by not seeing the Aspergers as a tangible reality, but only as an abstract, he limited his view of me and by so he also disregarded the limitations caused by my neurological status.
So looking back, I'd say that step one in any type of therapeutic situation is to define how the patient thinks (if there is a question of a different neurological type than the so called norm), and when a basic map to how the patient thinks has been achieved (therapy isn't a war between two minds but a joint venture to help the lost to find their way back on track) then it's time to start looking at the reasons to why the patient has reached out for help.
It's that same old catch 22; you reach out for help because you need help and at the same time you need to be strong enough to refrain from just grabbing on to the first straw...
So looking back again I'd have to say that I would've needed support to find the support that I needed.
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I bet there's some psychiatrists who might abuse their authority, I have however had a rather pleasent experience with psychiatry.
Abuse their trust, not authority - would probably be an appropriate correction.
Therapists generally don't have authority. If you're unhappy with one you just swap. If the therapist attempt to persuade you to do otherwise, you swap.
The doctor sometimes thinks he always know better, he doesn't.
If you tell where you got it from you could possibly use this story:
http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/showthre...?tid=10589
It's pretty much the only story with detail that comes to my mind.
Also, it might be a topic whether doctors are too quick to give drugs when there's an autism diagnosis.
I'm really not certain that it's for you to grant permission to use another poster's story and details.
Surely, the etiquette should be for SheWhoblahblahblah to contact mysticaria and ask if they wouldn't mind?
I know it's technically in the public domain and we can't be too picky and we should be aware that other people might choose to copy and use it (btw, there are copyright issues regarding using someone else's writings), but I for one would be really annoyed if other posters felt they were entitled to take anything I'd written here in a members only, fairly private forum, and use it elsewhere in other contexts without my knowledge and consent.
It isn't in the public domain - everything posted here is copyrighted to whoever posts it (unless they are copying/pasting themselves from elsewhere of course).
http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/legal.php
SheWhoCan'tThinkOfAUsername - Please do not act as a consent proxy for others, something like "perhaps you could ask <name> if you can quote their post?" is much more appropriate for reasons of both basic polite behaviour and the obvious legal reasons.
Damn I should have known that.
I apologize in respect of mysticaria.