Behaviorism and Mental Health

Alternative perspective on psychiatry's so-called mental disorders | PHILIP HICKEY, PH.D.

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“Mental Illness” and Genes

February 15, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 3 Comments

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Jay Joseph, PhD has posted an interesting piece: “Five Decades of Gene Finding Failures in Psychiatry” on Mad in America (Robert Whitaker’s site).  It is well worth a read.  The general content of the article is clear from the title.

Here are some quotes:

“Two generations of molecular genetic researchers have attempted, yet failed, to discover the genes that they believe underlie the major psychiatric disorders.”

“Despite the sequencing of the human genome and the publication of more than 1,700 schizophrenia molecular genetic studies, we have witnessed over 40 years of gene finding claims, and over 40 years of subsequently non-replicated findings.”

“…the familial, social, and political causes of psychiatric conditions must become the focus of attention.”

Dr. Joseph draws a nice analogy between “mental illnesses” and concussion injuries among football players.  Both conditions are the result of environmental influences, but nobody is suggesting that we need to explore for genetically-based brain disease in brain-damaged NFL players.

Dr. Joseph also quotes from highly credentialed science writer John Horgan:

“Over the past 15 years or so, researchers have announced the discovery of ‘genes for’ attention-deficit disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, manic depression, schizophrenia, autism, dyslexia, alcoholism, heroin addiction, high IQ, male homosexuality, sadness, extroversion, introversion, novelty seeking, impulsivity, violent aggression, anxiety, anorexia, seasonal affective disorder, and pathological gambling. So far, not one of those claims has been confirmed.”

This is a particularly important article because the false notion that “mental illnesses” are genetically caused brain diseases has been widely promoted by psychiatrists and by the media.

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Filed Under: A Behavioral Approach to Mental Disorders Tagged With: myth of mental illness, schizophrenia

About Phil Hickey

I am a licensed psychologist, presently retired. I have worked in clinical and managerial positions in the mental health, corrections, and addictions fields in the United States and England. My wife Nancy and I have been married since 1970 and have four grown children.

 

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The phrase "mental health" as used in the name of this website is simply a term of convenience. It specifically does not imply that the human problems embraced by this term are illnesses, or that their absence constitutes health. Indeed, the fundamental tenet of this site is that there are no mental illnesses, and that conceptualizing human problems in this way is spurious, destructive, disempowering, and stigmatizing.

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