 How Psychiatrists Misunderstand and Mistreat Schizophrenia by Richard Gosden Description Schizophrenia is the medical name for the most baffling form of mental disorder that afflicts human beings. There are no laboratory tests available to confirm a diagnosis, and psychiatrists have many divergent and contradictory theories about its cause. Yet the profession is certain that schizophrenia is a medical problem, and is virtually unanimous about the correct treatment for it: most people diagnosed are treated, often involuntarily, with powerful, debilitating drugs that manage but do not cure the condition. Now there is a growing worldwide attempt to identify 'pre-psychotic' adolescents, and to treat them similarly. But what if psychiatrists are wrong? In a radical shift of perspective, Punishing the Patient argues that people with schizophrenic symptoms should be thought of as belonging to two broad, non-medical classes: those who are undergoing a spiritual/mystical emergency, and those who do not conform to social expectations. In each case, psychiatric misunderstanding and mistreatment has led to patients' human rights being violated on a massive scale. This seminal book is bound to lead to a re-examination of schizophrenia by patients, ex-patients, parents, psychiatrists, politicians, and the State. Author Dr Richard Gosden gained his PhD, which is the basis of this book, with the Science and Technology Studies Program at the University of Wollongong. |