by Vera Sharav
Alliance for Human Research Protection
The American Psychiatric Association DSM-5 website announced yesterday that it had dropped the most controversial of its numerous expansionist diagnoses: “Psychosis Risk” and “Mixed Anxiety Depression.” They have been banished “for more study.”
A diagnosis of “Psychosis Risk” would have misdiagnosed and exposed millions of children and adolescents to the scourge of neuroleptic (antipsychotic) drugs whose lethal risk profile is acknowledged by some of psychiatry’s respected experts–seniors with independent sources of income whose clarity of vision has improved with age.
These drugs–Clozaril, Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, Geodon, Abilify and Eli Lilly’s deadly combo, Symbyx (Zyprexa and Prozac)–are linked to debilitating, irreversible, life-shortening risks. These include: acute obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and a shortened life expectancy of 25 years.
The drugs are currently being misprescribed for anything remotely resembling unconventional behavior. How else does one account for these drugs being the most profitable blockbusters?
As Paula Caplan writes in an OpEd in The Washington Post, “The DSM has an undeserved aura of scientific precision surrounds the manual: It has “statistical” in its title and includes a precise-seeming three- to five-digit code for every diagnostic category and subcategory, as well as lists of symptoms a patient must have to receive a diagnosis. But what it does is simply connect certain dots, or symptoms — such as sadness, fear or insomnia — to construct diagnostic categories that lack scientific grounding. Many therapists see patients through the DSM prism, trying to shoehorn a human being into a category.”
See: Psychiatry’s Bible, the DSM, is Doing More Harm Than Good, Washington Post, April 27, 2012
Indeed, the now discarded, DSM 5 invented “diagnosis,” of “Psychosis Risk” was an effort by the DSM -5 task force to legitimize the illegitimate use of these drugs–especially in children and adolescents is emblematic of the problem with psychiatry’s diagnostic methods. . The DSM-5 panel sought to lend its seal to an undefined, non-specific, “diagnosis” based on conjecture about possible future pathology–as valid a diagnostic method as reading tea leaves.
According to Allen Frances, MD, chair of the DSM-IV, who has been a leading critic of the DSM-5 panel, this retreat by the DSM-5 is the first in its history. He attributes the retreat to 1) extensive criticism from experts in the field; 2) public outrage; 3) uniformly negative press coverage; and, 4) the abysmal results in DSM 5 field testing.
See: Dr. Frances’ blog on Psychology Today, Wonderful News: DSM 5 Finally Begins Its Belated and Necessary Retreat
The DSM-5 Task Force is asking for public comment from now until June 15, 2012.
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