{"id":54722,"date":"2015-02-28T13:39:27","date_gmt":"2015-02-28T18:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/?p=54722"},"modified":"2015-02-28T15:46:02","modified_gmt":"2015-02-28T20:46:02","slug":"to-be-continued-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/2015\/02\/28\/to-be-continued-2\/","title":{"rendered":"<to be continued>…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a>It’s not easy to respond to the British Psychological Society’s<\/font><\/em> [BPS]<\/font>, Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia<\/a>, primarily because of the extensive use of negation throughout the report. In their discussion, the phenomena formerly called a symptom [like hearing voices] is not<\/u> abnormal<\/font>, but rather something seen in normal<\/font> mental life. A negative symptom like anhedonia is not<\/u> some primary aspect of a disease state but rather the result of being overwhelmed. There is not<\/u> any underlying condition causing symptoms [the Szaszian formulation of the Myth of Mental Illness<\/a>]. Medication is not<\/u> treating some underlying pathology, but rather an optional adjunct some find helpful. Much of what is seen in these conditions is the result of being not<\/u> understood or not<\/u> listened to. In the etiologic dimension, the report suggests that these are people who have been traumatized by life experiences – not<\/u> a flight into fantasy<\/em> but a reaction to fact<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The points made in the report are certainly well known to all of us. Besides echoing the words of Thomas Szasz<\/a> [who is nowhere mentioned in the report], it’s a position similar to the one expressed by Robert Whitaker<\/a> in his books and by the bloggers on his web-site, Mad in America<\/a> [Whitaker is referenced extensively in the report]. It also mirrors the ideas of the Recovery Movement<\/a> and the Psychiatric Survivors Movement<\/a>. The phrase coined in the report that seems to define the approach being generally advocated is "We need to replace paternalism with collaboration<\/font><\/strong><\/em>." In the section about recovery colleges<\/a>, there’s a table contrasting these models as discussed in this report:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So the report recommends a list of fundamental changes in the systems of mental health care:<\/div>\n