Psychologists' and Psychiatrists' Groups Take Broad Stand Against Participation in Torture
Speaking against torture, Dr. Gerald P. Koocher, sitting President of the American Psychological Association makes a long statement concerning abuses of medicine and psychology that might occur at the hands of mental health professionals in this lengthy letter accompanying the reports and other official statements on the matter of this past week. Summary: torture is awful, psychologists who participate are unethical, and, oh yeah, it probably didn't happen:A number of opportunistic commentators masquerading as scholars have continued to report on alleged abuses by mental health professionals. However, when solicited in person to provide APA with names and circumstances in support of such claims, no data have been forthcoming from these same critics and no APA members have been linked to unprofessional behaviors. The traditional journalistic dictum of reporting who, what, where and when seems notably absent.Read the full APA report here.
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The APA's definition of "torture" is situation-specific. There is a great deal of controversy about practices *not* condemned by the APA when it comes to people with developmental disabilities - using shock devices, food deprivation and other "aversives" to control behavior.
Recent article in the Boston Globe about it:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/05/22/a_question_of_tough_love_vs_torture/
Excerpt (comments about practices and a facility that uses them):
''We don't do this to prisoners in the criminal justice system,
so we shouldn't be doing it to people with disabilities," said
Leo Sarkissian, executive director of the ARC of Massachusetts,
an advocacy group for people with mental retardation."
- by Stephen Drake on May 23, 2006 at 4:10 PM | link
Appreciate your blog,mental health consumers are the least capable of self advocacy,my doctors made me take zyprexa for 4 years which was ineffective for my symptoms.I now have a victims support page against Eli Lilly for it's Zyprexa product causing my diabetes.--Daniel Haszard www.zyprexa-victims.com
- by Daniel Haszard on May 24, 2006 at 4:30 PM | link