They Say You're Crazy: How the World's Most Powerful Psychiatrists Decide

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201488329/psychcentral/103-0294974-7613462

Psychologist Caplan shows how the American Psychiatric Association's bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, lacks the scientific basis claimed for it. Drawing on her years as an adviser-consultant to various related APA committees, she brings to light the association's lack of interest in outsiders' views and the sloppy design and execution of the research it accepts as authoritative. Caplan cites two diagnostic entities, self-defeating personality disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, not only to demonstrate the association's narrow-mindedness and sloppy scientific manners but also to underline the dangers of labeling individuals or groups with such designations. The APA is aided, wittingly or not, by news media reliance on association news releases and the association's biased use of language, and the problems caused thereby affect women in particular, for APA material is also used for political and social purposes.

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Submitted on: 7-Jan-2003