The Gray Lady has reported about a new study: "More than half of Americans will develop a mental illness at some point in their lives, often beginning in childhood or adolescence, researchers have found in a survey that experts say will have wide-ranging implications for the practice of psychiatry. The survey is the most comprehensive in a series of censuslike mental health studies undertaken by the government. The findings of those studies are frequently cited by researchers, advocacy groups, policy makers and drug manufacturers to emphasize the importance of diagnosing and treating mental illness."
As I've mentioned before, I work as a crisis counselor for a hospital in Indianapolis. My main job is to evaluate and determine if someone needs psychiatric inpatient treatment. Of course I don't do this on my own, I have to consult with a psychiatrist about admission. I see quite a few people, and many of them have been hospitalized before.
Some psychiatrists are doubtful of the study. "On the other side are psychiatrists who say they believe that the estimates are inflated. 'Fifty percent of Americans mentally impaired - are you kidding me?' said Dr. Paul McHugh, a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University. While the new survey was carefully done, Dr. McHugh said, 'the problem is that the diagnostic manual we are using in psychiatry is like a field guide and it just keeps expanding and expanding'."
Perhaps La Shawn Barber is onto something about the high numbers of mental disorders. But I think she stole her money line ("liberalism is a mental disorder") from Michael Savage.
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