Behaviorism and Mental Health

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

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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

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

“The Overdiagnosis of ADHD”

June 28, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 10 Comments

INTRODUCTION On May 23, the very eminent psychiatrist Allen Frances, MD, published on the HuffPost blog an article titled Conclusive Proof ADHD is Overdiagnosed. The general theme, that various “mental illnesses” are being “overdiagnosed” is gaining popularity in recent years among some psychiatrists, presumably in an effort to distance themselves from the trend of psychiatric-drugs-on-demand-for-every-conceivable-human-problem… Continue Reading

ADHD:  The Hoax Unravels

May 10, 2016 By Phil Hickey | 50 Comments

At the risk of stating the obvious, ADHD is not an illness.  Rather, it is an unreliable and disempowering label for a loose collection of arbitrarily chosen and vaguely defined behaviors.  ADHD has been avidly promoted as an illness by pharma-psychiatry for the purpose of selling stimulant drugs.  In which endeavor, they have been phenomenally successful,… Continue Reading

Allen Frances Still Trying to Excuse Psychiatry’s (and his own) Role in the ADHD ‘Epidemic’

December 8, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 32 Comments

On November 9, 2015, Allen Frances, MD, posted an interesting article on the Huffington Post’s Blog.  The article is titled Why Are So Many College and High School Kids Abusing Adderall. The gist of the article is that the “excessive use of ADHD medication” is a more legitimate target for a war on drugs than… Continue Reading

The Inherent Unreliability of the ADHD Label

September 15, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 70 Comments

I imagine that everybody on this side of the issue knows by now that the eminent psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, Chief Psychiatrist at Columbia, and past President of the APA, called Robert Whitaker “a menace to society.” This outburst of petulance – the latest in a string of similar deprecations – occurred on April 26,… Continue Reading

ADHD:  A Destructive and Disempowering Label; Not an Illness

July 24, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 49 Comments

In recent years, we’ve seen an increasing number of articles and papers from psychiatrists in which they seem to be accepting at least some of the antipsychiatry criticisms, and appear interested in reforms.  It is tempting to see this development as an indication of progress, but as in many aspects of life, things aren’t always… Continue Reading

Book Review: Parenting Your Child with ADHD: A No-Nonsense Guide for Nurturing Self-Reliance and Cooperation, by Craig Wiener, EdD

June 5, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 27 Comments

I have recently read this book, and I think it would be extremely helpful for parents, teachers, and counselors who work with children in this area. Here are some quotes: “…ADHD [is] something that your child does rather than something that she has.” “The first thing to realize is that while you and other adults… Continue Reading

The ADHD Label and Mortality

June 3, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 49 Comments

On February 26, 2015, The Lancet published online an article by Soren Dalsgaard et al titled Mortality in children, adolescents, and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a nationwide cohort study. The article describes a Danish study that was designed to assess “ADHD-related mortality in a large cohort of Danish individuals.” The researchers describe their… Continue Reading

Book Review:  A Disease Called Childhood, by Marilyn Wedge

April 1, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 26 Comments

Avery, a member of Penguin Group USA, has recently published A Disease Called Childhood, by Marilyn Wedge.  Marilyn has a PhD in psychology and works as a family therapist. In 2014, fully 11% of American children had received a “diagnosis” of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  It is widely believed by these children, their parents,… Continue Reading

Thomas Insel: “Are Children Overmedicated?”

February 10, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 60 Comments

Thomas Insel, MD, is the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health.  In June of last year, he published, on the Director’s Blog, an article titled Are Children Overmedicated?  The gist of the article is that children are not being overmedicated, but rather that there is an increase in “severe psychiatric problems” in this… Continue Reading

Depression/ ADHD

September 1, 2014 By A reader | 5 Comments

I was searching Google for effects of propaganda on the human psych, and stumbled upon this site. After reading a few stories, I felt I had to share my own.  When I was in high school I was depressed. To the point where I was a walking text book definition. Failing grades, poor hygiene, isolation. All the signs were… Continue Reading

Drugging Toddlers for Inattention, Impulsivity, and Hyperactivity

May 22, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 20 Comments

On May 16, the New York Times ran an article titled Thousands of Toddlers Are Medicated for A.D.H.D., Report Finds, Raising Worries, by Alan Schwarz.  Here is the opening sentence: “More than 10,000 American toddlers 2 or 3 years old are being medicated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder outside established pediatric guidelines, according to data presented… Continue Reading

Driving Under the Influence of Stimulants

May 3, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 7 Comments

On April 22, I published a post on this general topic.  In that article I pointed out that the notion of stimulant prescription drugs improving the driving of people who “have ADHD” was gaining traction. Since than I have come across two articles on this subject from Australia.  (Thanks to Nanu Grewal for the links.) … Continue Reading

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo – A New Diagnosis?

