Does psychiatry create a cult like mentality?

sunshineNrainbows wrote:How difficult is it to get multiple professional opinions on a diagnosis? Would you need to basically meet with several different therapists and attend multiple sessions with each of them where you discuss similar matters? Or is there a faster way to protect ourselves from a misdiagnosis?

Sadly not everyone has that option. Being forced into involuntary commitment is one of those scenarios.

I'm sorry, I haven't read this whole thread but would like to ask you a question Riccola. Where did you confront this ignorance and nastiness explained in your OP?

I ask, because when I looked at the title of this thread, it seemed clear to me that the answer was YES. But at what level, and how concentrated (numbers), I am unsure? I answered yes in my mind simply because it is human nature to make black and white almost any issue, especially one that has a big impact on our culture.

I fall in the middle of Pro and Anti, and always have. I have seen the benefits of psychiatry and I have seen its abuses.

My chief concern on the Pro side is the abuse of medication for people who don't need it. This isn't just Big Pharma and doctors, there are people I know who feel psychotropics are the answer to everything. When I first started taking med (over three decades ago) it wasn't the norm and I was often ashamed to admit I was on them. Now it is commonplace. It seems every other person is on some sort of mind-altering drug.

Still, unless I seek it out, I don't see a burgeoning cult. I see more complacency and a willingness to believe anything the doctors throw at them. This does create a "mind you own business" mentality if you speak out against it, but cult, I am not sure.

Still, an interesting subject. Thanks for bringing it up.

Otter wrote:I'm sorry, I haven't read this whole thread but would like to ask you a question Riccola. Where did you confront this ignorance and nastiness explained in your OP?

I've encountered it on the internet, in treatment, and in general speaking with others in real life. Critique is not taken well, especially when people mistakenly reach the conclusion I am in denial about others having mental health issues which is not the case for me.

I ask, because when I looked at the title of this thread, it seemed clear to me that the answer was YES. But at what level, and how concentrated (numbers), I am unsure? I answered yes in my mind simply because it is human nature to make black and white almost any issue, especially one that has a big impact on our culture.

My intent is not to state numbers or facts, but rather if others have encountered similar experiences. My intent is not to speak for everyone. My apologies if I have come across the wrong way.

I fall in the middle of Pro and Anti, and always have. I have seen the benefits of psychiatry and I have seen its abuses.

My chief concern on the Pro side is the abuse of medication for people who don't need it. This isn't just Big Pharma and doctors, there are people I know who feel psychotropics are the answer to everything. When I first started taking med (over three decades ago) it wasn't the norm and I was often ashamed to admit I was on them. Now it is commonplace. It seems every other person is on some sort of mind-altering drug.

Still, unless I seek it out, I don't see a burgeoning cult. I see more complacency and a willingness to believe anything the doctors throw at them. This does create a "mind you own business" mentality if you speak out against it, but cult, I am not sure.

Still, an interesting subject. Thanks for bringing it up.

I am sure our experiences vary and it sounds like people are more open to opinion where you live. However it is not patients seek or are told (in my view), but rather some with anti-psych views are frequently met with strong opposition by when they speak their mind.

Thanks Riccola - while you were posting this, I was sending you a PM. I won't post it here because there is stuff just meant for the PM, but part of it was meant to make sure you didn't take my post as a challenge.

I truly don't know much about how the "anti-" and "pro-" community interact, and where or how it manifests.

As I mentioned in the PM I believe we need a strong "anti-" group, that does their best counter the massive misinformation (or lack of information) available to the public about the realities of what it means to get treated for illnesses related to cognitive issues.

I have known, first-hand, cases in which the severe side effects of various mental health drugs manifested in a patient, and the doctor never forewarned that patient. This, and many other egregious things go on.

My apologies, if it seemed like I was making a counterpoint to your assertion.

Otter.

Otter wrote:Thanks Riccola - while you were posting this, I was sending you a PM. I won't post it here because there is stuff just meant for the PM, but part of it was meant to make sure you didn't take my post as a challenge.

I truly don't know much about how the "anti-" and "pro-" community interact, and where or how it manifests.

As I mentioned in the PM I believe we need a strong "anti-" group, that does their best counter the massive misinformation (or lack of information) available to the public about the realities of what it means to get treated for illnesses related to cognitive issues.

