Destructive Trends in Mental Health: The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm

by Rogers H. Wright (Editor), Nicholas A. Cummings (Editor)

This book takes as its inspiration the assumption that the atmosphere of intellectual openness, scientific inquiry, aspiration towards diversity, and freedom from political pressure that once flourished in the American Psychological Association has been eclipsed by an "ultra-liberal agenda," in which voices of dissent, controversial points of view, and minority groups are intimidated, ridiculed and censored. Chapters written by established and revered practitioners explore these important issues within the contexts of social change, the ways in which mental health services providers view themselves and their products, and various economic factors that have affected healthcare cost structure and delivery. In short, this book is intended to help consumers, practitioners, and policy makers to become better educated about a variety of recent issues and trends that have significantly changed the mental health fields.

Genres: Psychology, Philosophy, Science

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edited volume, for lack of a better phrase, bitch-slaps the professional psychological community's current practices. Under attack are Continuing Education (CE), the intelligence (IQ) controversies, the over-medication of children, the current nosological system for mental disorders, among other controversial topics. Even if you disagree with the content of this volume, it is an excercise in critical thinking that anyone in any field should engage in. At the very least you will have solidified your currently held beliefs on these issues, and at most you will have ceased to unquestioningly accept current psychological and psychiatric practices.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book to anyone in the mental health field. This is an edited volume with the subtitle "The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm." It clarified for me many of my fuzzy perceptions of the field I love. The issues discussed here are important to consider, whether you're a die-hard APA member or (like me) someone who can no longer support the political vision masquerading as science. I'd love to know what you think of this book!

[Angela Blair]

Very informative and changed the way I think about victims and their mental health.

[Emil O. W. Kirkegaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd collection of works. Not mainstream. Some of it is very good, some of it is fringe/pseudoscience (think ADHD denialism and Szasz style denialism about mental disorders).