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If science had found biological origins or symptoms for mental illness in the brain, don't you think these would be used for diagnostic purposes? Szasz was ind

If science had found biological origins or symptoms for mental illness in the brain, don't you think these would be used for diagnostic purposes? Szasz was indeed a deeply unpopular man, but progress often depends upon such people. For instance, did you know that he was the first psychiatrist to claim publicly that homosexuality is not a disease? (In 'Sexual Inversion: The Multiple Roots of Homosexuality', ed. by Judd Marmor, Basic Books, 1965)

vonmoltke 13y ago
> If science had found biological origins or symptoms for mental illness in the brain, don't you think these would be used for diagnostic purposes? Science has found biological symptoms for Alzheimer's and rabies. Unfortunately, these can only be firmly identified post-mortem and are thus not useful for diagnostic purposes. Just two examples if diseases with biological markers that are not useful. > For instance, did you know that he was the first psychiatrist to claim publicly that homosexuality is not a disease? (In 'Sexual Inversion: The Multiple Roots of Homosexuality', ed. by Judd Marmor, Basic Books, 1965) A broken clock is right twice a day. When you claim mental illness doesn't exist in toto, then of course you will be "right" about bullshit mental illnesses like homosexuality.
- prestadige 13y ago
  Good point about Alzheimer's. This seems relevant: http://goo.gl/VeQJym http://goo.gl/VeQJym An example of how an authority is trying to mandate what is normal behaviour and what isn't (presumably in response to the work of Marnia Robinson and others). Szasz pointed out that this sort of thing is just what well-intentioned theologians did historically. They decided which behaviors and beliefs were orthodox and which were heretical. The only difference being that the psychologist is operating under the umbrella of scientific authority. But this is a conceit, since nothing objective has been discovered.

vonmoltke 13y ago

> If science had found biological origins or symptoms for mental illness in the brain, don't you think these would be used for diagnostic purposes? Science has found biological symptoms for Alzheimer's and rabies. Unfortunately, these can only be firmly identified post-mortem and are thus not useful for diagnostic purposes. Just two examples if diseases with biological markers that are not useful. > For instance, did you know that he was the first psychiatrist to claim publicly that homosexuality is not a disease? (In 'Sexual Inversion: The Multiple Roots of Homosexuality', ed. by Judd Marmor, Basic Books, 1965) A broken clock is right twice a day. When you claim mental illness doesn't exist in toto, then of course you will be "right" about bullshit mental illnesses like homosexuality.

prestadige 13y ago
Good point about Alzheimer's. This seems relevant: http://goo.gl/VeQJym http://goo.gl/VeQJym An example of how an authority is trying to mandate what is normal behaviour and what isn't (presumably in response to the work of Marnia Robinson and others). Szasz pointed out that this sort of thing is just what well-intentioned theologians did historically. They decided which behaviors and beliefs were orthodox and which were heretical. The only difference being that the psychologist is operating under the umbrella of scientific authority. But this is a conceit, since nothing objective has been discovered.