Re: terms (Psychiatrists, State,Liberty and Schizophrenia)

Errol Back-Cunningham (ebc@ix.netcom.com(Errol)
3 Oct 1996 02:58:25 GMT

In <rwhite.844303052@superior> rwhite@superior.carleton.ca (Robert
White) writes:
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Pfohl, S.J. (1985)_Images of Deviance and Social Control_
> McGraw-Hill, Inc.
>
> A Labeling Theory of Mental Illness
> -----------------------------------
>
>Thomas J. Scheff
>----------------
[snip]

>But what causes labeling? According to Scheff seven factors are
>important: the degree of rule breaking, the amount of rule breaking,
>the visibility of rule breaking, the power of the rule-breaker,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The latter here is a great pointer to the fallacy of the cult of DSM.
The custodians merely follow the lead society gives them, like
attack dogs.

[snip]
Ideologically,
>several features of the so-called medical model reinforce the tendency
>to see illness. One is the belief that, like other diseases, mental
>illness will get progressively worse unless detected and treated.
Another
>assumes that a finding of illness is not irreversible and that the
>results of a little treatment will be neutral at worst.

Here again the assumption is that illness can be cured - but they
invented a one-way valve - there is no way out thereafter. We do
not hold it against the individual to have had appendicitis or
pneumonia. Nor do we hear of 'cured schizophrenic', Joe Bloggs
resumes his once flourishing medical practice...

Errol