In Dr. Perz’s lecture she gave us an example of how taking aspirin for a headache does not mean that a headache is caused by an aspirin deficiency. I believe this to be an excellent example of what Dr. Szasz and Dr. Frances are trying to communicate. Both Dr.’s Szasz and Frances voice concerns about our society blaming our biology for what could simply be a result of free will. A person choosing not to utilize self-control doesn’t mean that person is mentally unstable. Children who are out of control doesn’t necessarily mean that there is something biologically out of order. I have seen the later on repeated occasions and in my opinion the cause appears to be a lack of discipline on the parents part, not a mental disorder on the children’s
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When I was young my mother (a highly educated registered nurse) gave me an example that I’ve never forgotten. She said if you ask an internal medicine doctor what the best treatment is they’ll likely prescribe a medication. However, if you present a surgeon with the same symptoms they will want to cut it open. It’s the nature of their beliefs that they will recommend. While this might come across offensive to many in the field of medicine, the analogy can be useful. If psychiatrists consistently prescribe medications then it becomes a force of habit to medicate a client/patient rather than attempt treatment without medications. A child who has ADHD, for example, could be treated by medications. Or the child could be taught how to cope with their attention deficit and hyperactivity using methods that help that specific child. There could also be a combination of both treatments utilized, in an attempt to medicate as little as possible as well as teach the child coping mechanisms that would help them in the future. In the end, both doctors share similar concerns over diagnoses, though they express it quite differently, and both emphasize that great care should be taken when prescribing treatment of any kind, particularly mind-altering medications. I agree with them, and I believe that when a behavior or condition doesn’t demand medication for health or safety reasons, that everything
When I was young my mother (a highly educated registered nurse) gave me an example that I’ve never forgotten. She said if you ask an internal medicine doctor what the best treatment is they’ll likely prescribe a medication. However, if you present a surgeon with the same symptoms they will want to cut it open. It’s the nature of their beliefs that they will recommend. While this might come across offensive to many in the field of medicine, the analogy can be useful. If psychiatrists consistently prescribe medications then it becomes a force of habit to medicate a client/patient rather than attempt treatment without medications. A child who has ADHD, for example, could be treated by medications. Or the child could be taught how to cope with their attention deficit and hyperactivity using methods that help that specific child. There could also be a combination of both treatments utilized, in an attempt to medicate as little as possible as well as teach the child coping mechanisms that would help them in the future. In the end, both doctors share similar concerns over diagnoses, though they express it quite differently, and both emphasize that great care should be taken when prescribing treatment of any kind, particularly mind-altering medications. I agree with them, and I believe that when a behavior or condition doesn’t demand medication for health or safety reasons, that everything