Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Failure of shrinks

I criticized a psychologist report below, but the professions of psychiatry and psychology are really much worse than that.

According to US govt study using the generally accepted (DSM-IV) criteria, 46% of the public has a psychological disorder.

Most mental patients have concluded that talk therapy does not work, and antidepressants are now the biggest selling prescription drugs.

While people often say that psychiatric drugs like Prozac correct a chemical imbalance in the brain, there is no scientific support for that idea. Prozac does not work that way.

The drug company controlled studies, used to support FDA approval, show that antidepressants are only slightly better than placebos.

When antidepressants are compared to placebos having comparable side effects, they show no advantage at all. It is possible that the side effects trick people into thinking that the drugs work.

John Horgan has details, with links to books and articles explaining these points in greater detail.

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