Behaviorism and Mental Health

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

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You are here: Home / Archives for bipolar

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

My Response To Dr. Pies

November 17, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 8 Comments

In the October 2015 issue of the Behavior Therapist (pages 206-213), Jeffrey Lacasse, PhD, and Jonathan Leo, PhD, published an article titled Antidepressants and the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression: A Reflection and Update on the Discourse, I thought the article had particular merit, and I drew attention to it in a post dated November… Continue Reading

Antidepressant-induced Mania

January 12, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 52 Comments

It is generally recognized in antipsychiatry circles that antidepressant drugs induce manic or hypomanic episodes in some of the individuals who take them.  Psychiatry’s usual response to this is to assert that the individual must have had an underlying latent bipolar disorder that has “emerged” in response to the improvement in mood. The problem with such… Continue Reading

Life Is Bipolar

February 2, 2014 By A reader | 4 Comments

  I am a 30 year man who finally realized a few months ago (after finding this website) that he is not mentally ill but just an adult who often acts like a child. I dabbled with some “official” drugs (meaning prescribed) in the last few years when I was first diagnosed  with depression (was put on anti… Continue Reading

Mental Health After Newtown

March 13, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

On March 5, 2013, a bipartisan panel of leading mental health experts and parents of children with “mental disorders” held a conversation (that’s newspeak for meeting) in Washington D.C. on the topic: Violence and Severe Mental Illness. The invited panelists were: Thomas Insel, MD, Director of NIMH Harold Koplewicz, MD, President of Child Mind Institute… Continue Reading

Childhood Bipolar Disorder

January 25, 2013 By Phil Hickey | Leave a Comment

Prior to about 1994, childhood bipolar disorder was virtually unheard of.  DSM-III-R (1987), in the section on manic episode, states, “…studies indicate that the mean age at onset is in the early 20s.  However…a sizable number of new cases appear after age 50.”(p 216)  Of course a mean age of onset in the early 20’s… Continue Reading

Diagnosis

March 6, 2011 By Phil Hickey | 18 Comments

I am writing this post as a response to a comment posted by medical blog in my previous post, More on So-called Bipolar Disorder. In the summer of 2001 I became very ill.  The symptoms were exhaustion and mild nosebleeds. I went to three different practitioners, but they all were dismissive of my concerns, assured… Continue Reading

More on So-called Bipolar Disorder

February 24, 2011 By Phil Hickey | 24 Comments

A few days ago, I received the following email: Hi Phil, I would like to hear from you how we can survive the bipolar disorder, as I understand bipolar is a very serious disease. Regards, [Name] The question seems important enough to warrant a more public response, though I have omitted the writer’s name to… Continue Reading

DSM and Disability

December 12, 2010 By Phil Hickey | Leave a Comment

Every society in every generation makes errors.  Some of the errors are minor.  Some are major.  One of the great errors of the 20th century was this:  we accepted the spurious notion that a wide range of life’s problems were in fact illnesses.  This spurious notion was initiated with good intentions – to provide shelter… Continue Reading

Bipolar Disorder Is Not An Illness

September 6, 2009 By Phil Hickey | 569 Comments

This post was edited and updated on June 24, 2013,  to address comments received from readers.  I thank them for their input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DSM-IV’s criteria for a manic episode are given below: A. A distinct period of abnormally and persistently… Continue Reading

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

June 23, 2009 By Phil Hickey | 15 Comments

This post was edited and updated on July 7, 2013 in the light of comments from readers.  I am grateful for their input. ************* One of the anxiety disorders listed in DSM-IV is posttraumatic stress disorder. The criteria for this condition are listed below: A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in… 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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