I have known, first-hand, cases in which the severe side effects of various mental health drugs manifested in a patient, and the doctor never forewarned that patient. This, and many other egregious things go on.

My apologies, if it seemed like I was making a counterpoint to your assertion.

Otter.

No worry, even if it was challenging (which I hear you that it was not the intent)

I have no issue with hearing all sides and encourage everyone to add their thoughts, feelings and observations.

I have distant family member that had an anxiety attack a while back, and went to the ER for help. Something she said made them claim she was a danger to herself, and she ended up involuntarily detained for evaluation. At that point, everything she said and did was listed as a reason for why she needed long term commitment. It was creepy and scary how they twisted every request, from asking to see her records to making a phone call to her family.

I don't know if this is mostly cult-like, or just cynically trying to maximize payments from the insurance company for her stay. Either way, it was circular logic, which is in line with the "cult-like" subject of this thread.

Involuntary commitment is a crime against humanity...

Riccola wrote:Ok, so I've noticed this for a long time with psychiatrists, patients and even part of the general population. When I or someone else becomes critical of psychiatry they are automatically attacked with hostility or discredited as being uneducated, denying mental illness, insensitive toward those who are suffering, or just plain ignorant. I've been told many times in some shape or form that I am extremely arrogant to question 'an entire field of science made legitimate by highly educated professionals' Been called a peasant, redneck, bigot and the like. When I bring up that no system, business, or concept is free of corruption I'm met with something along the lines of 'so you think doctors saving lives is some type of conspiracy' or 'you think I am dumb and have fallen for a grand deception that only you have been smart enough to figure out' That, and the fact I've noticed many people become triggered or distraught when I talk about where psychiatry has failed to help me.

In no way shape or form am I against those struggling with mental health issues or those who help others, but my opinions and personal observations are frequently obfuscated in the other direction.

There is something about this topic which brings out an animosity in others and to be frank it feels like psychiatry has created some type of religion or cult mentality regarding critique. As much as I hate to say it, it only fuels my opinion that psychiatry has a dark side.


What do others think?

Yes I've noticed this as well.

It seems to come from a threat to one's basic belief system -- which may be just as life-threatening as physical trauma i.e. an existentialist, metaphysical, value-systems attack.

Naturally, since people have been indoctrinated into this cult-like mentality their entire lives any truthful revelations contradicting their false worldviews may indeed appear to be far-fetched. But, to make things even worse, humans are stubborn creatures who let their egos override everything else: Instead of learning about new information that does not fit within their current worldview, they would rather exercise their ego by letting others know what is and is not possible, merely based upon their personal knowledge and feeble understanding of what is actually happening.

People most likely have this strong, instinctual urge to automatically defend their current belief system and to reject all of this sort of information. But, they must realize that attempting to use their belief system to filter out this information is, in fact, a nonsensical paradox, because it is their very belief system that is at issue here. Thus, instead of using a belief system to do their thinking for them, they must think for themselves.

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." — Arthur Schopenhauer (German philosopher, 1788-1860)

People tend to most commonly use logical fallacies, such as: appeal to emotion and argumetum ad hominem to defend the mental health care system. And for some reason, those two logical fallacies somehow manage to be extremely effective at manipulating the groupthinking mob mentality that is the global consensus. And when you try to point out to them that they're using logical fallacies, they actually mock you for being overly logical and inhuman.

The psychopharmaceutical industrial complex (PPIC) and its adherence to the disease model pervades mainstream culture and greatly impacts psychotherapy. Consequently, the effects of the PPIC may have resulted in some psychiatric consumers adopting disease-model messages in ways similar to cult indoctrination. Consumer adoption of the disease model can create obstacles to treatment when hope is fundamental. In this article, I draw parallels between cult indoctrination and PPIC techniques and note similarities between cult members and consumers who are vulnerable to losing their identities to the PPIC. Suggestions for the profession of mental health counseling and those working with these consumers conclude the article. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+loss ... 0209535636

I think it certainly can, and I've seen it here and in other psych forums.

Many people (in all areas of life) have to feel special, and only be with people who are like them. I'm not sure...maybe they do not like to feel questioned. Those types are the scariest of all. People can gain more knowledge and perspective by being around those with different views.

For many years, I have had a love hate thing for the psych field. There are so many overlaps to all the illnesses. It's so complicated, but the answers are often so parallel--or even the same.