Here's something hot off the press. This is a response to my comments in the public comment Blog, by Dr. Allen Frances MD, author of the article:
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I am very grateful. Suzy and I will post a detailed description on Weds of my proposal they turned down and then in a couple of weeks theories why they turned it down. A DSM V boycott is also being considered. Appreciate your spreading the word.
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I will post further article links in this thread as they emerge.
It seems that psychiatry is closer to religion than neurology, but it demands to be treated on a scientific/medical par with neurology. Of course, there is also a "bio-psychiatric" tendency that reduces depression/anxiety to malfunctioning neurotransmitters, something that there is absolutely no evidence for either.
The comparison of psychiatry to religion is very apt. I also recommend the writing of Erich Fromm and Thomas Szasc ("The Manufacture of Madness") for a deeper investigation of this connection. Both psychiatry and religion seek to explain to us, the origin of evil behavior and choice. And it is credibly arguable that both fail in the attempt. I realize that some patients are very religious and I intend no personal insult. But I must also follow my own observations from 50 years of adult life, to the conclusions that they support. There are good people within the framework of religion. But my observation has long been that religion did not make them good -- they are that way IN SPITE OF the silly things they believe, and the persecutions of moral difference that their religions sponsor and legitimate.
None of these criticisms mean psychiatry or religion are bad per se, just that they aren't science. This may be obvious in religion's case, but not so for psychiatry, which our society seems to think is a part of medical science for some reason. If you get better, feel better by going to church or going to a shrink--Great!. But when the medical community becomes complicity in psychologizing people with somatic symptoms w/o any evidence, that's where the problem lies.
Interesting book you mention Red. When I was in school, we did personality testing and career testing on ourselves and it was clearly noted that the counseling students were caring, empathetic and were interested in helping their clients achieve their healthy goals in life. However, psychology students were much more likely to think about using their clients for their own self interest and study them like a bug laid out on a slide under a microscope for their own amusement.
I will pass your information on to a few choice individuals.
My experience has been that doctors love to relegate pain to the “all in your head” category already. The SSD diagnosis would compound these mistakes a thousand fold while giving the doctors a perfect excuse (not a reason) to ignore treatment for the pain! The fact that I then ended up with “valid” diagnoses of Trigeminal Neuralgia, Fibromyalgia, and Psoriatic Arthritis may make me feel better, but many of the doctors still refuse to treat the pain. I have a neurologist who refuses to give me any pain meds for the Trigeminal because he believes they will not help me; even after I told him they do help.
It is a constant uphill battle to get any of my doctors to treat my chronic pain. Most feel I need to just “man up” and take it. I end up continually being made to feel like a drug addict. Adding SSD to the DSM will assure this type of treatment continues and escalates.
Thank you for putting this out there; they obviously have no one within their decision making groups who suffers from chronic pain.
This has to be one of the most passionate discussions ever here at LwTN. I will endeavor to keep it lively by bumping regularly. Thank you wonderful members for your very interesting comments. Seems we have a consensus in this group anyway. I know where the better insight is. As always, thank you Sir Red, my knight in shining armor!
Ia agree about being "written off". In October I spent 4 days admitted into the hospital after the neurologist increased my estrogen which caused an unrelenting flare up. When the pain didn't get better immediately, the "attending physician" (who saw me twice), called in a psych evaluation. He agreed that I was as sane as could be expected lol, this doctor thought that hugging me would make it all better. I checked myself out and suffered at home until the estrogen cleared.
Not only do we suffer from pain, but humiliation as well.
Agree with jaxx and all of you here...and of course thank you Red for being a lovely one, and taking care of us or at least me when i did not even realise some morons were trying to insunate im imagining it all. I hope there comes a time when they can only imagine their fat paychecks.
In a way..them saying its a mental thing is like when a Dr does not want to refer you to a specialist because that just means more paperwork, so they say 'stress induced' and give u some crap like paracematmol.
