Behaviorism and Mental Health

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

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Elimination of the Bereavement Exclusion:  History and Implications

October 5, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 2 Comments

INTRODUCTION The bereavement exclusion was formally eliminated in the spring of 2013, with the publication of DSM-5.  The exclusion was a provision in earlier editions, that a “diagnosis of major depressive disorder” could not be assigned to a bereaved person, even though he or she met the criteria, unless certain additional considerations were met.  The… Continue Reading

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Pharma Responds:  Antidepressants Really Work.  Really?

September 7, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

On July 25, 2017, Fredrik Hieronymus et al published a meta-analysis in Molecular Psychiatry.  The study is titled Efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the absence of side effects: a mega-analysis of citalopram and paroxetine in adult depression.  Elias Eriksson, PhD, Head of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, is the principal… Continue Reading

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An Anti-Psychiatry Music Video!

July 11, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

Two days ago, on July 9, Richard Lewis published on Mad in America a post in which he draws attention to the prolific worldwide prescribing of benzodiazepines, and the problems that this creates.  The article includes a music video of a song which Richard has written and performs.  The song is called Benzo Blue, and… Continue Reading

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Robert Whitaker Refutes Jeffrey Lieberman; But Is Psychiatry Reformable?

June 22, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 12 Comments

INTRODUCTION On May 5, 2017, Donald Goff, MD and seven other psychiatrists, including the very eminent Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, published an article in the American Journal of Psychiatry.  The title is: The Long-Term Effects of Antipsychotic Medication on Clinical Course in Schizophrenia. Here’s the abstract: “Concerns have been raised that treatment with antipsychotic medication might… Continue Reading

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Nassir Ghaemi and The Psychological Fallacy

May 12, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 14 Comments

INTRODUCTION On August 8, 2013, the eminent psychiatrist Nassir Ghaemi, MD, MPH, published an article on Medscape. The title of the piece is The Psychological Fallacy in Psychiatry. The article is almost four years old. Ordinarily I don’t discuss material this dated, but the content of this article is particularly important, and worthy of discussion,… Continue Reading

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Beyond Survival

March 22, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 21 Comments

Recently I came across a remarkable article From surviving to thriving: how does that happen. The authors are Mark Bertram and Sarah McDonald, and the piece was published in The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, Vol 10, Iss 5, 2015. The work was conducted in the vocational service department of a large… Continue Reading

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Where Do We Go From Here?

March 15, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 23 Comments

At the risk of stating the obvious, the anti-psychiatry movement is rapidly gaining momentum. We are attracting an increasing number of supporters, and our message is being picked up increasingly by the mainstream media. We have won the intellectual and moral battles hands down. We have demonstrated again and again that psychiatry is intellectually and… Continue Reading

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SSRIs:  Minimal Effectiveness and High Risk

March 9, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 9 Comments

Last month (February 2017), the journal BMC Psychiatry published a study by James Christian  Jakobsen et al.  The study is titled Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors versus placebo in patients with major depressive disorder. A systematic review with meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis. The research was a meta-analysis – i.e. it combined the findings from several earlier studies. … Continue Reading

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More on the Biological Evidence for “Mental Illness”

January 30, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 28 Comments

On January 10, 2017, I put up a post titled The Biological Evidence for “Mental Illness”.  It was published simultaneously on Mad in America.  The post was a response to an earlier comment from Carolina Partners in Mental Healthcare PLLC, which included the assertion “mental illnesses have a long history of biological evidence.”  In my… Continue Reading

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Psychiatry Interrogated, (ed. Bonnie Burstow), Palgrave Macmillan:  A Book Review

January 25, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 3 Comments

I have recently read Psychiatry Interrogated, subtitled “An Institutional Ethnography Anthology”.  Ethnography is the branch of anthropology that deals with the systematic study of individual cultures.  Institutional ethnography (IE), according to Wikipedia, is  “a method of social research [that]… explores the social relations that structure people’s everyday lives, specifically by looking at the ways that… Continue Reading

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Mental Health First Aid: Another Psychiatric Expansionist Tool

January 23, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 16 Comments

On December 25, 2016, the Baltimore Sun published an excellent article titled Drug companies prey on children, by Patrick D. Hahn, PhD.  Dr. Hahn is an affiliate professor of biology at Loyola University, Maryland.  Here are some quotes: “I recently attended Youth Mental Health First Aid Training at a local public school. It was an… Continue Reading

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Book Review: The Power of the Double Circle

January 20, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 2 Comments

I have recently read The Power of the Double Circle by Philip Springer, MD, and Shelby Havens, DNP.  It’s a small book (91 pages), but it sets out an idea that might have some value in support/self-help and other kinds of groups. Dr. Springer is a retired psychiatrist, and Dr. Havens is a psychiatric nurse… Continue Reading

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Allen Frances and the “Overdiagnosing” of Children

January 18, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 6 Comments

On October 31, 2016, the very eminent psychiatrist Allen Frances, MD, architect of DSM-IV, published an article on his Psychology Today blog, Saving Normal.  The article is titled DSM-5 Diagnoses In Kids Should Always Be Written In Pencil.  (The piece also appeared on the Huffington Post Blog on the same date.)  The subheading is “Mislabelling… Continue Reading

