Recently I have read a book by a man named Dr. Thomas Szasz and is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York, Syracuse. The book is titled, 'The Myth of Mental Illness.' In his book he claims psychiatry is a pseudo-science attempting to cure people of diseases that do not actually exist. Allow me to clarify. When a person suffers a heart-attack, they are experiencing a physiological malfunction and if wanting treatment will seek out a doctor trained in treating ailments of the physical body. Psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry's' slogan for mental illness is that it is a bio-chemical imbalance in the brain, thus making it physiological.

Who is to say what is a proper chemical balance any-how in the greater scheme of things (outside what the norms and beliefs of the given society state what is normal)Anyhow, he claims psychiatry is to patients today as witch-hunters were to women so accused back in the 1600's. He states there is no proof of lesion or PHYSICAL evidence of a damaged organ in a person labeled mentally ill, specifically for schizophrenia. On this basis he claims psychiatry a fraud, and an oppressive and controlling institution designed to alienate and treat defectives of society in a dominant/submissive relationship. It is true today, as far as my knowledge takes me, that doctors do not know what schizophrenia is, what causes it, or how it can be cured if it is even something to be cured. Medication is the first line of defense in the fight against mental illness, but ask any informed psychiatrist or psychologist that medication is not a cure. Mostly its like a band-aid as its commonly called and medication is a crutch for the weak of character. I had called a well known pharmaceutical company inquiring about some psychotropic medications because I had some questions about the fine print, the very fine print. The bureaucracy did not allow me to get past no more than two people with my inquiries into the function of the particular medication. The pharmaceutical industry and psychiatrists, however explain that they do not know exactly how the medication works. Humbling, yet frightening as well.

I am unsure of my opinion of Dr. Szasz and his extreme point of view. Maybe he truly believes mental illness is a myth of our generation and people labeled as such really are simply having difficulty with living. Life is hard; well for most of us. Inevitably the stress will cause pain. Suffering is a part of life as most religions state. I am unsure whether his anti-psychiatry movement is just a showy ploy for attention or to gain some sort of prestige. There are about seven models that professionals use for identifying and treating ailments of the mind. Psychiatrists rely heavily on the medical model for their paradigm in understanding disorders or mental illnesses such as bipolar, depression, and all the other myriad forms of sufferings humans experience.

The main point is this: If mental illness is not a physiological illness like a heart-attack but rather a person experiencing difficulty dealing with life, then why use the medical model to treat a disease where there is none? That's where the battle between the efficacy of psychiatry versus psychology begins.

Learn more about this author, Taylor Novia.
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