The worst thing is..,..this..keeping symtoms at bay repeatedly rather than dealing with the root problem causes many peoples illness to become chronic and develop into that no going back phase. While repeated pleading visits to the doctor fattens there cheques it often feels like it helps us little and its getting to the point where that trust is gone , the trust of an honest dr who took an oath to help you goes, you feel like they are a crook in a white coat who really does not give a rats ass how much 'pain' you are in as long as you visit regular without them having to work hard enough for it to be an irritation to them. We should not be made to feel we are on trial when describing our agony and the way our lives are affected, constantly thinknig in the back of our heads 'i hope he bought it' because sometimes for us its even too much to comprehend, truly sad.
Wow, Red thanks for standing up for us. The APA's attitude is unbelievable ---- or is it? Is it perhaps their contribution towards saving the country money? Is it all about the 'bottom line' again? WE have fought so long and hard to be recognised and taken seriously and now this. We are simply going back to the dark ages. I will pass it on to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) here in Johnnesburg to ge the word out here.
I’m so glad I don’t have any dodo head doctors Jackie. What bugs me is they people looking for help now that runs into one of these jacket holes. I’m sorry I have nothing to say on this and boy it just crawls under my skin. I would have for someone else looking for treatment to see one of these uneducated doctors. Just the thought of them being labeled like this really up sets me.
What the heck happened to the time when people went to med school because they cared about others? Now it seem over half of newer doctors I’ve seen only went and became a doctor was for the money, and not only this they seem bitter about their school loans. That is why I’m so glad I have been able to find physicians that truely care about their patients well being. Sigh… Really I have some other thoughts and questions on this but I’ll have to ask later when I can articulate these better.
I have dealt with versions of this with every doctor I see. Sometimes I wish they weren't able to see your history when they see you...I feel like once they see I've dealt with mental illness in the past, they never take the time to listen to my very real present pain issues, because I've already been labeled in their minds.
I used to joke that I could go to the ER with a broken leg and they would want to talk about my depression and ask if I was on my meds first. No matter what I am seen for, it seems they always have to ask about diagnoses' from 10 years ago.
It *really* doesn't help when you have a diagnoses like Borderline Personality Disorder, because pretty much all doctors are terrified of it. I don't know what they teach them in medical school about it, but I have actually had a doctor "fire" me for having it. Before she ever saw me. All she saw was my chart!
Once you get a psychiatric label your screwed. Its like a criminal record--it will follow you to your grave. Of course, its not that hard to get a psychiatric diagnosis. Basically all you have to do is walk through the door of at a psychiatrist's office. How many people go to a psychiatrist and are told they are just fine? If the psychiatrist doesn't like you, well they can screw you good--just give you a diagnosis like borderline personality disorder.
This note is to let all of you know that the DSM-V Working Group on Somatic Symptom Disorder has refused to accept modifications of its criteria as recommended by its former chairman. I have distributed the following note to a circle of doctors, patients and patient advocates, which captures my public commentary to Psychology Today. I encourage all who are able, to add their own comments in the magazine's public BLOG (at the foot of the article linked below).
I'm not done yet. I intend to dig out names and professional affiliations of the members of the APA working group, to lodge formal protest with the hospitals and universities in which they are accredited.
Regards and best,
Red
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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
This note follows on my broadcast of January 14th, to inform you that despite the fervent pleas and recommendations of Dr Allen Frances, former chairman of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-V Working Group on Somatic Symptom Disorder, the working group has rejected any modification to their assignment of overly broad and potentially very destructive criteria to this fictional disorder. Dr Frances' BLOG entry of this evening may be found at:
On behalf of patients, I have entered the following public comment to Dr Frances' BLOG:
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Dear Dr. Frances:
I would greatly appreciate your publishing the names and professional affiliations of all members of the DSM-5 Working Group who contributed to the delusional fantasy which is so-called "Somatic Symptom Disorder". I believe it is time that patients started writing to the hospitals and Universities where these idiots have admission privileges. I will personally recommend that every one of these incompetent fools be barred from medical practice on grounds of gross medical malpractice.
Failing that expedient, I very much hope that we can promote an exodus of professionals out of the APA, on grounds that the organization has committed a tangible and totally unnecessary harm to the welfare of medical patients world-wide. I am distributing a copy of this commentary to a wide circle of colleagues, urging them to join in pressuring their own professional organizations to publicly disclaim any acceptance of this fictional disorder as a basis for medical practice standards.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Lawhern, Ph.D. Moderator and Resident Research Analyst Living With TN: http://www.livingwithtn.org