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Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the President-Elect

January 16, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 43 Comments

CLARIFICATION This post is a critique of psychiatry’s spurious personality disorder diagnoses.  It is neither a defense, nor a condemnation, of Mr. Trump.  In my view, it is right and proper that we the people should comment freely on, and criticize, our political leaders, as we deem appropriate.  But assigning spurious psychiatric labels is problematic… Continue Reading

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The Biological Evidence for “Mental Illness”

January 10, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 61 Comments

On January 2, 2017, I published a short post titled Carrie Fisher Dead at Age 60 on Behaviorism and Mental Health.  The article was published simultaneously on Mad in America. On January 4, a response from Carolina Partners was entered into the comments string on both sites. Carolina Partners in Mental Healthcare, PLLC, is a… Continue Reading

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Carrie Fisher, Dead at Age 60

January 2, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 18 Comments

Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27, 2016, at the early age of 60. In a 2001 article on Healthy Place,  she was described as “Perhaps one of manic-depression’s best-known champions…” Here’s another quote from the same article: “I’m fine, but I’m bipolar. I’m on seven medications, and I take medication three times a day…. Continue Reading

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My Response to a Defender of Psychiatry

December 6, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 31 Comments

On October 13, an interesting article was published on the Huffington Post Blog.  The author is Jessica Gold, MD, a psychiatry resident at Stanford University; the post is titled Inpatient Psychiatry: Not all Needles, Drugs And Locks. The article is a personal experience/opinion piece, the gist of which is that people who criticize or condemn… Continue Reading

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Murphy Bill Being Sneaked Into House Legislation

November 29, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

This morning I received an email from Oldhead, who has been active in opposing the Murphy Bill.  Here are two quotes from the email: “As succinctly as possible — the main language from MURPHY (including AOT funding) has been consolidated with another bill, the 21ST CENTURY CURES bill, which is being introduced as a House… Continue Reading

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Neuroleptic Drugs, Akathisia, and Suicide and Violence

November 8, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 4 Comments

Thirty-three years ago, in August 1983, an article titled Suicide Associated with Akathisia and Depot Fluphenazine Treatment appeared in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.  The authors were Katherine Shear, MD, Allen Frances, MD, and Peter Weiden, MD. Here are some quotes, interspersed with my comments/observations: “Akathisia is a common and distressing side effect of neuroleptic… Continue Reading

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A Bill to Explore the Relationship Between Veteran Suicides and Prescription Medication

November 1, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 2 Comments

On September 28, US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a bill in the Senate titled Veteran Overmedication Prevention Act (S. 3410).  This is a companion bill to HR 4640, Veteran Suicide Prevention Act introduced in the House by Congressman David Jolly (R-FL) earlier this year.  The objective of both bills is to combat suicide deaths… Continue Reading

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ADHD: A Destructive Psychiatric Hoax

October 27, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 31 Comments

INTRODUCTION Earlier this year, Alan Schwarz, an investigative reporter for the New York Times, published his latest book:  ADHD Nation. The blurb on the jacket states: “More than 1 in 7 American children get diagnosed with ADHD—three times what experts have said is appropriate—meaning that millions of kids are misdiagnosed and taking medications such as… Continue Reading

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The Bonnie Burstow Scholarship in Antipsychiatry

October 18, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 3 Comments

Bonnie Burstow, PhD, is a faculty member at the University of Toronto, and an antipsychiatry activist.  She writes about topics that include institutional ruling, resistance, and social change. On October 7, 2016, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto announced that they had established a scholarship for students doing theses… Continue Reading

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The Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 (SB 2680) Would Be a Huge Step Backwards

September 30, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 6 Comments

On July 6, HB 2646 (the Tim Murphy Bill) passed the US House and was sent to the Senate. At the present time, a related bill is working its way through the Senate.  This is SB 2680, The Mental Health Reform Act 2016.  It is sponsored by Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bill Cassidy… Continue Reading

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Psychiatric Ethics

September 6, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 8 Comments

On June 9, 2016, the very eminent psychiatrist Allen Frances, MD, published an article on the Huffington Post Blog.  The piece was titled Trump Is Breaking Bad, Not Clinically Mad. The gist of the article was that, although the Republican presidential candidate has many flaws, he does not have a mental disorder. Here are some… Continue Reading

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A Diluted Murphy Bill Clears the House and Goes to the Senate

August 23, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 31 Comments

INTRODUCTION On Wednesday, July 6, the US House of Representatives passed a watered down version of HB 2646, the so-called Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.  The bill, which is now a House Resolution, is usually referred to as the Tim Murphy bill, after its principle author, Representative Tim Murphy, PhD, who is also… Continue Reading

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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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The purpose of this website is to provide a forum where current practices and ideas in the mental health field can be critically examined and discussed. It is not possible in this kind of context to provide psychological help or advice to individuals who may read this site, and nothing written here should be construed in this manner. Readers seeking psychological help should consult a qualified practitioner in their own local area. They should explain their concerns to this person and develop a trusting working relationship. It is only in a one-to-one relationship of this kind that specific advice should be given or taken.

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