I have to admit that after at least three decades of reading Szasz and all sorts of anti-psychiatric literature (and libertarian literature as well) I still can't put a dent in Szasz' arguments. He will, I believe, be vindicated thoroughly by history. Most of what they call psychiatry nowadays is a clever sham, a new disguise for old witchcraft.
Psychologically, I firmly believe we have advanced hardly at all since the days our ancestors were swinging in trees. Only styles change, and psychiatry is a style.
Bravo!
I agree with you to an extent. If you have ever known a full bore schizophrenic, which I have, it's hard to deny that this is not a very very dangerously ill person and that the illness is related to his brain.
Every other part of our body gets sick or can be defective. Why not brains?
Once upon a time, my bi-polar sister-in-law, during a maniac breakdown, tried to take my brother out of intensive care (where he was being treated for Gillian Barre syndrome, was paralyzed from just below the eyes down, on a respirator, and in great need of being where he was.)
There are times when things go weird in the biochemistry, and get us to behave weirdly.
I tend to believe large amounts of mental/emotional problems will be found to have physical causes/triggers involving the delicate chemistry going on in the brain.
In my bloodline, we have history of ADD and bipolar syndrome that goes back at least 5 generations. Clearly something going on there in the genetics, I suspect. My great aunt was in and our of facilities in her lifetime because of her bipolar condition.
Problem with these diseases they manifest by compromising our mental states.
I do know at times, a person dealing with deep depression will harm themselves. My sister-in-law also went through a three year depression where she tried to commit suicide five times.
It is a good question to know when these things are being abused, and when is it important to intervene. In my sister-in-law's case, they did intervene when she tried to take my brother out, briefly, long enough to juggle her medications and let her get destressed. I suspect she had brief hospitalizations with each suicide attempt as well. As a result, both my brother and my sister-in-law are still with us today.
I know of one case where a schizophrenic young man was fixtated on his father for some reason, refused to take his medication after he turned of age, and did succeed on killing his father.
Should there have been an intervention?
Finding that fine line between the individual's right to decide and society's right to protect itself will always be a tricky border. There have been lots of abuse. I don't have the answer.
I've always been pretty leery of the whole "mental health profession," more out of instinct than anything else. But I'd be interested in looking over some of the things you've read. Are there any particular titles/authors you'd recommend?
Suddenly my tagline seems unusually appropriate, doesn't it?
I don't buy much of this. It is a fallacy that medical diagnoses are mainly based upon physical examination. The history of the patient - what they tell you - is typically more important, and, as pointed out, sometimes is the only information used for diagnosis.
One of the best ways to confirm a diagnosis is its response to treatment. Anyone who has ever treated a bipolar, schizophrenic, or depressed patient can attest to the efficacy of medications, and to what happens when the patient stops them.
In addition, psychiatric illnesses can result as side effects of medications used to treat other conditions. Interferon can induce depression, and Parkinson's medications can cause psychosis. MRI has also showed differences between normal brains and the brains of schizophrenics.
So , with psychiatric illnesses, we have conditions which respond to specific medications, which can be induced as side effects of other medications, and which, in at least one case, have objective MRI abnormalities. Using a legal argument is like the tail wagging the dog. Saying that psychiatric conditions don't exist because someone in legal trouble can pretend to have one doesn't hold water.