On the 2nd October, 2019, the British Psychological Society (BPS) – the professional body for all practising psychologists in the United Kingdom – announced the start of an internal consultation about the merits of giving psychologists the rights to […]
Continue ReadingWhat What follows is a doctor-patient interaction that I hope will become more commonplace across psychiatric outpatient clinics: [After a 15-minute initial interview] Psychiatrist: Mr Smith, it is clear you are suffering from a depressive illness. […]
Continue ReadingAs someone who strives for a paradigm shift away from the ‘illness like any other’ approach to human suffering and overwhelm, I try and keep myself up to date with what’s happening in the murky world of Western psychiatry. I […]
Continue ReadingJohn Cooper (a close friend of mine since school days) recently informed me that he had read my book, ‘Tales from the Madhouse: An insider critique of psychiatric services‘, and found it a revelation – OK, he might not have […]
Continue ReadingIn part I of this blogpost, I highlighted three typical mantras used by psychiatry to defend their core practices against valid criticism. Here, in the second instalment, I highlight numbers 4, 5 and 6 of these head-in-the-sand responses. 4. […]
Continue ReadingWestern psychiatry is living on borrowed time. There is now compelling evidence to support the assertion that the discipline with overarching responsibility for reducing human distress is fundamentally flawed, routinely delivering interventions that are of limited effectiveness, discriminatory and that […]
Continue ReadingThe National Health Service (NHS) here in the United Kingdom is a wonderful organisation. Providing healthcare, free at the point of access, to all of its citizens the NHS ensures that anyone in immediate need of medical treatment – […]
Continue ReadingFive years ago, when I worked as a clinical psychologist within the UK’s psychiatric system, a senior colleague urged me to be patient. After hearing me – again – express my frustrations at the speed of change, and the stubborn […]
Continue ReadingDuring my 33 years of employment within the UK’s mental health services, I witnessed many colleagues, from a range of professions, who strove to alleviate the distress and suffering of the people who sought their help. Some offered humane, person-centred […]
Continue ReadingExample 1: Last Sunday my 22-year-old daughter was driving at 70 miles-per-hour along the M62 motorway when, without signalling, a 20-ton articulated lorry pulled out in front of her causing her to brake and swerve, almost hitting traffic in the […]
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