Posted on 07/01/2005 9:47:55 AM PDT by quidnunc
It may be easy to dismiss Tom Cruise's recent outbursts against psychiatry as the ravings of an egomaniacal celebrity. Comedians have certainly had a field day with Cruise, a fervent disciple of the Church of Scientology, ever since he scolded Brooke Shields for taking prescribed medication to treat her postpartum depression and lectured Matt Lauer, host of the "Today" show, that psychiatry was a "pseudoscience" and antidepressant drugs were worthless because there is "no such thing as a chemical imbalance." "No?" wisecracked Lewis Black on "The Daily Show," watching a video clip of Cruise berating Lauer, "Then what do you call what's happening to you right now?"
But the Church of Scientology's war on psychiatry is no joke. For decades, Scientologists have maintained that the very notion of mental illness is a fraud. They base this belief on the views of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, who proclaimed that psychiatry was an evil enterprise, a form of terrorism, and the cause of crime. Now, they're attempting to enshrine their contempt for psychiatry in laws across the country.
Recently, Scientologists have promoted legislation in Florida, Utah and New Hampshire that seeks to discredit psychiatry and drug therapies, especially for kids. The laws would penalize, even criminalize, schoolteachers who recommended mental health treatments to students or parents. At the same time, Scientologists have infiltrated the public schools, promoting a drug abuse program that presents information — that drugs like marijuana and LSD, for instance, accumulate in body fat and create constant cravings — roundly dismissed by medical experts.
In fact, physicians, psychiatrists and scientists have consistently said that Scientology's approaches to mental health have no basis in medical fact and can be dangerous to people who may need treatment. On June 27, following Cruise's "Today" show appearance, the American Psychiatric Association issued a statement to remind the nation's TV viewers that "science has proven that mental illnesses are real medical conditions" and that medications have been a lifesaving part of treatment plans for millions of people. "It is irresponsible for Mr. Cruise to use his movie publicity tour to promote his own ideological views and deter people with mental illness from getting the care they need," said Steven S. Sharfstein, president of the association. Scientology critics and former members of the church add that what lies behind the attacks on psychiatry and medicine is the church's drive to spread its religious teachings.
The Church of Scientology's world war on psychiatry arose from its zealous founder. For reasons known only to Hubbard himself, the science fiction author and budding church leader conceived a violent hatred of psychiatry. Perhaps his animus took root when the American Psychological Association, following the 1950 publication of Hubbard's self-help treatise, "Dianetics," advised its members against using Hubbard's psychological techniques with their patients.
-snip-
I can attest to the effectiveness in ECT being used to combat my severe depression... I am bipolar. Without ECT, I more than likely would have committed suicide last winter. ECT combined with moodstabilizers and antidepressants has given me back my life. I must add, my patients' rights have always been intact. I have never been forced to receive any type of treatment. I've been in control of my health all along.
(Well KNOWN TO BE THE mark of an UNSTABLE MIND!)
LOL
I WANT TO BE CLEAR! HELP ME XENU!
I used to work in the field of mental health. I ran residential programs for the "boarderline intellectual functioning" and the "severely emotionally disturbed." I succeeded in getting all of the children (except two) off meds and they did far better than when they were on them.
Except I screwed up. I should have got the quote right: "A pox on both their houses."
This is about the only positive thing that can be said about the looney scientology cult.
Probably.
==Except I screwed up. I should have got the quote right: "A pox on both their houses."
I'm a little surprised that so many conservatives have etrusted their mental health to the government.
Having said that, Psychiatry is the “Great Satan” of Scientology. As early as 1955, L. Ron Hubbard’s attitude was already well formulated in a bulletin titled Psychiatrists, in which he wrote, “One cannot cooperate with them any more than he can ‘do business with Hitler.’” In 1982 Hubbard claimed that psychiatrists “…destroyed every great civilization to date and are hard at work on this one.” Hubbard’s vilification of psychiatry is a chaotic litany of conspiracy theory paranoia that the Church has adopted as fact. They truly believe, as Hubbard did, that “…the majority of psychiatrists maim and kill their patients and, by record, in all history have only worsened mental conditions. After all, that’s what they seem to be paid to do by the government.”
Tom Cruise (or any Scientologist for that matter), has no choice but to vilify psychiatry. They're forbidden to seek any kind of mental treatment other than their own brand of "spiritual counseling." In fact anyone who has been treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist is potentially ineligible for Scientology processing. At the very least, such a person is required to submit to a "rundown" to undo the supposed harmful effects of conventional mental health treatment.
So when you ask a Scientologist what they would recommend to treat a mental disorder they are bound to one, and only one answer: Scientology.
Why didn't you say that in the first place, rather than spraying your posts with links to unknown sources? I am very glad you had great success in working with the children. I hope you continue to follow their progress, and publish your experiences in reputable journals.
I thought it was wabbit season...
I was under the impression that most women who are treated for things like Post Partum Depression (like Tom Cruise was discussing)were treated for it by their obstetricians. Not psychiatrists.
Seems to me that a lot of these things that people are being treated for are and are being prescribed for are being given to them by their general physicians. Mine prescribed Paxil for me for depression. No psychiatrist involved.
Helped me tremendously, BTW, Dr. Cruise.
Thomas Szasz is Founding Director of the CCHR Scientology Front
Surprise, surprise.
Greta? For real??
susie
You have to be mentally ill already to believe in Scientology, so there!
(Science-fiction, double feature, doctor X will build a creature, see androids fighting - Brad and Janet), and something on and on about the late night double feature, picture show, I wanna go and so does Tommy the Cruiser.
Gotta go find my bustier and high heels, bu-bye.
I beLIEVE!!!!
Yes.
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