April 29, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 14 Comments

On April 11, 2014, journalist Alan Schwarz (brief bio here) published an article in the New York Times on this topic, titled Idea of New attention Disorder Spurs Research, and Debate.  Alan has written extensively on the rising rates of the condition known as ADHD, and on the abuse of the drugs that are used… Continue Reading

‘ADHD’ and Dangerous Driving

April 22, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 13 Comments

In 2006, Laurence Jerome, a Canadian psychiatrist, and two colleagues wrote a paper titled What We Know About ADHD and Driving Risk: A Literature Review, Meta-Analysis and Critique.  It was published in the Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in August, 2006. The primary result of the meta-analysis was: “Current data… Continue Reading

ADHD: Are We Helping Or Harming?

January 26, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 11 Comments

In November 2013, the British Medical Journal published Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: are we helping or harming? by Rae Thomas, PhD, Psychologist, Australia; Geoffrey K. Mitchell, MB BS, FRACGP, PhD, Professor of General Practice, Australia; and Laura Batstra, PhD, Psychologist, Netherlands.  The article is part of a series on the dangers of overdiagnosis. Here are some quotes:… Continue Reading

Dr. Lieberman Still Passing the Buck: Psychiatry Is Blameless

January 24, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, President of the APA, has expressed concern about the rise in the number of people being assigned a “diagnosis” of ADHD.  He has put up a video on Medscape, Explaining the Rise in ADHD.  There is a transcript with the video. Dr. Lieberman is responding to a December 14, 2013, New York… Continue Reading

The Sandcastle Continues to Crumble: ADHD Does Not Exist

January 7, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 190 Comments

BOOK PREVIEW Richard C. Saul, MD ADHD Does Not Exist:  The Truth About Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder Publication date:  February 18, 2014 ************************ Those of us on this side of the psychiatry debate have been saying for decades that the condition known as ADHD is not an illness, but is rather an arbitrarily delineated… Continue Reading

Never Mind The Facts; Just Sell More Pills

August 23, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

There’s an interesting article, recently published in Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, on Springer Link.  It’s titled Shooting the Messenger: The Case of ADHD,  and it was written by Gretchen LeFever Watson, PhD, et al. Apparently some of the authors had noted in 1995 a marked increase in the “diagnosis” and “treatment” of the condition known… Continue Reading

Childhood ‘Mental Disorders’ According to the CDC

May 27, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 2 Comments

BACKGROUND On May 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report titled Mental Health Surveillance Among Children – United States, 2005-2011.  The CDC is based in Atlanta, Georgia and is a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC’s report runs to 40 pages, including tables and… Continue Reading

Drugging Children Gives Them the Wrong Message

April 6, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

The routine drugging of children for the ordinary problems of childhood is destructive for two reasons:  firstly because of the toxic effects of the pharmaceutical products, and secondly because it conveys to the child the message that drugs are an acceptable way to deal with life’s problems. This latter kind of damage is graphically illustrated… Continue Reading

In DSM-5, A-D-H-D Still Spells Misbehavior

April 4, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 79 Comments

It is a central theme of this website that there are no mental illnesses/disorders, and that the psychiatric medicalization of ordinary human problems is arbitrary, spurious, and destructive. The widespread acceptance of ADHD as a mental illness/chemical imbalance has no scientific underpinning, but rather is based on marketing and promotion.  The ADHD “diagnosis” is particularly… Continue Reading

Psychiatry Still Under Scrutiny

November 11, 2012 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

Duncan Double is a British psychiatrist who has a website called Critical Psychiatry. On October 12 he published a post under the heading:  “The majority of psychiatrists think adult ADHD is an example of the over-medicalisation of everyday life.”  Here are some quotes: “When I trained, adult ADHD was never mentioned – it’s a relatively… Continue Reading

Parenting and Psychiatry

April 24, 2012 By Phil Hickey | 2 Comments

About a week ago an article appeared on the ‘net concerning an attempt by parents to ban ice cream vendors from a playground in Brooklyn, New York.  The piece was reprinted in the New York Post.  Apparently some of the parents are upset because the arrival of the vendors stimulates requests for ice cream from… 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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