> It holds that these voices and beliefs – or ‘hallucinations’ and ‘delusions’ – are symptoms of a disorder such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder or schiz

> It holds that these voices and beliefs – or ‘hallucinations’ and ‘delusions’ – are symptoms of a disorder such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder or schizoaffective disorder. These disorders likely stem from brain dysfunctions or defective genes... Some get the message that their brain is broken and that they can never trust their thoughts and perceptions. That pretty much would be the smart thing to take away from a diagnosis yes. The brain is broken (not functioning correctly) if it's presenting them with hallucinations and delusions. Everyone's brain lies to them to some degree. It's usually not a huge problem, but once it becomes one there's no point in denying what's happening. That wouldn't mean that "they can never trust their thoughts and perceptions" but would mean that they should be considered suspect, especially when those thoughts and perceptions are voices in their heads or paranoia. > But if psychiatry’s broken-brain narrative is pushing people deeper into the TI community, how did this happen? It isn't pushing people to the TI community. Paranoid schizophrenics don't even need a diagnosis to believe that they're being targeted. It's just what they do. If reality is difficult to accept, it's understandable that a fantasy might look more inviting to them, but the answer is not to lie to patients about the reality of their situation or withhold the truth so that they feel better. > A chorus of doctors, journalists and activists insisted that seeing mental disorders in terms of defective brain chemistry would alleviate shame and stigma. They gave the lie to the idea that extreme low mood, disabling anxiety or obsessive thoughts might represent a character flaw or a moral defect – or even bad parenting. I'm not sure what "gave the lie" means here. Having a medical, even physiological, basis for the disorder has made it very clear that it isn't a moral failing or a choice. To that extent, mental illness has been destigmatized pretty well, but ultimately "crazy" is always going to be a bad thing to be, and something nobody wants to be. In that sense there will always be a stigma against it. No one wants to have something wrong with them. I don't think lying to people and telling people there's nothing wrong with them when there very clearly is something wrong with them is helpful. The one part of the this article I can really get behind is that drugs aren't always the answer. Drugs can, in some circumstances be ineffective, or even make the situation worse. It can take a very long time to find the right drug or combination or drugs at the right doses to make things better and in the meantime there are real harms that can result from that search. Psychiatric drugs and conditions are not well understood. I do think that it will get better with time though. I think it's reasonable to be cautious when it comes to treatment with medications, but I think it's also important to be honest and accurate about what the issues are. That means telling people their brains are wrong, and that their experiences aren't real. That psychosis is a very real problem, not a "spiritual emergency" or a "gift" or a "super power" and that it must be dealt with and managed (with or without medication).