DSM-5 To The Barricades On Grief Defending The Indefensible DSM-5 in Distress: Psychology Today by Allen Frances February 18, 2012 The storm of opposition to DSM 5 is now focused on its silly and unnecessary proposal to medicalize grief. DSM 5 would encourage the diagnosis of ‘Major Depressive Disorder’ almost immediately after the loss of […]
Living with grief An Editorial The Lancet 18 February 2012 When should grief be classified as a mental illness? More often than is current practice, proposes the American Psychiatric Association in its forthcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Previous DSM editions have highlighted the need to consider, and […]
It hasn’t been the best of times, and we’re not far enough beyond to yet know if it has been the worst of times. All we really know is that it has been our times. I suppose that it’s always that way – one’s personal slice of history hasn’t really yet become history proper, it’s […]
Last week, I was so completely wrapped up in Dr. Healy’s book, Pharmageddon, that I completely missed this posting by Dr. Allen Frances. It didn’t need to be missed. I repost it here for others who might have missed it [reformatted for clarity]. I find it sad: Documentation That DSM-5 Publication Must Be Delayed Psychiatric […]
Here in the US, we’ve slowly become aware of how the pharmaceutical industry has stealthily penetrated the ranks of academic and organized psychiatry, fueling fundamental changes in our daily practice leading to soaring drug profits – but little or no change in our patients’ mental health. One of the prominent avenues for this industrial invasion […]
Back in December, I had a shot at responding to a question about Melancholia. I had recently seen a case and it was fresh on my mind [melancholia…, as precisely as possible…]. Although it’s a term from antiquity, the disease is still with us just like it has always been. It’s not all that common. […]
Tensions escalate in Lancet-Hickie row The Australian Doctor by David Brill 14 February, 2012 The row has escalated between Professor Ian Hickie and the Lancet, with Professor Hickie now calling on the journal’s ombudsman to step in. The fracas broke out after the journal published a series of letters, accusing the Sydney psychiatrist of “overstating” […]
Sometimes you learn more from what you don’t understand than from things you do. We learn about what Mendel had to say about Genetics in a Zoology Lab where the fruit flies eye colors turn out just like the instructor thought they would – dominants and recessives. Then we get to Chemistry and Watson and […]
‘Campaign’ targets depression guru Ian Hickie The Australian by Sue Dunlevy February 13, 2012 Prominent psychiatrist and mental health commissioner Ian Hickie claims he is the victim of a "personalised" campaign as vested interests who are fighting government mental health reforms try to undermine him. His claims come after Australian and international mental health experts […]
An excellent post on the Texas TMAP/Janssen Trial on Healthcare Renewal by Dr. Poses [The Texas TMAP Trial as Illustration of a Systematic Stealth Marketing Campaign]…